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Quicksilver
- Book One of The Baroque Cycle
- Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble
- Length: 14 hrs and 43 mins
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Publisher's summary
In this first volume of Neal Stephenson’s genre-defying epic, Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues 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.
The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.
Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.
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The known world floats upon the Breath of God, a thick gas similar to Earth's oceans, with land masses accessible by airship. The largest of these land masses are ruled by the rival empires of Freya and Rosia. Magic is intrinsic to the functioning of these societies, and is even incorporated into their technological devices. But now a crucial scientific discovery has occurred that could destroy the balance of power - and change the empires forever.
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Very Good Read
- By Keith on 05-31-11
By: Margaret Weis, and others
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The Half-Made World
- By: Felix Gilman
- Narrated by: Tamara Marston
- Length: 16 hrs and 48 mins
- Unabridged
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The world is only half made. What exists has been carved out amidst a war between two rival factions: the Line, paving the world with industry and claiming its residents as slaves; and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence that cripples the population with fear. The only hope at stopping them has seemingly disappeared - the Red Republic that once battled the Gun and the Line, and almost won. Now they're just a myth, a bedtime story parents tell their children, of hope.
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Terrible Story, Terrible Narrator
- By Aaron on 10-21-10
By: Felix Gilman
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The Architect's Apprentice
- By: Elif Shafak
- Narrated by: Piter Marek
- Length: 16 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
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In 1540, 12-year-old Jahan arrives in Istanbul. As an animal tamer in the sultan's menagerie, he looks after the exceptionally smart elephant Chota and befriends (and falls for) the sultan's beautiful daughter Princess Mihrimah. A palace education leads Jahan to Mimar Sinan, the empire's chief architect, who takes Jahan under his wing as they construct (with Chota's help) some of the most magnificent buildings in history.
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I feel like I should like it more than I do
- By nyog on 04-19-17
By: Elif Shafak
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The Thief
- By: Megan Whalen Turner
- Narrated by: Steve West
- Length: 7 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
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Eugenides, the queen's thief, can steal anything - or so he says. When his boasting lands him in prison and the king's magus invites him on a quest to steal a legendary object, he's in no position to refuse. The magus thinks he has the right tool for the job, but Gen has plans of his own.
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Great book, wrong narrator
- By andrew on 06-03-17
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City of Stairs
- By: Robert Jackson Bennett
- Narrated by: Alma Cuervo
- Length: 17 hrs and 50 mins
- Unabridged
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The city of Bulikov once wielded the powers of the gods to conquer the world, enslaving and brutalizing millions - until its divine protectors were killed. Now Bulikov has become just another colonial outpost of the world's new geopolitical power, but the surreal landscape of the city itself - first shaped, now shattered, by the thousands of miracles its guardians once worked upon it - stands as a constant, haunting reminder of its former supremacy. Into this broken city steps Shara Thivani.
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Something Different
- By Scott S. on 10-17-14
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Varina
- A Novel
- By: Charles Frazier
- Narrated by: Molly Parker
- Length: 12 hrs and 7 mins
- Unabridged
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With her marriage prospects limited, teenage Varina Howell agrees to wed the much-older widower Jefferson Davis, with whom she expects a life of security as a landowner. He instead pursues a career in politics and is eventually appointed president of the Confederacy, placing Varina at the white-hot center of one of the darkest moments in American history - culpable regardless of her intentions. The Confederacy falling, her marriage in tatters, and the country divided, Varina and her children escape Richmond and travel south on their own, now fugitives.
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Read it rather than listen
- By Anonymous on 08-31-18
By: Charles Frazier
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Clockwork Angels
- The Novel
- By: Neil Peart - contributor, Kevin J. Anderson
- Narrated by: Neil Peart
- Length: 8 hrs and 35 mins
- Unabridged
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For more than two centuries, the land of Albion has been ruled by the supposedly benevolent Watchmaker, who imposes precision on every aspect of life. Young Owen Hardy from the village of Barrel Arbor dreams of seeing the big city and the breathtaking Clockwork Angels that dispense wisdom to the people, maybe even catching a glimpse of the Watchmaker himself. He watches the steamliners drift by, powered by alchemical energy, as they head toward Crown City....
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ALL AROUND GOOD BOOK
- By Randall on 08-08-18
By: Neil Peart - contributor, and others
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Wicked
- The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
- By: Gregory Maguire
- Narrated by: John McDonough
- Length: 19 hrs and 42 mins
- Unabridged
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Heralded as an instant classic of fantasy literature, Maguire has written a wonderfully imaginative retelling of The Wizard of Oz told from the Wicked Witch's point of view. More than just a fairy tale for adults, Wicked is a meditation on the nature of good and evil.
