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Reflections of a 'Quicksilver' Mind.(Neal Stephenson)(Interview)
Science fiction, says Neal Stephenson, is "fiction in which ideas play an important part." Ideas abound in his 927-page "Quicksilver," the first of the three-volume "Baroque Cycle," set entirely between 1656 and 1714. At the center of this sprawling, irreverent narrative is the concept of a world being transformed by science. Key among its dramatis personae are the real-life figures of Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz, who interact with Stephenson's quirky fictional characters. The author spoke recently with NEWSWEEK's Steven Levy.
LEVY: The "Baroque Cycle" is nearly 3,000 pages long. Who's going to read all this?
STEPHENSON: It's a big planet. Even if the vast majority have short attention spans, there are lots who are more than happy to read big, long epics that they can lose themselves in.
You seem to regard some of your characters as the 17th-century equivalent of hackers. Instead of the computer, they had the scientific method.
Everything they could get their hands on--animals ...
- Stranger than science fiction.(Other Worlds)("The Baroque Cycle" by Neal...
- Magazine article from: Book Barsanti, Chris November 1, 2003 700+ words
...author, most of which involve writing sci-fi books. But Neal Stephenson seems intent on screwing things up. Though his first two...millennium. The first book of a planned trilogy called The Baroque Cycle, Quicksilver is a historical epic set in the seventeenth...
- Neal Stephenson's past, present, and future: the author of the widely praised...
- Magazine article from: Reason Godwin, Mike February 1, 2005 700+ words
...THE novelist Neal Stephenson a decade ago...collectively called The Baroque Cycle--and you...reason: In The Baroque Cycle we see two different...inevitable? Neal Stephenson: I can understand...Cryptonomicon, and The Baroque Cycle through that...
- Novel begins quirky trilogy from Neal Stephenson.(Knight Ridder Newspapers)
- Newspaper article from: Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service Burchardt, Alan January 7, 2004 700+ words
...Burchardt ``Quicksilver'' by Neal Stephenson; William Morrow ($27.95...the World." So it is with Neal Stephenson's new novel, ``Quicksilver...of a trilogy called ``The Baroque Cycle," which is a sort of prequel...
- A 'Quicksilver' Mind: In his long-awaited book, Neal Stephenson visits the past...
- Magazine article from: Newsweek Levy, Steven September 29, 2003 700+ words
...Steven Levy Science fiction, says Neal Stephenson, is "fiction in which ideas play...the first of the three-volume "Baroque Cycle," set entirely between the years...NEWSWEEK's Steven Levy. LEVY: The "Baroque Cycle" is nearly 3,000 pages of historical...
- History lessons.(List)(Novelist Neal Stephenson's book recommendations)(Brief...
- Magazine article from: Reason July 1, 2007 700+ words
Novelist Neal Stephenson is a cult figure among libertarians, thanks to books such as Snow...markets, and the nation-state. His most recent project, The Baroque Cycle, is set during the Enlightenment, but lately he's been training...
- PostLinear Entertainment acquires exclusive rights in all media to develop...
- Press release article from: Business Wire April 30, 1996 700+ words
...world-renown science fiction author Neal Stephenson, it was announced by Ron Martinez...credits include The Crow and Hoffa. "Neal Stephenson is a great writer and his work fits...said in making the announcement. "Neal Stephenson's creations contain strong, vibrant...
- On the Net's Cutting Edge; `The Diamond Age,' Neal Stephenson's new science...
- Newspaper article from: The Washington Post John Schwartz February 21, 1995 700+ words
Neal Stephenson is slowly making his way around his downtown hotel room, packing...serious print sci-fi rarely delivers beyond its core fans. Yet Neal Stephenson, improbably, might just break through. His new book, "The Diamond...
- Neal Stephenson writes of computers, class war
- Newspaper article from: The Boston Globe Michael Saunders, Globe Staff March 15, 1995 700+ words
...intense double-barreled gaze, or the scruffy Van Dyke beard that suggests a Balkan freedom fighter, c. 1914, but author Neal Stephenson certainly looks the part of principal bombthrower in the information revolution. At 35, he's a major data server to...
