So is anyone else reading "Quicksilver"?

[kookbreaker]

By Neal Stephenson?

I'm reading it, and its a fast read (after a few slow points in the Waterhouse chapters) but I'm wondering what it is I must have missed. Like the plot.

At least he apologized for any anachronisms in the preface.

Still, I find myself reading it.

 

[ASRomatifoso]

Read it months ago. Very good but very long and a bit too episodic to maintain my interest for that length. Still and all, I'm looking forward to the next book. For my money though, Snow Crash is his best book (I've read them all). Cryptonomicon is very good also.

 

[local weather]

I just started it. I really liked Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon as well, so I have high hopes for it. Part two to the series is due out within a month or so...another 1000 page monster.

 

[Hexxenhammer]

I was 2/3 of the way through when I stopped reading it last Nov. Not the book's fault, that's when the Hexlette was born and I haven't managed to get back in the reading swing of things.

So far it's very entertaining, if meandering. There are 2 more books to come, and I wouldn't expect any ending until the last book, or even then. Endings are Stephenson's weakest point. Snowcrash had a very good one. The Diamond Age started his trend towards stranger, less satisfying endings.

 

[bjornart]

You're insane. Snow Crash had a seriously poor ending, the Diamond Age an even poorer one, The Big U ... well I don't know if that should count.
Zodiac on the other hand had a good ending.

I'll be getting Quicksilver and the sequel in not too long. Have been meaning to check the price at amazon.co.uk for a while, but keep forgetting.

 

[Hexxenhammer]

You're insane. Snow Crash had a seriously poor ending, the Diamond Age an even poorer one, The Big U ... well I don't know if that should count.
Zodiac on the other hand had a good ending.

Dude! Skateboarders vs Russian attack helicopter, VR motorcycle chase, swordfighting, robot dogs running faster than sound down the highway, and finally, Raven vs Uncle Enzo and his straight razor. Best. Ending. Ever.

Now I want to read Snow Crash again...

 

[BillyTK]

I read Diamond Age before I read Snow Crash, and though I think the latter is an enjoyable read with some great ideas, I thought that overall Diamond Age is better and a clear progression from Snow Crash. Which is why I picked up Cryptonomicon; Snow Crash was good, Diamond Age better, so Crypto... must be bloody marvelous. And it was good; full of inventive little nuggets such as Bletchley Park using statistical analysis to recruit staff, and the whole double/triple/quadruple bluff counter-intelligence strategies—although I wasn't too sure about the Qwghlmian stuff (if it's a fictionalised version of the Isle of Man, only us Brits are allowed to take the p!ss, okay?), nor about having a character called Bobby Shaftoe—but it wasn't as great as I'd hoped. For me the problem was that it had so much to tell but nothing to say-or it had nothing to say that I could detect. But it has put me off internet banking, so I did learn something important from it.

But Crypto... has put me off picking up Quicksilver, not least because it runs to 900+ pages and is the first of a trilogy? I like a long book but the prospect of 2700 pages is kind of daunting... maybe I'll wait for the Cliff Notes

 

[local weather]

Dude! Skateboarders vs Russian attack helicopter, VR motorcycle chase, swordfighting, robot dogs running faster than sound down the highway, and finally, Raven vs Uncle Enzo and his straight razor. Best. Ending. Ever.

Now I want to read Snow Crash again...

Absolutely. When I first read it, I was a little peaved that you don't actually find out who lives and who dies, but upon review I don't think it really matters.

Diamond Age was just a little bit short of being really great, the deal about the Drummers was weird and confusing, and not really a conherent part of the story.

I think it would be great if Stephenson could go back and revisit the Snow Crash characters again, like 5 years down the road, they were just so much fun.

 

[epepke]

think it would be great if Stephenson could go back and revisit the Snow Crash characters again, like 5 years down the road, they were just so much fun.

Did you notice that the skateboard girl in Snow Crash was a schoolmarm in The Diamond Age?

 

[local weather]

Did you notice that the skateboard girl in Snow Crash was a schoolmarm in The Diamond Age?

Oh man, no! How funny!

This thread make me want to go back and re-read those two books.

 

[bjornart]

Dude! Skateboarders vs Russian attack helicopter, VR motorcycle chase, swordfighting, robot dogs running faster than sound down the highway, and finally, Raven vs Uncle Enzo and his straight razor. Best. Ending. Ever.

Now I want to read Snow Crash again...

Sure, it was a movie ending, from a poor movie. "Hmm, this script lacks a good ending, it sort of... doesn't make sense." "How about we use half our F/X budget on the last 10 minutes to keep people from noticing?" "Yeah! Good idea!"

I'll try keeping in mind that it's five years since I read it, but the ending of Snow Crash nearly put me off reading another Stephenson book. But everything before the ending was so cool I ended up picking up Diamond Age or a young lady's illustrated primer. Which also was really cool but had a crap ending. And I've now ordered Quicksilver and The Confusion from amazon. And I can hardly wait.

My favourite Stephenson though is actually Zodiac, and unsurprisingly my least favourite is The Big U. Man I'm glad I don't have to go to uni in the US.

 

[Hexxenhammer]

Sure, it was a movie ending, from a poor movie. "Hmm, this script lacks a good ending, it sort of... doesn't make sense." "How about we use half our F/X budget on the last 10 minutes to keep people from noticing?" "Yeah! Good idea!"

I'll try keeping in mind that it's five years since I read it, but the ending of Snow Crash nearly put me off reading another Stephenson book. But everything before the ending was so cool I ended up picking up Diamond Age or a young lady's illustrated primer. Which also was really cool but had a crap ending. And I've now ordered Quicksilver and The Confusion from amazon. And I can hardly wait.

My favourite Stephenson though is actually Zodiac, and unsurprisingly my least favourite is The Big U. Man I'm glad I don't have to go to uni in the US.

So my love of brainless action movies is showing huh? Oh well. All Stephenson's books have some good action parts. Like the nano chainsaw sword in Diamond Age, and all the @$$-whuppery Bobby Shaftoe deals out in Cryptonomicon. Great stuff. The Pirate chase in Quicksilver is great too. Too bad it was spaced out about 4 pages to the 100.

I haven't read Zodiac or the Big U. I keep meaning to pick up Zodiac, but I'm drowning in Quicksilver, The Scar, and a couple of huge David Drake books as it is.

 

[epepke]

Oh man, no! How funny!

This thread make me want to go back and re-read those two books.

The reference is only in one paragraph, an I might not have noticed it had I not read The Diamond Age right after Snow Crash, but it's a clear reference.

 

[Hexxenhammer]

The reference is only in one paragraph, an I might not have noticed it had I not read The Diamond Age right after Snow Crash, but it's a clear reference.

The old lady looks at the smart wheels on her wheel chair and says "Chiselled Spam" I think.

 

[local weather]

I haven't read Zodiac or the Big U. I keep meaning to pick up Zodiac, but I'm drowning in Quicksilver, The Scar, and a couple of huge David Drake books as it is.

I thought The Scar was fantastic.

I used to be a big David Drake fan, but I haven't read anything by him since the Hammer's Slammers books in the 80's.