I've been a huge Neal Stephenson fan since I read Crytonomicon. Since that time, I've added Snow Crash and Diamond Age to my list of books that have influenced my thinking and led me down new paths. Consequently, I was quite excited to see Quicksilver, Stephenson's newest book, at Borders last week.

The book is a work of historical fiction, something of a break for Stephenson, set during the 1600's amid a period of unbelievable scientific awakening. The protagonist is Daniel Waterhouse, a friend of both Newton and Lieniz, who were hotly contesting the origins and directions of Calculus at that time. I can't tell you how it ends, since I'm only about one-third of the way through, but I can tell you I'm enjoying the book very much.

Something that's added to my enjoyment of the book is a Quicksilver Wiki where Stephenson and others make frequent and interested posts about the book. One example is these page annotations that explain or expand on certain interesting points and this page further explaining the cryptosystems in Quicksilver. This is an excellent addition to an excellent book.