Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver

[Liminal Syzygy]

Anyone else reading it? I'm only about 150 pages into this monster.

 

[Umbran]

Stephenson's good, but the book just came out in hardcover. Hardcover prices are simply not in my budget. The book will come out in paperback eventually, and I'll sink my teeth into it then.

 

[ForceUser]

Snow Crash is without a doubt one of the best sci-fi books I've ever read. It is mind-blowing. I'm looking forward to Quicksilver.

 

[Eridanis]

Good heavens, that thing is a brick. I want to read it, but I'm going to hold off buying it; I suspect that by the time I get around to reading it, the whole triliogy will be out ... in paperback.

SNOW CRASH was amazing, but the only other thing I've read from him was a huge WIRED article in late 1996 on Pacific Ocean trunk-cable-laying. Gripping, believe it or not.

 

[Olive]

Cryptonomicon is better even than snow crash. I read it first, and found snow crash a bit disappointing.

glad to hear the new one is out, I'll have to keep an eye out for it.

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

While Snow Crash was great, it suffered from the same problem as Diamond Age and Zodiac, it was resolved poorly, giving me the impression Stephenson just gave up on it at the end. With Cryptonomicon Stephenson finally did seem to figure out how to resolve all of his plots and give a sense of closure, so I have hopes it won't be a problem. But I guess I won't know for another 2800 pages or so.

 

[Olive]

But I guess I won't know for another 2800 pages or so.

How many?

 

[Liminal Syzygy]

How many?

Yes, 2800! Quicksilver is only 1000 pages itself but it is part of "The Baroque Cycle" of three books. The second book supposedly has already been written and has a street date of April 2004, and the next book November 2004.

There's a lot of info here: http://www.baroquecycle.com/

More than anything this book reminds me of Patrick O'Brian's work so far.

 

[dravot]

Eridanis: the Wired article was fascinating and extremely well done. I still have that article.

I agree with Cordo, Stephenson's pre-Cryptonomicon books all resolved poorly. I was relieved that Cryptonomicon had a decent ending, and I hope that this does as well.

I'm gonna have to wait for the paperback, though.

 

[Tyler Do'Urden]

I'm 100 pages into it... and so far, I love it. Unlike other authors who seem to substitute increasing length for decreasing quality (cough) Jordan (cough), Stephenson's books only seem to get better, the longer they are. I've heard it rumored that after the Baroque cycle, Stephenson has a cycle planned set after the events of "Cryptonomicon"... although, after reading his recent Newsweek and Wired interviews, I'm skeptical. But I'd love to see him write some more sci-fi... he's only written two books in the genre, and he's a grand master by anyone's standards.