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Is the Baroque Cycle any good? Sounds promising...
Neal Stephenson
#2 Guest_Alric seVinta_*
Posted 05 August 2005 - 05:15 PM
Well, have you read anything by Neal Stephenson before? I'm a big fan already after only reading 2 of his novels. I started with his first big hit, Snow Crash, which is quite funny and a great scifi read. The first 15 pages, or so, are simply hilarious.
One of my recent favorite reads was Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which was written before the Baroque Cycle, but is in the same line of characters and style as BC. It is an amazing novel with some truly great characters. My suggestion is to read Cryptonomicon first, and if you enjoy it then move on to the Cycle. One book on a venture is better than starting a trilogy blind. I love Crypt's Bobby Shaftoe... what a character!
One of my recent favorite reads was Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, which was written before the Baroque Cycle, but is in the same line of characters and style as BC. It is an amazing novel with some truly great characters. My suggestion is to read Cryptonomicon first, and if you enjoy it then move on to the Cycle. One book on a venture is better than starting a trilogy blind. I love Crypt's Bobby Shaftoe... what a character!
#3
Brys 
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Posted 05 August 2005 - 06:03 PM
Slowkat said:
Is the Baroque Cycle any good? Sounds promising...
I've got it but haven't read it yet. It's supposed to be one of the very few series significantly more complicated than the Malazan books.
I thought Cryptonomicon was the 3rd book in the Baroque Cycle :confused:
#4 Guest_Alric seVinta_*
Posted 05 August 2005 - 07:06 PM
Brys said:
I thought Cryptonomicon was the 3rd book in the Baroque Cycle :confused:
Nope, it was a stand alone. When Stephenson started trying to write a sequel, he ended up writing a prequel set a few centuries earlier.
#5
Yellow
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Posted 05 August 2005 - 07:30 PM
I'm almost halfway through Quicksilver, and I'm stuck, basically. It's a great read up until part 2, when there's a shift in characters. The writing's still great, but I'm finding it hard to get over the hump of having new major characters introduced. Just when I got to know the ones already there...
I'm a bit of a scientist myself (ok, pretending to be
), so the first part with Daniel Waterhouse was a great read. I really enjoyed spotting famous people that I really should have known more about
Hope I get over the hump, cos Stephenson is a very engaging writer on the whole.
I'm a bit of a scientist myself (ok, pretending to be
), so the first part with Daniel Waterhouse was a great read. I really enjoyed spotting famous people that I really should have known more about Hope I get over the hump, cos Stephenson is a very engaging writer on the whole.
Don't fuck with the Culture.
#6
fortyseven
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Posted 06 August 2005 - 06:47 AM
Lots of books switch charcter POVs. You won't like all the characters equally of course. I have more to say but I'll wait till you post again.
#8 Guest_Slowkat_*
Posted 06 August 2005 - 11:32 AM
Hm, good advice all!
I still have to get through Perdido St Station (getting stagnant style syndrome towards the end of the book. started so humourously *sigh*), then I want to read Swainston and next, Bakker.
I was perusing and saw N Stephenson! Wanted to test the waters here first, seems like it'll be a good sail (har har- oh bum)...
I still have to get through Perdido St Station (getting stagnant style syndrome towards the end of the book. started so humourously *sigh*), then I want to read Swainston and next, Bakker.
I was perusing and saw N Stephenson! Wanted to test the waters here first, seems like it'll be a good sail (har har- oh bum)...
#9
Malaclypse
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Posted 06 August 2005 - 09:08 PM
I really wanted to like this guy, picked up Quicksilver, battled through 200 or so pages then finally gave up in disgust. To each their own and all that, but this stuff was too boring for words, imo. Huge disappointment:Erm:
#10
fortyseven
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Posted 08 August 2005 - 06:09 PM
Mal, did you read Cryptonomicon? You should read that then the B Cycle. Parts of Quicksilver, some ppl will find boring. You should try the section with Shaftoe if you are bored with Waterhouse. Daniel Waterhouse is hardly in the Confusion(the second book).
I always finish a book, I can't see why anyone wouldn't.
I always finish a book, I can't see why anyone wouldn't.
#11
MoP
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Posted 09 August 2005 - 10:37 AM
I love Stephenson, I have to get that out of the way first. He can be long winded and go off on a million different tangents that have nothing to do with progressing the overall plot along but his style of writing always draws me in. There was only one time where I got sick of reading his work and that was the first Eliza part in The Confusion. After I got through that everything just seemed to fly. By the end of The System of the World I wanted another novel to find out more (this after nearly 3000 pages). It's rare author that can do that.
#12
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Posted 09 August 2005 - 11:16 AM
So what is the cycle really about, then? (without giving any spoilers away or anything).
