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    The System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle
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    The System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle
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    The System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle
    Ebook1,466 pages27 hours

    The System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle

    By Neal Stephenson

    4.5/5

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    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this ebook

    'Tis done.

    The world is a most confused and unsteady place -- especially London, center of finance, innovation, and conspiracy -- in the year 1714, when Daniel Waterhouse makes his less-than-triumphant return to England's shores. Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, confidant of the high and mighty and contemporary of the most brilliant minds of the age, he has braved the merciless sea and an assault by the infamous pirate Blackbeard to help mend the rift between two adversarial geniuses at a princess's behest. But while much has changed outwardly, the duplicity and danger that once drove Daniel to the American Colonies is still coin of the British realm.

    No sooner has Daniel set foot on his homeland when he is embroiled in a dark conflict that has been raging in the shadows for decades. It is a secret war between the brilliant, enigmatic Master of the Mint and closet alchemist Isaac Newton and his archnemesis, the insidious counterfeiter Jack the Coiner, a.k.a. Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level, as Half-Cocked Jack plots a daring assault on the Tower itself, aiming for nothing less than the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.

    Unbeknownst to all, it is love that set the Coiner on his traitorous course; the desperate need to protect the woman of his heart -- the remarkable Eliza, Duchess of Arcachon-Qwghlm -- from those who would destroy her should he fail. Meanwhile, Daniel Waterhouse and his Clubb of unlikely cronies comb city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers with Infernal Devices -- as political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen; as the "holy grail" of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton, yet is closer than he ever imagined; as the greatest technological innovation in history slowly takes shape in Waterhouse's manufactory.

    Everything that was will be changed forever ...

    The System of the World is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with Quicksilver and continued in The Confusion.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateOct 13, 2009
    ISBN9780061793400
    Unavailable
    The System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle
    Author

    Neal Stephenson

    Neal Stephenson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the novels Termination Shock, Fall; or, Dodge in Hell, The Rise and Fall of D.O.D.O. (with Nicole Galland), Seveneves, Reamde, Anathem, The System of the World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, Zodiac, and the groundbreaking nonfiction work In the Beginning . . .Was the Command Line. He lives in Seattle, Washington.

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    Reviews for The System of the World

    4.5/5

    1,339 ratings36 reviews

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    • 5/5
      Well that last book of the trilogy seemed to take quite a long time, but it was a satisfying ending to the Baroque Cycle. I am actually sad to be finished reading about these characters and will be picking up Cryptonomicon at some point to see how their ancestors fare in the mind of Setphenson.

      This book was a large discourse on the creation of the money system focused in England. It was actually fascinating from an economic point of view. I also love throughout all of the books how Stephenson throws in tidbits about word origins.

      My only complaint about this particular book is that I was hoping that more of the story would focus on Jack Shaftoe. The plot focused around his exploits, but most of it was not told from his point of view. As a whole, I enjoyed the second book the most as they travel the world, and I liked the cast of characters best that were on the Minerva throughout the second book.

