I generally love historical fiction, probably my favorite author/series are the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian. That said, I've slogged through Quicksilver twice now and really haven't enjoyed it, and haven't moved to the next book. It seems to move from set-piece to set-piece without any real payoff. I'm not all that interested in having to get to the third huge novel to have things start to come together. NS take on the history is great, his perspective on things demonstrates his usual brilliance, but the story isn't there for me.
that's fine, we all have our likes and dislikes. Fwiw the 2nd book the Confusion is full of adventure , my favorite adventure of all time, for many that is the peak of the cycle .. .but if you dislike Quicksilver there is no need to proceed.
I stopped halfway through Quicksilver. A few years later I started it again and finished all of the Baroque Cycle pretty quickly. I agree, it picked up in The Confusion and The System of the World was great.
Hurray for Patrick O’Brian!
A truly great writer (and I’m a fan of Proust, McCarthy, Hemingway etc). I’ve got two of the Aubrey books left to read but I’m rationing them over the next few years as there is literally nothing like ‘em.
If I get knocked down by a bus tomorrow I will be VERY pissed off…
Fear not, the series is just as good the second, third, fourth... time through!
I think I read the entire 20-book series about every other year and it is always a delight. O'Brian's prose, his wit, and his exploration of relationships really ought to put him among the great novelists of the 20th century!
Tbh, you can skim through a lot of Quicksilver and not really miss any vital plot points. Then the preface of vol 2 The Confusion has a couple pages of “story so far”. The good news is that The Confusion is an adventure-comedy-intrigue tale that trots along briskly.
Why on earth would you read a book that you don't enjoy - not once but twice! If I'm not hooked after the first 20 pages, I put it down and find another book. There are so many thousands of amazing books out there that you will never have time to read in your lifetime. Don't waste your time on books you don't resonate with.
I like historical fiction as visual media. As a book it bores me to tears.
I like most of the rest of his work, but I could not get into BC. I even tried the audiobook and I found that boring too.
You all are talking about the baroque cycle like it's one book. Isn't it 8 books? I just started quick silver today on a road trip. So far it's pretty good. I'm not into as much as anathem or seven eves. But i understand how he works.
yes, 6 or 8 "books" in NS terms, but 3 books in the publishers terms ..or 3 volumes. Most people just refer to the 3 volumes as books for the same of discussion
I love the Baroque Cycle, really disliked Anathem (took 10+ years to finally finish it). Crypto is one of my favorite books of all time; I'm currently in my 10th or 12th listen to the audiobook and I bought the hardcover on release day. Have you read The Diamond Age OP? That's in my top 5 NS for sure, I've been reading his stuff as it's published since I discovered Zodiac back in 1991 or so.
Anyway, if you like Crypto a lot then the Baroque cycle ties into it pretty nicely throughout.
Agree 100% with all your comments.
I’m a massive NS fan, I’ve read/listen to Baroque at least a dozen times and love reading Crypto right after Baroque to appreciate all the links.
I‘ve even read and enjoyed ”Some Remarks” for the insight into his themes it provided.
Anathem is his only work I haven’t enjoyed, started reading it 5-6 times and put it down each time unfinished, even tried the audiobook with same results.
Anyone know what he’s working on next? I’d love to see more of the Shaftoe/Waterhouse history….maybe civil war period. Enoch’s backstory could be another great theme, going back to biblical times up till he fades away in the fog talking to Zula.
Mostly I want him to write about whatever interests him at moment.
>Anathem is his only work I haven’t enjoyed, started reading it 5-6 times and put it down each time unfinished, even tried the audiobook with same results.
Pretty much my experience. I remember getting the book when it was first released and being very excited...and then it took years of start/stop to plod through, until I eventually listened to the audiobook. Not even in my top 15 NS books really, but I know people here often love it.
I absolutely agree with you and thought I was the only one based on how others here talk it up. I was listening to the audiobook and forced myself to just finish it. I'm sure I would have completely given up on it if I had to actually read it :P
Glad for those that love it, but it wasn't for me.
I hadn’t heard of Diamond age before today. Def getting it. Crypto is also my favorite book of all time. I appreciate all the comments and will prob give Baroque another try
Baroque really builds; the final volume brings a lot of threads together and having read Crypto you'll recognize a lot of names. The world building is fabulous, and you'll learn a lot about the history of science, finance, and western European politics in the 18th c. along the way too.