I mean, I'm nearly halfway through Quicksilver, and I honestly couldn't guess at what the series is about.
If I don't get back into it soon, I'll probably put it down for good.
I mean, I'm nearly halfway through Quicksilver, and I honestly couldn't guess at what the series is about.
If I don't get back into it soon, I'll probably put it down for good.
Don't fuck with the Culture.
#13
Malaclypse
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Posted 09 August 2005 - 03:42 PM
@fortyseven: nope, first thing I picked up was the Baroque Cycle. It's not often I don't finish a book, only when they really disgust me, and this was one of those. I really don't see what people like about this guy. I'm offended he would expect people to read that much material with no payoff of any kind. Boring like dust.
#14
First Seguleh
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Posted 10 August 2005 - 09:27 AM
I confess I didn't really get much out of Quicksilver. I really didn't see the point of the book: it was just a lot of events, with no real direction. Nonetheless, on the strength of his earlier genius, I've bought the Confusion, and hopefully it'll be better now...
#15 Guest_Alric seVinta_*
Posted 11 August 2005 - 06:48 PM
Quicksilver is hardly the place to start with Stephenson... either Cryptonomicon or Snow Crash would be my suggestions. Not only are they self contained, but they highlight Stephenson at his best in two different styles.
#16
Yellow
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Posted 11 August 2005 - 07:02 PM
Right that's it, Quicksilver has had its chance, and it blew it. Like I said before, I loved the first part, with Daniel Waterhouse, but with the start of part 2, I think the whole thing has lost any kind of direction and I can't be arsed.
After spending all that time with one character, to then have to effectively start a new book with another character HALF WAY THROUGH THE STORY FROM THE FIRST CHARACTER, is just too much. Balls to it.
After spending all that time with one character, to then have to effectively start a new book with another character HALF WAY THROUGH THE STORY FROM THE FIRST CHARACTER, is just too much. Balls to it.
Don't fuck with the Culture.
#17 Guest_Duiker_*
Posted 12 August 2005 - 06:17 PM
Yellow said:
Right that's it, Quicksilver has had its chance, and it blew it. Like I said before, I loved the first part, with Daniel Waterhouse, but with the start of part 2, I think the whole thing has lost any kind of direction and I can't be arsed.
After spending all that time with one character, to then have to effectively start a new book with another character HALF WAY THROUGH THE STORY FROM THE FIRST CHARACTER, is just too much. Balls to it.
After spending all that time with one character, to then have to effectively start a new book with another character HALF WAY THROUGH THE STORY FROM THE FIRST CHARACTER, is just too much. Balls to it.
So the fact that Stephenson is weaving an enormous tapstry of multiple storylines into what is perhaps the best iteration of Scientific Revolution-era historical fiction, is thrown into the wastebasket because you can't cope with the - perhaps late- introduction of the 2nd most important character in the Cycle? You did know that the Cycle was a trilogy (and a very long one at that) before starting Quicksilver, did you?
And you have read Cryptonomicon? If not, that's the place to start the Baroque Cycle because it deals with the same themes essentially.
I won't say that the Cycle doesn't drag in places, or that there is no overlong exposition or an episodic feeling to some parts. Its not a trilogy without flaws, but the very themes and the bold way that Stephenson adresses them in make up for the faults [imho].
#18
Malaclypse
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Posted 12 August 2005 - 06:25 PM
I'll probably give Cryptonomicon and/or Snow Crash a try, but I highly doubt I'll ever pick up Quicksilver again. The guy's obviously smart and has some interesting ideas, it's just soooo boring.
#19
Yellow
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Posted 12 August 2005 - 09:05 PM
Yeah it was just too boring. And Duiker, it's one thing to weave a rich, intricate tapestry, it's quite another to bore the reader to death in the process. And seriously mate, it may be the second-most-important-character-in-the-trilogy, but does that mean that I should read the whole trilogy? On the contrary, if I don't like this character, then I'm probably not going to like the rest of the trilogy. Yes, I knew before I picked it up that it was a trilogy. What I didn't know, unfortunately, was that I wasn't going to enjoy reading it.
And you know what? I completely missed that big sign on the front of the book that said "If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, you won't like this book". With hindsight, I could have saved myself the time.
And you know what? I completely missed that big sign on the front of the book that said "If you haven't read Cryptonomicon, you won't like this book". With hindsight, I could have saved myself the time.
Don't fuck with the Culture.
#20
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Posted 13 August 2005 - 09:04 AM
The fact that it's a rich, intricate tapestry dosen't change the fact that it dosen't seem to be going anywhere. Lots of lovely, interesting events become lovely, boring events when they don't seem to have any significance. Basically, in that book, lots of stuff happened, with no particular direction. I can't tell where the book's going, or even if it is going anywhere.
