Quicksilver - Neal Stephenson

This is the first book in the Baroque Cycle series. If you like historical novels this story will definitely pull you in. It takes place in the 17th and 18th centuries. It covers so much ground I can't summarize and do it justice. Science, politics, finance, and religion are all mixed into a fascinating tale that has a fictional Waterhouse tying it all together. If you read Stephenson's Cryptonomicon that name will be familiar, as will others in this novel. It's a long but satisfying read. Highly recommended.