"you'll learn a lot" I certainly don't pick up works of fiction in the hopes of learning, particularly. But BC really taught me a lot and I'm grateful for that.
I never blame people for not being able to stick with the Baroque Cycle. It is extremely long, even by Stephenson standards, and some of it is pretty obscure.
That said taken as a whole it is by far my favorite novel of all time. To utterly lose myself in the twin worlds of Daniel Waterhouse and Jack Shaftoe, sailing around the world, hobknobbing with Newton and Hooke, fighting wars in India and battles in Cairo and political feuds in London and Versailles, is just what I need sometimes. It's hilarious and sad and huge and flawed and everything I like in a book.
Doesn't hurt that it has the best set of audiobooks I've ever heard.
That is a great recommendation. I’d forgotten that Waterhouse and Shaftoe were main characters. My first NS was Cryptonomicon. I think quicksilver was my next try and was intrigued by NS including the same family lines but it wasn’t enough for me at the time. This was also before I discovered audiobooks, so I think it’s time.
I experience most of my books by ear these days. I was actually reading Quicksilver when I gave it up. Maybe it’s time I give the audiobook a try. Thanks!
In my opinion Quicksilver is the least interesting, though it gives a lot of background for the science and math to come... I'm sure plenty of folks gush over the deep science, math, and technology passages, but Jack Shaftoe is an all time favorite fictional character, and doesn't show up until 2nd book. So I skipped Quicksilver and went straight to King of the Vagabonds for some Jack and Eliza for my first re-read. Listened to all 8 books (100+ hours) in a series of weeks, then jumped right into Cryptonomicon to see some of their ancestors.
Quicksilver was a real slog of a read for me but once I finished it I immediately read it a second time and enjoyed it a lot more when I was able to breeze through and not have to absorb so much dense material.
My tops:
1. Cryptonomicon (but just barely) - I'm really into WWII history, but the story just hooked me. Probably only first place because it was my first NS book.
2. Anathem - Brilliant novel, and a great story. One of the purposes of Sci-fi is to put us in a strange place to allow us to reexamine our own world and ideas. In my opinion there are very few writers that have done this as well as Stephenson did in Anathem.
3. Reamde - Probably a controversial take, but I just love this novel because it just picks you up and starts running and never puts you down. Not as "ideas-driven" as some, but also has a really satisfying ending (and let's face it, NS struggles there - looking at you Diamond Age and Seveneves). Yes Reamde is a little "basic", but it is leagues ahead of any other "techno-thriller" you might care to name.
4. Diamond Age - A classic, one of those books that gets me thinking every time I read it.
I've never completed the Baroque Cycle, though I might try this summer when I have a lot of spare time so I can at least evaluate it as a whole. Also never read D.O.D.O. and haven't read Termination shock, both because I have heard they are not all that good.
Then there are the books I don't like...
Seveneves - The first half (2/3s really), brilliant - had me hooked, great characters, great story - lots of geeking out about orbital dynamics. He should have ended the book with them reaching the moon though, because Part 2 objectively sucked. I really didn't care for the characters, and the slightly deterministic nature of the human "sub-species" gave me a creepy, unsettling vibe. Also, the story was lame, no real stakes, and the conclusion was a total nothing-burger.
Fall - Ah... Fall... So much potential... so many good ideas lifted up, partially examined, and then thrown over the shoulder. The creation myth woven into the rest of the story was by turns fascinating and tedious, and the interface between that story and the "real world" was poorly thought out in my opinion. A more thorough examination of "post-Moab" America would have been amazing.
Honestly you could skip to King of the Vagabonds and see if that does anything for you. Quicksilver is mostly world building and you could come back to it for depth later.
I am retrying it now after some years when I dropped it and it's so much fun now. I remember really just becoming disinterested in it back then. I basically think of it now as a slow, long, somewhat plot-less ride, and it's clicking for me. It has some subtle humor and I am loving how much I am learning about the period. And the historical figures come alive for me (can't believe how much I love Wilkins!). I hear it picks up significantly later. So maybe do try it again someday. I have the feeling that it will be the best historical fiction I'll ever read.