      Outstanding series of books. It is hard to say who I would recommend this too because it is written in such a unique way. There are some long stretches where the action doesn't move at all, but from a historical inquiry point of view, I found these conversation fascinating. Great stuff and a trilogy I will read again in the future.
    • 5/5
      Volume 3 of the Baroque Cycle. Most highly recommended. Cornish tin mining, central European politics, a rocket attack on the Tower of London, terrorist bombs, Isaac Newton in disguise, Tsar Peter the Great versus a one armed man, dueling howitzers, the possibilities of a cello as a missile weapon, and hanging, drawing and quartering as a spectator sport; what more could you possibly want? My standard for judging historical novels is: "Do they make me want to go out and read 50 more books on the history of the period?" and the answer for this one is a resounding "Yes!" The only criticism I could make is that the book could use a plan of the Tower, and the author never really captures the religious fervor of the times. But that's minor. Enthusiastically recommended.
    • 4/5
      This book and the trilogy of which it is the conclusion, these don't really develop rich characters. The number of characters is reasonably small so we hear and see their actions again and again. But it's one of these Rube Goldberg contraptions. The whole plot is wildly, impossibly complex and interwoven. The characters are mostly just the steel balls that run the channels and trip the levers.But the point of the book is not really the plot. All the channels and levers are a kind of demonstration, of the system of the world. Not so much the physics of Newton, but the structure and dynamics of modern society. Money is the main character here and what is most richly developed. And indeed money is the essence of the modern world. Beneath that there is this intriguing metaphysical puzzle: the two labyrinths, the nature of the continuum and the puzzle of determinism and free will. Are these two actually facets of the same conundrum? Stephenson's notion seems to be that society is patched together with some rough approximation of a solution to the conundrum, which works for a while and then finally the flaws overwhelm the system and some new approach needs to be worked out. I have to wonder if the point of the book is really to help us confront the situation we are facing now. Newton, Leibniz, Spinoza et al. put together the modern world that has survived some 350 years roughly. At this point the thing seems to be crumbling. We don't need a new solution that is any more perfect than the modern solution. We just need a new system that can see us through the next few centuries, that can provide enough structure for society that people can lead fulfilling lives and and prepare for the next revolution in how our world is put together.
    • 5/5
      Bloody marvelous!
    • 5/5
      Early on in The System of the World, Daniel Waterhouse laments that his panoramic life has had “[t]oo many threads, and too much information for his stiff old brain to cope with.â€? One suspects this is also Neal Stephenson’s sly jab at the reader, who has an equally confounding task at hand. One year, two volumes, and some three thousand pages later (reportedly all written in longhand), the American author wraps up The Baroque Cycle, his epic opus to the complete overhaul of modern thinking. True to form, he completes it in all its dumbfounding, anachronistic, mercurial glory. It is a Lord of the Rings for history buffs, complete with towers, battles, and a mysterious ring.Following directly after Quicksilver and The Confusion, The System of the World plunges headlong into 1714 England. The country is in disarray; “Parliament had its knobby fingers around the Monarch’s throat . . . Whigs and Tories were joined in an eternal shin-kicking contest to determine which faction should have the honor of throttling her Majesty, and how hard.â€?Similarly, Stephenson’s characters are tangled in a monkey’s fist of plotlines. Scientific auteur Isaac Newton obsesses over Solomonic Gold, purported to have properties essential to Alchemy. Eliza, Duchess of Arcachon-Qwghlm, schemes to ensure Princess Caroline attains the Throne of England.Daniel Waterhouse, aging Natural Philosopher, is constantly at risk of premature death by Infernal Devices, as hidden time bombs go off around him with surprising regularity.Finally, there’s the picaresque Jack Shaftoe, a man “so surpassingly and transcendently bad that it was necessary for him to be put to death by the most gruesome and, hence, entertaining means that the English mind could conceive of.