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It's not easy being green
- By PangaeaReads on 07-30-08
By: Gregory Maguire
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Jester Leaps In
- A Medieval Mystery
- By: Alan Gordon
- Narrated by: Fleet Cooper
- Length: 8 hrs and 56 mins
- Unabridged
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In 13th century Europe, political turmoil is the order of the day and the Fool's Guild and its agents - jesters, jugglers, and knaves to a man - works behind the scenes to manipulate events, trying to maintain a balance of power. Theophilos, a member of the Guild known by many names, is still recovering from his last mission during which he was severely wounded and nearly lost his life but, in the person of Viola, found himself an apprentice and a wife. But there is no rest for the wicked.
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further entertainment
- By wylie smith on 09-16-24
By: Alan Gordon
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The Bastard
- The Kent Family Chronicles, Book 1
- By: John Jakes
- Narrated by: Marc Vietor
- Length: 19 hrs and 8 mins
- Unabridged
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Set against the colorful tumult of events that gave rise to our fledgling nation, this novel of romance and adventure introduces Phillipe Charboneau. The illegitimate son of an English nobleman, Phillipe flees Europe and, as Philip Kent, joins the men who set our course for freedom. The Bastard is the first volume in the Kent Family Chronicles, a series of novels that details one family's journey in the early years of the American nation.
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An Amazing Tale
- By will on 11-06-13
By: John Jakes
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I love Neal, but Good lord... ugh!
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Odd narrator choice
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Port Royal, South Carolina, was my home. I was born there. I fell in love there. And I nearly died there. I never thought I'd go back. Now, after so many years, I have to return to bury the man who made my life a living hell. Some nights, I used to cry myself to sleep, praying my father would die. Other nights were different. Other nights, there was him. Callan Cross.
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THEIRS WAS A BEAUTIFUL TRAGEDY OF LOSS AND LOVE
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Es ist nur ein Spiel. Aber es geht um sehr viel Geld. Und für manche bald um ihr Leben...
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Parce que la montée des eaux menace l'existence même des Pays-Bas, leur reine Frederika Mathilde Louisa Saskia comprend mieux que quiconque la notion d'urgence climatique. Invitée à une rencontre secrète au Texas par T.R. Schmidt, l'excentrique propriétaire d'une chaîne de fast-food, Saskia découvre non sans inquiétude les plans du milliardaire. En bon Texan, T.R. veut mettre fin, de façon décisive, aux hausses de températures qui accablent le sud des États-Unis. Et si son remède, inspiré par l'explosion du volcan Pinatubo, était pire que le mal?
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Quicksilver
- The Fae & Alchemy Series, Book 1
- By: Callie Hart
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Twenty-four-year-old Saeris Fane is good at keeping secrets. No one knows about the strange powers she possesses or the fact that she has been picking pockets and stealing from the Undying Queen's reservoirs for as long as she can remember. But a secret is like a knot. Sooner or later, it is bound to come undone. When Saeris comes face-to-face with Death himself, she inadvertently reopens a gateway between realms and is transported to a land of ice and snow. The Fae have always been the stuff of myth, of legend, of nightmares… but it turns out they're real.
By: Callie Hart
What listeners say about Quicksilver
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- D. Fyler
- 03-29-15
Bring the mid to late1600's to Life
Would you consider the audio edition of Quicksilver to be better than the print version?
Neal Stephenson is probably one of the best American writers currently. He has written different types of novels with different settings. The only thing that is a constant is his stellar writing ability. Quicksilver is classic Stephenson. Full of ideas and not for the lazy reader. I had very little interest in this time period, but after reading Quicksilver, I felt that I had stepped through a time portal and gotten close up view of the mores, politics, fashions, history of this time period. I felt like I had a front row seat to watch the beginning of economic theory, science, and the reasoning of the people who fled to Colonial America. Stephenson is so descriptive that I felt as though I got to speak to Newton, Hooke and Leibnitz personally. I feel as though I had a walking tour of London, Trinity College, and Whitehall. Through Stephenson I was able to secretly listen in the meetings of the Royal Society and was able to listen to the thoughts of Natural Philosophers. I was able to sit in a coffee house and see the fashionable men and women in their restoration finery.
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- Anonymous User
- 02-11-15
Better than the original!
