"A plethora of e-book extras, not found in any print edition, including: 1) INTERVIEW: Neal Stephenson shares intimate details and insight behind the making of Quicksilver; 2) QUICKSILVER METAWEB INTRODUCTION: Stephenson's take on his creation of a web-based network that may someday rival the internet; 3) QUICKSILVER DRAMATIS PERSONAE BY TYPE: a complete and concise list of characters grouped by character typeThe long-awaited first volume of The Baroque Cycle comes to e-book at last (with loads of extras to boot)! Set against the backdrop of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, Quicksilver tells the intertwining tales of 3 unforgettable main characters (descendants of characters from Cryptonomicon) as they traverse a landscape populated by mad alchemists, Barbary pirates, and bawdy courtiers, as well as historical figures including Ben Franklin, William of Orange, Louis XIV, and many others. This breathtaking story ranges from the American colonies to the Tower of London to the glittering palace at Versailles, and all manner of places in between - and plays out during a singular nexus point in history, when rationality triumphed over mysticism, monarchy was overthrown, markets become free, and religious tolerance gained ground over harsh oppression.
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.
