About this product

Product Identifiers

PublisherHarperCollins

ISBN-100380977427

ISBN-139780380977420

eBay Product ID (ePID)2398710

Product Key Features

Book TitleQuicksilver : Volume One of the Baroque Cycle

Number of Pages944 Pages

LanguageEnglish

Publication Year2003

TopicRomance / Historical / 20th Century, Science Fiction / Action & Adventure, Science Fiction / Cyberpunk, Thrillers / Technological, Historical

GenreFiction

AuthorNeal Stephenson

FormatHardcover

Dimensions

Item Height2 in

Item Weight1.8 Oz

Item Length9.2 in

Item Width6.2 in

Additional Product Features

Intended AudienceTrade

LCCN2002-035752

Reviews"Dense, witty, erudite ... and gripping ... a far more impressive literary endeavor than most so-called "serious" fiction.", [QUICKSILVER] explores the philosophical concerns of today . . . through thrillingly clever, suspenseful and amusing plot twists., [O]ften brilliant and occassionally astonishing ...[QUICKSILVER] has wit, ambition and ... moments of real genius., "Genius . . . You'll wish it were longer." - Time magazine "Neal Stephenson rewrites history--for the dark prince of hacker fiction, looking backward is another way of seeing the future." - Wired "[QUICKSILVER] is a rare thing: a 1,000-page book that you don't want to end. - San Antonio Express-News "[O]ften brilliant and occassionally astonishing ...[QUICKSILVER] has wit, ambition and ... moments of real genius." - Book World "[A]n awe-inspiring book, stuffed with heart-stopping action scenes ... and a treasure trove of forgotten historical lore." - Book "Dense, witty, erudite ... and gripping ... a far more impressive literary endeavor than most so-called "serious" fiction." - Independent "An astonishing achievement." - Sunday Telegraph "[QUICKSILVER] explores the philosophical concerns of today . . . through thrillingly clever, suspenseful and amusing plot twists." - New York Times Book Review "Historical fiction driven by the history of ideas...rollicking good fun....Mr. Stephenson is a magnificent chronicler of the Information Age." - Wall Street Journal "Sprawling, irreverent, and ultimately profound." - Newsweek "A sprawling, engrossing tale." - Seattle Times "Stephenson's new machine is a wonderment to behold. A-" - Entertainment Weekly, [A]n awe-inspiring book, stuffed with heart-stopping action scenes ... and a treasure trove of forgotten historical lore.

Volume NumberNo. 1

SynopsisNeal Stephenson's Quicksilver is here. A monumental literary feat that follows the author's critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Cryptonomicon, it is history, adventure, science, truth, invention, sex, absurdity, piracy, madness, death, and alchemy. It sweeps across continents and decades with the power of a roaring tornado, upending kings, armies, religious beliefs, and all expectations. It is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight. It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe -- London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds -- risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox ... and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance. A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life -- a historical epic populated by the likes of Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV -- Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time. And it's just the beginning ..., Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver is here. A monumental literary feat that follows the author's critically acclaimed New York Times bestseller Cryptonomicon , it is history, adventure, science, truth, invention, sex, absurdity, piracy, madness, death, and alchemy. It sweeps across continents and decades with the power of a roaring tornado, upending kings, armies, religious beliefs, and all expectations. It is the story of Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and conflicted Puritan, pursuing knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe, in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight. It is a chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of "Half-Cocked Jack" Shaftoe -- London street urchin turned swashbuckling adventurer and legendary King of the Vagabonds -- risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox ... and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance. A gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive novel that brings a remarkable age and its momentous events to vivid life -- a historical epic populated by the likes of Samuel Pepys, Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV -- Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time. And it's just the beginning ...

LC Classification NumberPS3569.T3868Q53 2003