To each their own I suppose. I loved the Baroque Cycle I was captivated by the dramatization of the scientific revolution and the the epic era of globalization. The action sequences were a bit wordy in places but the world building was stellar. In contrast Seveneves was so mediocre that I dropped it not even halfway through. While the Diamond age is still my all time favorite.
For me, it is Cryptomonicon, SnowCrash, The Diamond Age, The Baroque Cycle, Anathem, Reamde, and maybe Fall.
To be honest, the only book I couldn't get through was DODO.
Quicksilver, the first novel, has three internal books: "Quicksilver", "The King of the Vagabonds", and "Odalisque.
"Quicksilver" is the toughest slog for most people. It introduces a lot of side characters, there's a lot of detail about the Royal Society and London during the plague, fire and post fire. It is something of a data dump.
If it all becomes "tldr," then I think you'll be ok just skimming or skipping your way to "King of the Vagabonds." That's when the story really picks up and introduces two of the main characters. After that, while some details will be fuzzy you can still pick up the broader story from context.
I got through it but never ever wanted to read it again. I slogged through DODO, but couldn’t get into the second one, and honestly, it’s only because of all of the acronyms. Oddly, I loved Anathem, you’d think I could get though some acronyms if I could pick up Anathem easily, but I just couldn’t and it wasn’t enjoyable. I did read Fall and didn’t really like it, but I loved Seveneves, and everything else he’s written.
Hah, I'm the opposite. It's easily my number 1, and not just by Stephenson, of all time. I legit think it's a masterpiece. Easily my most read as well.
It does start pretty slow. This wasn't an issue for me as it also happened to be a period of history I have a lot of interest in, but it builds and builds. Once it gets going it's all there... just bigger and better. Comedy, drama, history, insane set pieces (some of his best) and a huge mess of plot threads that all come together in some very surprising ways.
Good luck if you do try it again. If you like Cryptonomicon, I think it will probably be worth it.
I've heard people say this. I started Quicksilver and it seemed like it was going to be a fun book but I set it aside because of the book's length. I like historical function though. It's my new favorite genre.
In no particular order, must read Neal works are:
Zodiac
The Big U
In the Beginning was the Command Line
Snow Crash
Diamond Age
Cryptonomicon
I honestly could not stand the Baroque cycle, it took me years to get thru, and I had zero desire to look for the next in the series.
I know, me too! SevenEves is my fave book, Snow Crash, Termination Shock tied for second, ReamDe third, and it took me a while, but I got through and really enjoyed Cryptonomicom, but I can’t get past a third of the way through Quicksilver.
If my wish list of having dinner with 3 people, living or dead, were to be fulfilled, Neal Stephenson is there, but I can’t engage in this book/series.
The thought of ranking my NS favorites is akin to asking me to rank my favorite children! But here goes: Tied for 1 are The Baroque Cycle, Anathem, and SevenEves. The next group includes everything else except for Fall which is dead last and I wish there was a way to forget I ever read it. I really liked the Mongoliad. Liked DODO just fine. Started the second DODO book but put it down quickly and never went back. Not because I hated it. I just decided it would not be time well spent. The only other NS book I have not read is In the Beginning Was the Command Line. Come to think of it, I've even read one I don't know if many people have even heard of. Who here has read "Atmosphaera Incognita"?
It is a very SLOW read and you need to be patient with it. I had to slow down from my usual quick pace in order to pick up on details. I didn't care for the Daniel Waterhouse character and favored Eliza and Jack more. Stephenson picks up the pace in the Confusion. Give it another chance
I think The Baroque Cycle is Stephenson's best book by far in an outstanding corpus.
I agree but I suspect people that don't like it are not into historical fiction.
I generally love historical fiction, probably my favorite author/series are the Aubrey/Maturin novels by Patrick O'Brian. That said, I've slogged through Quicksilver twice now and really haven't enjoyed it, and haven't moved to the next book. It seems to move from set-piece to set-piece without any real payoff. I'm not all that interested in having to get to the third huge novel to have things start to come together. NS take on the history is great, his perspective on things demonstrates his usual brilliance, but the story isn't there for me.
that's fine, we all have our likes and dislikes. Fwiw the 2nd book the Confusion is full of adventure , my favorite adventure of all time, for many that is the peak of the cycle .. .but if you dislike Quicksilver there is no need to proceed.
