Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver
- Thread starter Liminal Syzygy
- Start date
Olive
Explorer
EricNoah said:
Well it's more fiction about science rather than sci-fi, but it's certainly not fantasy!
I read the first one, kinda liked it, but found it (like cryptonomicon) a little in need of a heavy edit at times. I'll read the next two when I can afford them (so maybe start in a few months).
edit: whoa... way to revive a dead thread Eric!
haiiro
First Post
It's weird, but Quicksilver didn't really do it for me. I love Stephenson in general, and his style in particular, and Cryptnomicon is one of my top two or three favorite books ever; Snow Crash and Diamond Age rank very highly as well.
But by about halfway through Quicksilver, I really wanted a plot. I don't mind movies that kind of putter around and don't really resolve into a story -- actually, I usually enjoy them -- but with a thousand page mega-tome like this one, I need something to keep me reading. Good writing just wasn't enough.
Book two of the Cycle has sat on my shelf untouched since the day I bought it -- and it'll probably stay there, because I can't muster up the energy to re-read Quicksilver on the off chance that a plot appears in the second book.
But by about halfway through Quicksilver, I really wanted a plot. I don't mind movies that kind of putter around and don't really resolve into a story -- actually, I usually enjoy them -- but with a thousand page mega-tome like this one, I need something to keep me reading. Good writing just wasn't enough.
Book two of the Cycle has sat on my shelf untouched since the day I bought it -- and it'll probably stay there, because I can't muster up the energy to re-read Quicksilver on the off chance that a plot appears in the second book.
cignus_pfaccari
First Post
The Confusion is, almost entirely, about Jack and Eliza and what happens to them over the next umpteen years.
Daniel, while he has a few appearances in Book 2 (in the Eliza sections), doesn't really appear until Book 3, when he winds up, effectively, being the prime mover of a whole host of plots.
Unfortunately, I'm not real sure if there is a Plot to tie everything together, other than that you're witnessing events over a great span of time and distance that're pretty cool. But, I have to say, I really did enjoy the series.
Brad
Daniel, while he has a few appearances in Book 2 (in the Eliza sections), doesn't really appear until Book 3, when he winds up, effectively, being the prime mover of a whole host of plots.
Unfortunately, I'm not real sure if there is a Plot to tie everything together, other than that you're witnessing events over a great span of time and distance that're pretty cool. But, I have to say, I really did enjoy the series.
Brad
Liminal Syzygy
Community Supporter
Not able to carry the massive hardbacks around with me everywhere, I was distracted by the Dark Tower series halfway through System of the World. I fully intend to go back to it, though.
MonsterMash
First Post
I'm most of the way through Quicksilver now, just waiting for The Confusion to come out in paperback in the UK. I've enjoyed it, but it does seem to need a bit of an edit in places, too much exposition at times. Of course being in London gives me a bit of a different perspective with actually walking round where some of the action is set.
I'm about 2/3 of the way through Quicksilver, and while I'm loving it, I've BEEN about 2/3 of the way through Quicksilver for about 4 months now...
I have a 2-year old and a 3+hour a day commute: I found I was reading this book in little fits and starts where I could find the time. 20 pages here, 15 pages there, and I just completely lost all momentum. Terry Pratchett I can do that with. Thousands of pages of densely-packed, meandering historical fiction... not so much. Too bad, too, because I like Stephenson in general, and when I could devote an hour or so to just sit and read, I was really enjoying this one.
I'll revive this thread again in 2023, when I've finished uploading the entire cycle into my headjacked e-book reader, and I'll let you all know what I thought of it...
I have a 2-year old and a 3+hour a day commute: I found I was reading this book in little fits and starts where I could find the time. 20 pages here, 15 pages there, and I just completely lost all momentum. Terry Pratchett I can do that with. Thousands of pages of densely-packed, meandering historical fiction... not so much. Too bad, too, because I like Stephenson in general, and when I could devote an hour or so to just sit and read, I was really enjoying this one.
I'll revive this thread again in 2023, when I've finished uploading the entire cycle into my headjacked e-book reader, and I'll let you all know what I thought of it...
cignus_pfaccari
First Post
One of the reasons I really like Neal Stephenson is, strangely enough, because his books are so long. I have a pretty long commute (about 3 hours round trip, depending on the Metro), and a longer book means I have to carry or buy fewer books to read.
I'd borrowed a couple of <200 page lightweight books, and devoured them entirely too fast, darn it.
Also, I love the little anachronisms he puts in...there's a certain Monty Python quote in The System of the World that was just classic.
Brad
I'd borrowed a couple of <200 page lightweight books, and devoured them entirely too fast, darn it.
Also, I love the little anachronisms he puts in...there's a certain Monty Python quote in The System of the World that was just classic.
Brad