Simon Prebble is the perfect narrator for Quicksilver, and he does his usual admirable job of bringing all the characters to life. If, like me, you were a bit hesitant to embark on this series because of its sheer size, I can say that editing this into the five books as they have done here is a vast improvement over the original published three book version. As good as they were, and as entertaining as Neal Stephenson is, this edition is simply easier to follow because the reader isn't being constantly pulled back and forth between the stories of Jack and Daniel, which aren't related to each other in this part of the story. If you are a Neal Stephenson fan - or a Simon Prebble fan - this is one not to miss!
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- Evel Knievel
- 10-08-19
Neal Stephenson
Highly recommended, Highly recommended, Highly recommended, Highly recommended, really recommended, Hihly recomend, Highest recommender, High recommend
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- Amazon Customer
- 02-10-18
Satisfying and Genre Bending
Historical Science fiction at it's best. Not that there is much with which to compare it. Also this was quite well voiced both in writing and performance. Now I am off to the next book in the cycle.
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- T
- 04-22-18
Thick accent
Difficult to understand when played at speeds greater than 2X. Clarity is the most important thing.
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- Yishai ben Yakov Leib
- 03-20-23
Incredible. Historic. Dramatic. Comedic.
I have no words for how I enjoyed it. Beyond entertaining & fascinating. The nods to contemporary concepts & future History, woven into dialogue as if the characters were unconsciously tuned into today's world make the narrative beyond time & take the reader/listener back into the moments of the story in an amazing unique way. I can't recommend it enough.
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- Martha H.
- 07-13-23
Quite wonderful
Illuminating about the period and the brilliant minds who studied the natural world. Takes patience but highly recommended.
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- William Quinn
- 08-14-24
Felt like part of a story, jumped around
Not nearly as good as his other works.
Very interesting dive into historical fiction but the story wasn’t gripping and it just didn’t do it for me.
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Overall
- Michael L
- 09-17-10
Pure Stephenson--Intelligent, insightful, funny
I rarely write reviews, but this situation seems to demand it. I am amazed at both how few reviews have been posted and how many have been negative. It is not surprising that some did not enjoy Quicksilver, but where are the reviews from those that did? It is hard to believe that this rich, original and quirky book has not found an extensive audience.
Strictly speaking this is a "secret history". That is, it faithfully covers a historical period but creates characters and events that fit neatly in the cracks between what is known and what is not about this period. Into these cracks, Stephenson inserts Daniel Waterhouse, a fiction college mate of Newton and early member of the Royal Society. He is a puritan, a member of sect at the fringe of English society. Through his eyes we receive an intelligent and intimate understanding of his time--a time when culture, science, religion and commerce where changing radically--were becoming modern.
This might sound dry, but it is not. It is the coming of age story of man in the Restoration Court of Charles I. It is filled action including one of the most perfectly described pirate battles I have ever encountered. It has a cast of compelling characters, both real and imagined; scientists, both mad and brilliant. Running though all is a vein of wit and often hysterical humor. The prose itself is first-rate, far better than we have the right to expect in a historical novel. Add to all of this an excellent narrator with a perfect ear and voice for the accents and cadences of the time.
If you enjoy Stephenson or a well written historical novel, you should not miss this. By the way, Quicksilver is the first of several volumes in the Baroque Cycle. I have only read the second book, but I can already guarantee that there is much more to look forward to.
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- Jennifer
- 11-10-11
Try starting with chapter 3
I almost missed this witty historcal novel because it was hard to relate to the narrative in the first two chapters, which consume 1 hour 27 minutes, and introduce a long-lived character named Enoch the Red. My suggestion is to listen to the author-read introduction and then skip to chapter three, set in 1716 in Newtown, Massachusetts, which introduces the book's affable, accommodating, and somewhat child-like (in terms of wonder, devotion, and curiosity) protagonist, Daniel Waterhouse. Return to the first 2 chapters at the end of the book, where their significance to the Baroque Cycle series will be immediately apparent. I deduct one star from the story for this structural flaw, but rate the overal audiobook 5 stars.
Quicksilver is not a mere exposition of the development of "natural philosophy" into what we call modern scientific reasoning. It sincerely captures the falacious reasoning and original assumptions-- most of which seem absurd and superstitious from today's standards-- of early scientists, and charitably explains how their life experiences, social status, and the prevailing dogmas of the day made their "quaint" ideas, such as the spontaneous generation of flies from filth, understandable. As a caveat, if animal cruelty is particularly distressing to you, as it is to me, I suggest visualizing only the scientists--not their animal subjects--much the way many TV medical dramas do not show the open incisions of surgical patients. Notwithstanding the book tempting the reader to slide into visualization of painful animal experiments, I am eager to read book 2.
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