â€? Now a counterfeiter, Jack plans an attack that could cripple England’s monetary structure while still in its infancy.Stephenson’s world, while baffling, is never dull, and rarely less than fascinating. As Western society evolves from its established doctrine of Monarchy to the understanding that money makes the world go round, Stephenson marshals his talents, summarizing a period where, like today, logic goes head-to-head with ritual and fear, and the winner is always in doubt.As usual, there is never a theme Stephenson doesn’t pursue. The System of the World is chock full of philosophical discourse, scientific reasoning, and mad chases through London’s seamy underbelly. Stephenson, a genius at plotting, performs some sort of literary miracle by keeping everything organized. It is testament to his mad skills that a discussion as to who first invented calculus, Newton or von Leibniz, is as exciting as Jack’s duel in an opera house, swords clanging and blood spurting as Georg Friedrich Handel frantically attempts to continue his conducting duties.By its touching finale, it is clear that The Baroque Cycle is in a category all its own, a tribute to anyone who fights ignorance, or pursues insane theories with joyful abandon. It has become that rarest of creatures, a three thousand-word tome that you don’t want to end. The System of the World, like both its predecessors and Stephenson himself, is complicated, maddening, bizarrely funny, and spectacular.
    • 4/5
      “For the war is over; most of the great conflicts have been sorted out; Natural Philosophy has conquered the realm of the mind; and — today — as we stand here -- the new System of the World is being writ down in a great Book somewhere.” — Neal Stephenson, “The System of the World”As Neal Stephenson's ambitious (nearly 3,000 pages) Baroque Cycle draws to a close with the third novel, “The System of the World” (2004), England is bathed in optimism. A new king mounts the throne in 1714. The nation is at peace. And science (or Natural Philosophy) seems to have explained how the universe works. Isaac Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz, both major characters as well as real people, have much to do with this optimism.The Baroque Cycle is unusual science fiction in that it deals with real science and real people, yet the plots are mainly fiction. This time the story revolves around Newton's work at the Royal Mint, an unusual job for one of the world's greatest scientists, but he is also an alchemist. Newton uses his position at the mint to watch for Solomon's gold, supposedly once owned by King Solomon himself and supposedly heavier and more valuable than other gold.Meanwhile Jack Shaftoe, a vagabond who will be familiar to readers of other books in the series, has been counterfeiting coins, putting Newton's reputation in jeopardy as his life draws to a close. In even greater danger is Shaftoe himself after he is captured and sentence to be hanged, then drawn and quartered. The final chapters make compelling reading. The rest of the book, like much of the trilogy, requires patience.The world is changing in 1714, although perhaps not as quickly as characters anticipate. They speak of binary code, a Logic Mill (or computer) and an Engine for Raising Water by Fire (or steam engine), but all these must wait for the future. Still, that future rested on the likes of Newton and Leibniz.
    • 3/5
      Phew - that was something, spending 3 months in these books. The last one did have some parts that dragged, but I was glad that he managed to wrap it up without falling into a big morass of WTF as often happens with Stephenson.
    • 5/5
      I had two thoughts upon finishing this:1. Phew!2. I should read them again.This third volume completes Neal Stephenson's three volume, eight book, million+ word Baroque Cycle (alongside Quicksilver and The Confusion). The length and intricate detail of this epic makes the conclusion that much sweeter. Plot threads left dangling hundreds of thousands of words earlier suddenly return with one-armed vengeance!This cycle can be appreciated on so many levels. The plot is gripping—especially in this third volume. The prose sucks you into the world of eighteenth century Europe. The philosophical debates are engaging. The characters feel as real as your neighbours.The part that impressed me the most was a detailed theological debate between two characters in the eighth book. When the characters started to argue I began to worry. Theology is my discipline and I expected to find errors and omissions in Stephenson's work. To my surprise, the author handled the minutiae of eighteenth century theology with great insight! This increased my confidence in the rest of his historical research.The Baroque Cycle is historical fiction like no other. It is gripping literature at its finest. If you haven't yet read it, I envy you. You're in for a wild ride.
    • 5/5
      I'm going to miss this series.
    • 2/5
      Overall, I found The Baroque Cycle rather tedious. But it did end pretty well. Ties in a bit more with Cryptonomicon. Had some actual tension and action...
      I still hold that these books really could have used a good editing, however. At many points, the characters were just being put through 'Philosophickal Dialogues' which in no way really resembled conversations that actual people might have... of course, this was decidedly intentional, and some of the most interesting bits were in such parts... but I still feel the whole thing could have benefited greatly from being 'tighter'...
      Like I said before, it was work to read this... not wholly unrewarding work, but still...