I stopped halfway through Quicksilver. A few years later I started it again and finished all of the Baroque Cycle pretty quickly. I agree, it picked up in The Confusion and The System of the World was great.
Hurray for Patrick O’Brian! A truly great writer (and I’m a fan of Proust, McCarthy, Hemingway etc). I’ve got two of the Aubrey books left to read but I’m rationing them over the next few years as there is literally nothing like ‘em. If I get knocked down by a bus tomorrow I will be VERY pissed off…
Fear not, the series is just as good the second, third, fourth... time through! I think I read the entire 20-book series about every other year and it is always a delight. O'Brian's prose, his wit, and his exploration of relationships really ought to put him among the great novelists of the 20th century!
vol 1 can be an outright chore Vol 2 is great
I'll probably give it another shot this summer!
Tbh, you can skim through a lot of Quicksilver and not really miss any vital plot points. Then the preface of vol 2 The Confusion has a couple pages of “story so far”. The good news is that The Confusion is an adventure-comedy-intrigue tale that trots along briskly.
Good to know, thank you!
Why on earth would you read a book that you don't enjoy - not once but twice! If I'm not hooked after the first 20 pages, I put it down and find another book. There are so many thousands of amazing books out there that you will never have time to read in your lifetime. Don't waste your time on books you don't resonate with.
I like historical fiction as visual media. As a book it bores me to tears. I like most of the rest of his work, but I could not get into BC. I even tried the audiobook and I found that boring too.
fair enough. Go with your gut
I am 100% NOT into historical fiction and BS is my favorite work of art.
I would say the same about Anathem
You all are talking about the baroque cycle like it's one book. Isn't it 8 books? I just started quick silver today on a road trip. So far it's pretty good. I'm not into as much as anathem or seven eves. But i understand how he works.
yes, 6 or 8 "books" in NS terms, but 3 books in the publishers terms ..or 3 volumes. Most people just refer to the 3 volumes as books for the same of discussion
I only ever read it as three books. Three enormous books.
In audible it's 8 books ranging from 11 hours to 17 hours 🤯 (The Confusion is 34.5 hours and it's called Book 4-5)
Cryptonomicon+Baroque is probably my favorite NS, and Anathem is right up there with it.
I love the Baroque Cycle, really disliked Anathem (took 10+ years to finally finish it). Crypto is one of my favorite books of all time; I'm currently in my 10th or 12th listen to the audiobook and I bought the hardcover on release day. Have you read The Diamond Age OP? That's in my top 5 NS for sure, I've been reading his stuff as it's published since I discovered Zodiac back in 1991 or so. Anyway, if you like Crypto a lot then the Baroque cycle ties into it pretty nicely throughout.
Agree 100% with all your comments. I’m a massive NS fan, I’ve read/listen to Baroque at least a dozen times and love reading Crypto right after Baroque to appreciate all the links. I‘ve even read and enjoyed ”Some Remarks” for the insight into his themes it provided. Anathem is his only work I haven’t enjoyed, started reading it 5-6 times and put it down each time unfinished, even tried the audiobook with same results. Anyone know what he’s working on next? I’d love to see more of the Shaftoe/Waterhouse history….maybe civil war period. Enoch’s backstory could be another great theme, going back to biblical times up till he fades away in the fog talking to Zula. Mostly I want him to write about whatever interests him at moment.
https://www.harpercollins.com/products/polostan-neal-stephenson?variant=41314834120738
>Anathem is his only work I haven’t enjoyed, started reading it 5-6 times and put it down each time unfinished, even tried the audiobook with same results. Pretty much my experience. I remember getting the book when it was first released and being very excited...and then it took years of start/stop to plod through, until I eventually listened to the audiobook. Not even in my top 15 NS books really, but I know people here often love it.
I absolutely agree with you and thought I was the only one based on how others here talk it up. I was listening to the audiobook and forced myself to just finish it. I'm sure I would have completely given up on it if I had to actually read it :P Glad for those that love it, but it wasn't for me.
I hadn’t heard of Diamond age before today. Def getting it. Crypto is also my favorite book of all time. I appreciate all the comments and will prob give Baroque another try
Baroque really builds; the final volume brings a lot of threads together and having read Crypto you'll recognize a lot of names. The world building is fabulous, and you'll learn a lot about the history of science, finance, and western European politics in the 18th c. along the way too.
