If your summer has room and time for some reading enjoyment and a fine broadening of the wonder found in history then I recommend the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. It starts the 3 volume series in Quicksilver and covers the life and times of some fascinating characters living in some fascinating times. It occurs to me that we think we live in interesting, dangerous and adventurous times but, seriously, these are the meekest and mildest of times and some piracy, revolution and invading is good for the soul!
I read them when they were published and thought they were fascinating. They cover some of the ancestors of the characters that showed up in Cryptonomicon and as far as I can recall, explain nothing at all about that book or its characters.
1 comment:
Stephenson is a great writer. I was introduced to his work when a fellow Math Nerd told me Cryptonomicon was the Best Book Ever Written. (Caps because they hint at how excited she felt about it.) Just recently finished The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O., which I enjoyed even though it is Time Travel, my least favorite Sci-Fi plot gimmick.
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