      I'm still not positive how I feel about what Stephenson did with this work, which was really to put ideas about computing, information theory, and the economics of information and capitalism into the minds of historical (and fictional) characters of the 17th century... it's (obviously) not accurate, and although it draws some interesting parallels, I think I do prefer historical novels that make an effort to accurately portray a feeling of time and place (although they may be equally wrong, who knows?)
    • 4/5
      Wonderful book. This series is a multi-faceted jewel of historical and technological trends through the Baroque period. The combination of interesting original and historical characters draws you in and captivates you with their shared history and evolution.
    • 5/5
      This is how you do historical fiction! A wide-ranging tale covering the history of royal families, court intrigue, early espionage and cryptography, scientific invention, finance, etc. Epic in every way.
    • 4/5
      The conclusion of Stephenson's delightful Baroque Cycle brings the world-spanning adventure of its second volume back to a focus on London at the time of the Hanoverian Succession. If the first volume focused on the rise of the scientific method, and the latter on commerce, the third touches on numismatics and the first flowering of the Industrial Revolution. It's also the most political of the three, with action centering around England's parliamentary democracy as opposed to the revolutions and absolutist monarchies of previous volumes.

      Stephenson keeps up his wry wit and dense historical allusions, mixing in real and fictional characters, while adding in a valedictory tone as the series draws to a close. Compared to my favorite volume, "Quicksilver," it has some pacing issues, with false climaxes littering the book's final third. But those are minor quibbles in a highly enjoyable series for people who enjoy both history and nerdy flourishes.
    • 4/5
      The final volume of the Baroque Cycle ties up a great deal in a lively fashion. The transformation of the still enchanted world that we first saw in "Quicksilver" into a recognizably modern Science and steam driven reality has been cleverly woven into a front plot that is as romantic as the stage plays of the time. Our set of college roomies have become the iconic movers and shakers, and the system of the world is seen as one of their ambitions becoming everyone's world. Bravo to Neal, and I look forward to his next book.
    • 5/5
      The System of the World is Volume III of the author’s Baroque Cycle. Volume I contains the first three “books” of the cycle, while The Confusion contains Book 4 (Juncto) and Book 5 (Bonanza). The System of the World contains the final three books of the Cycle, Solomon’s Gold, Currency and The System of the World. If you read Volumes I and II, then you are familiar with the characters and the historical landscape (late 17th, early 18th century). While the historical fiction contained in these works is highly educational and at times fascinating (at others, somewhat confusing), this is not my favorite Stephenson effort. Nevertheless, as in his cyberpunk and sci-fi stories, a certain level of attention and effort is required in order fully grasp the author’s work. Some may not want to put forth the effort, but I appreciate it.By its conclusion, the Cycle will have consumed between 2,500-3,000 pages; quite an undertaking, especially for a work that demands the reader’s attention and commitment. Having read it in its entirety, I can definitely say that I have a far better feel for the history and events of the period and geographical landscape. While the story certainly includes historical figures of significance (several English monarchs, English and French nobility, Continental rulers, Sir Isaac Newton and others) it also contains an assortment of fictional characters, some of whom are fascinating. Eliza, Jack Shaftoe and Daniel Waterhouse alternate as primary characters, though Eliza fades into the background through the final two books.Most of the action in this final volume takes place in and around London. If the author’s writing can be believed, London of the period must have been one of the most miserable places ever on the face of the earth. Abominably crowded, absolutely filthy, disease and pest ridden, it would seem that a majority of the inhabitants walked around covered in sewage or industrial waste at all times. While overall, it is very entertaining and educational reading, at times it bogs down into relatively deep philosophical discussions between the characters. However, the final 200 pages are absolutely engrossing. If you have the time and are willing to put in the effort required, it is definitely worth it.
    • 4/5
      A wonderful wrap up of this 3,000 page saga. Eliza and Jack are reunited after 10 years apart as Jack worked against Isaac Newton trying to infuse the British currency with the alchimist's gold. In the style of Dunnett and Dumas, all the bad guys get their due and the good guys survive if not prosper. Slow reading at time, but very enjoyable.
    • 3/5
      Well, I finally finished it.
      It was probably my least favorite of this trilogy--too much Waterhouse and not enough Shaftoe.
      It sure took a long time to get going, but when things finally started to happen it was good times. Who would have thought--Daniel Waterhouse, action hero?
    • 5/5
      An excellent finale to the Baroque Cycle. This was (in my opinion) the most dynamic book of the series.
    • 5/5

      I was tricked into reading this, but I'm glad because why else would I have started in on this 2700 page trilogy? Years ago Neal Stephenson intrigued and thrilled me with his cyber-punk classic "Snowcrash" so that I could see where he was going with "Diamond Age" a neo-victorian culture in an incredibly futuristic world. By the time I read "Cryptonomicon" I had enough trust in him as an author to take me through a lot of reading involving multiple characters and time periods and to know it was going to come together satisfactorily.