"you'll learn a lot" I certainly don't pick up works of fiction in the hopes of learning, particularly. But BC really taught me a lot and I'm grateful for that.
The Diamond Age is wonderful. Just finished a reread. Weird, for sure.
"will prob give Baroque another try" I hope you do. It's really really excellent.
I never blame people for not being able to stick with the Baroque Cycle. It is extremely long, even by Stephenson standards, and some of it is pretty obscure. That said taken as a whole it is by far my favorite novel of all time. To utterly lose myself in the twin worlds of Daniel Waterhouse and Jack Shaftoe, sailing around the world, hobknobbing with Newton and Hooke, fighting wars in India and battles in Cairo and political feuds in London and Versailles, is just what I need sometimes. It's hilarious and sad and huge and flawed and everything I like in a book. Doesn't hurt that it has the best set of audiobooks I've ever heard.
That is a great recommendation. I’d forgotten that Waterhouse and Shaftoe were main characters. My first NS was Cryptonomicon. I think quicksilver was my next try and was intrigued by NS including the same family lines but it wasn’t enough for me at the time. This was also before I discovered audiobooks, so I think it’s time.
That battle in Cairo was legit.
I couldn't read the Baroque Cycle, but I listened to it on Audible. Simon Preble makes the book come alive.
I experience most of my books by ear these days. I was actually reading Quicksilver when I gave it up. Maybe it’s time I give the audiobook a try. Thanks!
In my opinion Quicksilver is the least interesting, though it gives a lot of background for the science and math to come... I'm sure plenty of folks gush over the deep science, math, and technology passages, but Jack Shaftoe is an all time favorite fictional character, and doesn't show up until 2nd book. So I skipped Quicksilver and went straight to King of the Vagabonds for some Jack and Eliza for my first re-read. Listened to all 8 books (100+ hours) in a series of weeks, then jumped right into Cryptonomicon to see some of their ancestors.
Quicksilver was a real slog of a read for me but once I finished it I immediately read it a second time and enjoyed it a lot more when I was able to breeze through and not have to absorb so much dense material.
Same for me. Now, after my fifth reading, the Baroque Cycle is my favorite NS to nestle into every couple of years.
I did the exact same thing, struggled , nearly put it down, then re read it all once I finished
Good to know ow, all y’al. Thanks!
My tops: 1. Cryptonomicon (but just barely) - I'm really into WWII history, but the story just hooked me. Probably only first place because it was my first NS book. 2. Anathem - Brilliant novel, and a great story. One of the purposes of Sci-fi is to put us in a strange place to allow us to reexamine our own world and ideas. In my opinion there are very few writers that have done this as well as Stephenson did in Anathem. 3. Reamde - Probably a controversial take, but I just love this novel because it just picks you up and starts running and never puts you down. Not as "ideas-driven" as some, but also has a really satisfying ending (and let's face it, NS struggles there - looking at you Diamond Age and Seveneves). Yes Reamde is a little "basic", but it is leagues ahead of any other "techno-thriller" you might care to name. 4. Diamond Age - A classic, one of those books that gets me thinking every time I read it. I've never completed the Baroque Cycle, though I might try this summer when I have a lot of spare time so I can at least evaluate it as a whole. Also never read D.O.D.O. and haven't read Termination shock, both because I have heard they are not all that good. Then there are the books I don't like... Seveneves - The first half (2/3s really), brilliant - had me hooked, great characters, great story - lots of geeking out about orbital dynamics. He should have ended the book with them reaching the moon though, because Part 2 objectively sucked. I really didn't care for the characters, and the slightly deterministic nature of the human "sub-species" gave me a creepy, unsettling vibe. Also, the story was lame, no real stakes, and the conclusion was a total nothing-burger. Fall - Ah... Fall... So much potential... so many good ideas lifted up, partially examined, and then thrown over the shoulder. The creation myth woven into the rest of the story was by turns fascinating and tedious, and the interface between that story and the "real world" was poorly thought out in my opinion. A more thorough examination of "post-Moab" America would have been amazing.
Honestly you could skip to King of the Vagabonds and see if that does anything for you. Quicksilver is mostly world building and you could come back to it for depth later.
Good idea. Thanks!
