I love Stephenson's Cryptonomicon, so I decided to try Quicksilver, despite mixed reviews. The portrayal of the beginnings of modern science (Hooke, Newton, Hyugens, Leibniz, etc.) is great. Other parts are an onslaught of names and baroque language (in both senses), making for dull and confusing reading. I would not recommend it to others, however I am hooked enough that I need to read the remainder of the series.