      He goes through a lot of history and technical details in these books but the main story and the excitement is sustained all the way. I can't put it any better than the inside jacket blurb from Entertainment Weekly "...he might just have created the definitive historical-sci-fi-epic-comedy-punk love story. No easy feat that."

    • 3/5
      More than four years after reading the second volume in Neal Stephenson's massive Baroque Cycle, I finally got around to picking up the third, The System of the World. Much like the first two, but while I enjoyed the first book and tolerated the second one, this one got annoying very quickly. I wanted it to be over by about the two hundredth page, and at that point there were still seven hundred to go. I'm glad I read it, and glad I finished the trilogy, but I'm very, very glad there's not another volume left to read.
    • 3/5
      As with the first two books, a but long but a good story. I think the entire trilogy could have been done in about 1000 fewer pages.
    • 5/5
      Finally finished slogging through Neal Stephenson's 3,000-or-so-page Baroque trilogy. Took me like six months, but it was definitely worth it. Leave it to Stephenson to make history both incredibly real-seeming and utterly ridiculous at the same time. If you liked Cryptonomicon and have any interest in Enlightenment-era London, Baroque is certainly worth a read. Just make sure to leave yourself plenty of time.
    • 3/5
      I'm reviewing the whole cycle together, having read these monstrously thick and heavy books together in one marathon burst. The only other fiction by Stephenson that I've read is "Cryptonomicon", and like that, these books appear to be multilevel with layers of meaning. I say "appear to be" because some of these layers may have passed me by, or may not actually exist, but just appear to.Basically, these books are a complex and at times compelling story - they have a few engaging characters, some real-life, some fictional and a plot that typically makes you want to find out what happens next (but there are some bleak deserts to cross at times). It's not my period, but a lot of the history seems accurate. What grated on me was Stephenson's use of language. By the time you've read "phant'sy" for the twentieth time in thirty page, you have grasped the idea that "fancy" comes from this root. Likewise with "con-fused", etc. The use of "bloke" in many contexts struck me as faux-British and pretentious, and there were other aspects of the writing that also made me feel that the writer was describing a milieu with which he was less than familiar.Having said which, there is a lot of detail on 18th century prisons and the Tower of London, much of which I am sure has been researched pretty fully, and other details of life mostly ring true, but there is still this feeling that Stephenson has invented his own historical London, etc., rather than using the real one.There are times when the series gets much too technical for its own good, though - some of the financial shenanigans do not make for exciting reading. Obsessions with gold, cryptography and money seep through, and quite frankly, the middle of the trilogy sags badly, in my opinion. There are two protagonists who are interesting in my opinion – Jack Shaftoe and Daniel Waterhouse – Eliza is only interesting isofar as she relates to Jack, and some of the Hanoverian machinations are boring.I see I gave the three books 4, 3 and 4 stars respectively. Actually, 3, 2 and 3 would be closer to the mark. It will be some time before I want to pick these up again, I feel (I re-read my favorites many times).
    • 3/5
      The conclusion to Neal Stephenson's ambitious Baroque Cycle trilogy.To be honest, I'm still not really sure how I feel about this book (and the series as a whole) after having just finished reading it. One point I would have to make is that it does make for some fun reading, due to all the various interesting characters that permeate throughout the three books. Characters such as Jack, Eliza, Bob, Daniel, Dappa, Danny, Jimmy, Caroline, Johann, etc. Everyone of them brings to this story a certain personality that transcends the story.However, the biggest problem I had with this series in the end was that, there really was no story. There were several builds ups to a potential story, but for the most part we're just spectators to a series of disconnected events. Reading through all three books, one would be hard pressed to find any purpose to all the various events. Now, I'm not claiming that every book should have a high and mighty message to send to the readers. But without a plot to knit Act I to Act II and so