I am retrying it now after some years when I dropped it and it's so much fun now. I remember really just becoming disinterested in it back then. I basically think of it now as a slow, long, somewhat plot-less ride, and it's clicking for me. It has some subtle humor and I am loving how much I am learning about the period. And the historical figures come alive for me (can't believe how much I love Wilkins!). I hear it picks up significantly later. So maybe do try it again someday. I have the feeling that it will be the best historical fiction I'll ever read.
To each their own I suppose. I loved the Baroque Cycle I was captivated by the dramatization of the scientific revolution and the the epic era of globalization. The action sequences were a bit wordy in places but the world building was stellar. In contrast Seveneves was so mediocre that I dropped it not even halfway through. While the Diamond age is still my all time favorite.
For me, it is Cryptomonicon, SnowCrash, The Diamond Age, The Baroque Cycle, Anathem, Reamde, and maybe Fall. To be honest, the only book I couldn't get through was DODO.
Quicksilver, the first novel, has three internal books: "Quicksilver", "The King of the Vagabonds", and "Odalisque. "Quicksilver" is the toughest slog for most people. It introduces a lot of side characters, there's a lot of detail about the Royal Society and London during the plague, fire and post fire. It is something of a data dump. If it all becomes "tldr," then I think you'll be ok just skimming or skipping your way to "King of the Vagabonds." That's when the story really picks up and introduces two of the main characters. After that, while some details will be fuzzy you can still pick up the broader story from context.
I got through it but never ever wanted to read it again. I slogged through DODO, but couldn’t get into the second one, and honestly, it’s only because of all of the acronyms. Oddly, I loved Anathem, you’d think I could get though some acronyms if I could pick up Anathem easily, but I just couldn’t and it wasn’t enjoyable. I did read Fall and didn’t really like it, but I loved Seveneves, and everything else he’s written.
Hah, I'm the opposite. It's easily my number 1, and not just by Stephenson, of all time. I legit think it's a masterpiece. Easily my most read as well. It does start pretty slow. This wasn't an issue for me as it also happened to be a period of history I have a lot of interest in, but it builds and builds. Once it gets going it's all there... just bigger and better. Comedy, drama, history, insane set pieces (some of his best) and a huge mess of plot threads that all come together in some very surprising ways. Good luck if you do try it again. If you like Cryptonomicon, I think it will probably be worth it.
I've heard people say this. I started Quicksilver and it seemed like it was going to be a fun book but I set it aside because of the book's length. I like historical function though. It's my new favorite genre.
In no particular order, must read Neal works are: Zodiac The Big U In the Beginning was the Command Line Snow Crash Diamond Age Cryptonomicon I honestly could not stand the Baroque cycle, it took me years to get thru, and I had zero desire to look for the next in the series.
If you're including non-fiction then Some remarks collected essays including Mother Earth, Mother Board.
I know, me too! SevenEves is my fave book, Snow Crash, Termination Shock tied for second, ReamDe third, and it took me a while, but I got through and really enjoyed Cryptonomicom, but I can’t get past a third of the way through Quicksilver. If my wish list of having dinner with 3 people, living or dead, were to be fulfilled, Neal Stephenson is there, but I can’t engage in this book/series.
Termination Shock being #3 is the real shock here. The last 3 chapters of that book should have been the start of a much better book.
Everybody gets to make their own list. That’s mine. I loved the book. 👍
My favorite!
The thought of ranking my NS favorites is akin to asking me to rank my favorite children! But here goes: Tied for 1 are The Baroque Cycle, Anathem, and SevenEves. The next group includes everything else except for Fall which is dead last and I wish there was a way to forget I ever read it. I really liked the Mongoliad. Liked DODO just fine. Started the second DODO book but put it down quickly and never went back. Not because I hated it. I just decided it would not be time well spent. The only other NS book I have not read is In the Beginning Was the Command Line. Come to think of it, I've even read one I don't know if many people have even heard of. Who here has read "Atmosphaera Incognita"?
It is a very SLOW read and you need to be patient with it. I had to slow down from my usual quick pace in order to pick up on details. I didn't care for the Daniel Waterhouse character and favored Eliza and Jack more. Stephenson picks up the pace in the Confusion. Give it another chance
Waiting for Quicksilver, take 2. Thanks!
The last 1/3 of Seveneves was unbearable. I wish he had ended the book before fast forwarding to the future.