Quicksilver

The first volume of Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, Quicksilver plunges into the intellectual ferment of late seventeenth-century Europe. Set against the backdrop of the Great Plague and the Great Fire of London, the novel follows the fictional Daniel Waterhouse, a member of the Royal Society who navigates the complex intersections of science, finance, and political intrigue. Alongside historical figures like Isaac Newton and Leibniz, the narrative explores the early development of cryptography and the nascent networks of information that prefigure the modern internet. The story is driven by the adventures of Jack Shaftoe, a charismatic rogue, and Eliza, a liberated slave who becomes a pivotal figure in European politics and finance.

Description adapted from Open Library ↗.