forth, we end up just wondering what is happening. So this all goes back to the character. For when we're given a series of events, the only things to have us connected to the book is characters we've become further invested page after page. The most entertaining of which is Jack Shaftoe, a.k.a. L'Emmerdeur, King of the Vagabonds, Quicksilver, etc. In the end, I was reading less with the story about coins and monetary systems and more just because Jack is such an entertaining fellow (that's probably why I enjoyed The Confusion the most). As entertaining as he is, I'm somewhat confused as to the manner of how his character ends at the ending of the book, which sadly, left me less than enthusiastic with how the book ends.Maybe it has to do with the fact that this is technically a prequel to Cryptonomicon (which I have yet to read). Or maybe this project was just too ambitious for the author. Still, in the end, this was somewhat of an entertaining read, which is all that should matter in the end.
    • 5/5
      Very satisfying ending to an incredibly long, complex behemoth of a tale. This last volume concerns itself almost entirely in and around London of the year 1714, giving the work a much more urgent feel. As near as I can tell, Stephenson wraps up all the loose ends, although there are so many threads to this epic that it's far more than I could ever keep track of. If you've made it through the first two, this is a fitting reward for your efforts.SPOILER ALERT: I just had to look up the date of Isaac Newton's death - it was March 31st, 1737.
    • 4/5
      Let's face it, if you've already slogged through 2000 pages of Stephenson's bloated prose, you gotta sign on for the last 1000. The tighter geographic concentration of the characters results in more interplay and makes this book a little more engaging than the other two. I was surprised, at the end, how sad I was to leave this world and these characters. The Baroque Cycle is really ridiculously long, but I can see the appeal of the mega-novel better than I could before.
    • 4/5
      We’ve been around the world with Jack Shaftoe, the King of the Vagabonds, and his Solomonic-gold pirating crew. We’ve sat on the edge of our seats while Daniel Waterhouse, friend of Isaac Newton and Godfreid Libniz, made his way back to London from pirate-infested Boston Bay. Dark conspiracies have unfolded before our scarce-believing eyes. Oh! The early seventeenth century never looked like so much fun!Neal Stephenson is a brainiac monster, and it is futile to resist the tentacles of his imagination. Although some are better than others, he’s never written a dull book. Few, however, have written a more exciting piece of historical fiction. At roughly 2,500 pages, and spanning three fat volumes, few have written longer ones, but the pages flow like a fast moving river along the entire course of The Baroque Cycle. It is intimidating to speculate about the IQ of a writer who can hold so much historical detail in mind, but that figure must been in the low zillions. For not only is there a tremendous amount of detail, but Stephenson messes with history as well, rerouting the river for the sake of a wondrous tale.Indeed, the history of the novel is so tweaked and rerouted that it is difficult to separate fact from fiction; indeed, there is an entire website devoted to precisely the endeavor of doing so. Readers (and the occasional reviewer) will be forgiven for confusing fact with fiction, as Stephenson’s characters are so finely drawn they leap from the page and grasp the reader in a headlock. As Stephenson himself has pointed out, “novel” is a synonym for “romance,” a story, in his view, entirely premised on hypothesis. So although a work of historical fiction, it is even more a work of speculative fiction – that is, fiction which poses the question “What if…?” and then takes various possible answers to that question for a Nantucket sleigh ride. (Nantucket sleigh ride? Imagine, if you will, you have harpooned a whale. Furthermore, that the whale doesn’t care to have a harpoon imposed upon its blubber. The whale then takes you for a very wild ride, one beyond the ken of even Mr. Toad.)Since I’ve summarized the plot of The Baroque Cycle elsewhere (with the above inserted disclaimer about the fictionality of certain beloved characters… sigh…), the question here must become: Is, then, The Cycle historical fiction, science fiction—or what? The answer must be: it is all that and more. It is the arbiters of the marketing departments of the octopussies of the mega-publishing conglomerates who decide where to slot a book into the stream of consumerism. But those jokers have less imagination than a snail squashed under the foot of a jack-booted running dog of capitalism. (And believe me, you haven’t lived until you’ve been snarled at by a jack-booted running dog; in the words of Dr. Emilio Lizardo, “It makes the ganglia twitch.”)Trust me on this one: get thyself to a beach and start turning pages. You won’t regret it.[Originally published in Curled Up with a Good Book]
