Quicksilver: Volume One of The Baroque Cycle

Neal Stephenson

Nov 2004 · HarperAudio · Narrated by Simon Preble and Stina Nielsen

About this audiobook

Quicksilver 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 it is the tale of Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent Europe 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, Quicksilver is an extraordinary achievement from one of the most original and important literary talents of our time.

And it's just the beginning ...

Performed by Simon Prebble and Stina Nielsen

Ratings and reviews

This is my first audiobook experience and while I've read the complete three book series, I thought it would be enjoyable to listen to the series again while I'm driving. Unfortunately for me, I did not realize that this was not a word for word reading of the story, but instead was selected chapters with synopsis given between chapter readings. Personally, for me, I feel like some of the best parts of the book, the character building and the world building have been left out entirely or just briefly referenced before starting the next chapter. The gentleman reading the story has a very good voice for this and I enjoyed listening but after about eight chapters I've given up simply because I know what's being skipped over and I would have liked to have heard that. The fault is entirely mine because on the very front of the audio book advertisement it states that it is selected chapters. But this just isn't my cup of tea. If this is how audio books are generally recreated, then it's going to be a pass for me from now on and I will be much more careful in my future purchases.

If you love this book as I do, be aware this is an abridged version, as others have noted. Some of your favorite parts may be reduced to excerpts - for instance a 5 page debate on free will, or lengthy theological arguments. For some (myself included), these are some of the best parts of the book. It's not at all bad, and it is a huge book that works out to over a day's worth of audio - but you may find some of your favorite parts essentially glossed-over.

The text on the bottom of the cover image indicates that this audiobook is actually a selection of chapters. That is the only indication. When I purchased this audiobook at over $30, that fact was not reflected in the description and was not reflected in the price either. This is a series, and Google does not have the rights to sell the audiobooks for this series. They can only sell this highly selected and summarized version of Book 1, which they do at more than the full price. Do not purchase this audiobook from Google.

About the author

Neal Stephenson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Termination Shock, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (with Nicole Galland), Seveneves, Reamde, Anathem, The System of the World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Zodiac, and the groundbreaking nonfiction work In the Beginning...Was the Command Line. He lives in Seattle, Washington.