title: Quicksilver (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 1)
author:  Neal Stephenson 
description: Genius . . . Youll wish it were longer. (Time magazine)<br /><br />[QUICKSILVER] explores the philosophical concerns of today . . . through thrillingly clever, suspenseful and amusing plot twists. (New York Times Book Review)<br /><br />Sprawling, irreverent, and ultimately profound. (Newsweek)<br /><br />A sprawling, engrossing tale. (Seattle Times)<br /><br />Stephensons new machine is a wonderment to behold. A- (Entertainment Weekly)<br /><br />An astonishing achievement. (Sunday Telegraph)<br /><br />[QUICKSILVER] is a rare thing: a 1,000-page book that you dont want to end. (San Antonio Express-News)<br /><br />[O]ften brilliant and occassionally astonishing ...[QUICKSILVER] has wit, ambition and ... moments of real genius. (Book World)<br /><br />[A]n awe-inspiring book, stuffed with heart-stopping action scenes ... and a treasure trove of forgotten historical lore. (Book)<br /><br />Dense, witty, erudite ... and gripping ... a far more impressive literary endeavor than most so-called serious fiction. (Independent)
zlib_text: 
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Quicksilver
  
  
    
  
  
  ### NEAL STEPHENSON
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## NEAL STEPHENSON
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Quicksilver
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  VOLUME ONE
  
  
  OF THE
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_1.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  BAROQUE CYCLE
  
  
  
  
  
  NEAL STEPHENSON
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_2.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_3.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  To the woman upstairs
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_4.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ## Contents
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_5.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Quicksilver: An E-book
  
  
  
  
  
  Invocation
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  BOOKONE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Quicksilver
  
  
  
  
  
  House of Stuart
  
  
  
  
  
  House of Orange-Nassau
  
  
  
  
  
  House of Bourbon
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  BOOKTWO
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  King of the Vagabonds
  
  
  
  
  
  Houses of Welf and Hohenzollern
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  BOOKTHREE
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Odalisque
  
  
  
  
  
  Map of Rhine Valley
  
  
  
  
  
  Dramatis Personae
  
  
  
  
  
  Acknowledgments
  
  
  
  
  
  About the Author
  
  
  
  
  
  Critical Acclaim
  
  
  
  
  
  By Neal Stephenson
  
  
  
  
  
  Credits
  
  
  
  
  
  Copyright
  
  
  
  
  
  About the Publisher
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_6.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  Invocation
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![](images/pic_7.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  State your intentions, Muse. I know you’re