    • 1/5
      Man I can not for the life of me finish this series... The first book was very interesting with Leibniz and Newton, but it just started to drag with these other swash buckling comedic characters and love affair...
    • 5/5
      The final volume of this series manages to wrap up all the loose ends and come to a satisfactory outcome all round. Stephenson continues to have believable characters set in their period, while having the occasional anachronistic moment as a counterpoint. His grasp of the period and the detail of his knowledge is overwhelming – I found only one obvious error (there are no humming birds in India). After about 2,700 pages, I was sad to put this series down. Read November 2008
    • 4/5
      This is the third book in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle - well, the last three books, since Stephenson actually wrote eight books that made up the cycle which were then published to form a trilogy. Here the majority of the action takes place in London, where virtually all of the protagonists we have been following end up bringing the story to a mighty conclusion.The basic plot is that of a murder mystery, but comprises many other components. Daniel Waterhouse has completed his epic trip back across the Atlantic at the urging of Princess Caroline. She wished him to bring about the reconciliation of those two mighty Philosophers Leibniz and Newton. In the process of which he ends up stumbling across Jack's scheme to debase English currency (which he is being blackmailed into by the King of France and the dastardly Edouard de Gex). Trying to summarise the plot - the many strands and the different events - is difficult without having to repeat what happened in earlier books or flick through many pages trying to remind myself of exactly who Saturn was and why the Tsar of Russia made an appearance.The cast of characters is enormous and it can be difficult to keep them separate at times, although our main characters have become extremely three dimensional. Daniel, Eliza (although she makes a small appearance in this volume), Jack, Isaac Newton, Dappa, Bob Shaftoe, Ravenscar, Princess Caroline, Leibniz - all these characters become beloved and it is of interest to see what happens to all of them.The three volumes as a whole - the Baroque Cycle - are a truly amazing achievement. It is nigh on 3000 pages dense with facts, with ideas, with characters, with exciting escapes and political machinations. We are shown the beginnings of the world system that we know today - with law enforcement, political parties (Whigs and Tories), real estate and, of course, currency. Either this was written as a fact or Stephenson came up with an extremely clever idea in that currency is called such because of the current of money flowing into London, in this case. There are many such moments during all three books, where you marvel at the level of research and detail that has gone into every element of the story.It is interesting that these books are almost always shelved in the fantasy/sci fi section but, barring the presence of Enoch Root and his little procedure (I shall not say more, for fear of spoiling certain things!) they are more historical in nature. One of my disappointments in this and the previous books is the pacing - we can go from thrilling page-turning events into a deep philosophical discourse and this can make the reader grind to a halt. Despite the exciting nature of the plot in general, there were times when I felt as though it was a struggle to read any further, and this is a sad fact when considering that this should be a series read by everyone. It is a classic in the making - or would be, barring the slow and turgid prose at times. Having said that, it didn't do Tolkien any harm and some people may, in fact, find this one of the charming aspects of Stephenson's writing.I am extremely glad that I read this series, but I shall not be embarking on a re-read for many, many years - if at all. However, I do have the notion that the characters and events will niggle and stay with me - the mark of a book that has had a big effect on me. This should have been a five star experience, but I keep it to four stars purely because of the difficulty of the reading. Recommended (with reservations!)