'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 …
'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.
Review of 'The System of the World' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
Well, it only took me nine years, but I finished the Baroque Cycle! And what a wild, crazy, breathtaking ride it has been, with Daniel Waterhouse at my side.
This concluding book in the trilogy focused mostly on England and Daniel's relationship with Isaac Newton, counterfeit coins, politics, explosions, Infernal Machines, gold, science and Systems Of The World. Not quite as crazy as the previous two, with a much tighter story, but still a wonderful ride in the past.
Review of 'The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
Alas, it's over. It was a strong finish to a gloriously long epic. The amazing thing to me is that the intensity of the divers wonders woven into the tale continued to wax throughout. As the obviously meticulously researched detail proliferated, so did the relentless humour, and the integrity of the characters. The portrayal of London in 1714 is an artwork of its own. All culminates in a reading experience that will clearly never be reproduced.
Review of 'The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
The System of the World, like all of the "Baroque Cycle", felt like a bit of a slog at times. But that is always true of Neal Stephenson. He revels in the details; the minutiae and isn't ashamed of it at all.
I enjoyed this story. It's a very long one, but the machinations of the characters, both fictional and fictionalized, kept me engaged throughout.
This is definitely not for everyone, and I'm looking forward to not having this trilogy hanging over my head, but if you like Stephenson's other work, you should try to get past the irritation you may feel towards the historical fiction and the conceit of writing what boils down to a 3000 page book.
Review of 'The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
One would think, after I had read Quicksilver, the precursor to this novel, and felt bored that I wouldn't go and slog into the next 1,000 pager in the series, but somehow I did. I like Stephenson's mix of cerebral and banal in general, so I figured I'd give it another round. This one still felt somewhat boring to me, but I did get into it a wee bit more than I did Quicksilver. I think the characters felt somewhat less thin this time around, and it seemed to help that it stuck more consistently with the main characters mostly throughout. Sorry that this review ain't exactly deep or probing, but there you go.
Review of 'The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)' on 'Goodreads'
5 stars
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."
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."
Review of 'The system of the world' on 'Goodreads'
4 stars
This book ends the Baroque Trilogy. I'm a bit shocked to discover that this was a character study of two school chums, a soldier and an economist. Despite that, it kept me riveted throughout the later half of 2004, and I grabbed each new book in hardcover and tore through it as fast as I could. This volume took me quite a while because other social obligations have been impinging on my reading time.
