System Of The World Baroque Cycle #3: Amazon.ca: Neal Stephenson: Books

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From Publishers Weekly

The colossal and impressive third volume (after Quicksilver and The Confusion) of Stephenson's magisterial exploration of the origins of the modern world in the scientific revolution of the baroque era begins in 1714. Daniel Waterhouse has returned to England, hoping to mediate the feud between Sir Isaac Newton and Leibniz, both of whom claim to have discovered the calculus and neither of whom is showing much scientific rationality in the dispute. This brawl takes place against the background of the imminent death of Queen Anne, which threatens a succession crisis as Jacobite (Stuart, Catholic) sympathizers confront supporters of the Hanoverian succession. Aside from the potential effect of the outcome on the intellectual climate of England, these political maneuverings are notable for the role played by trilogy heroine Eliza de la Zour, who is now wielding her influence over Caroline of Ansbach, consort of the Hanoverian heir. Eliza has risen from the streets to the nobility without losing any of her creativity or her talents as a schemer; nor has outlaw Jack Shaftoe lost any of his wiliness. What he may have lost is discretion, since he oversteps the boundaries of both law and good sense far enough to narrowly escape the hangman. In the end, reluctant hero Waterhouse prevails against the machinations of everybody else, and scientific (if not sweet) reason wins by a nose. The symbol of that victory is the inventor Thomas Newcomen standing (rather like a cock crowing) atop the boiler of one of his first steam engines. This final volume in the cycle is another magnificent portrayal of an era, well worth the long slog it requires of Stephenson's many devoted readers.
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From Booklist

Stephenson, enjoying cult status for his 1999 novel Cryptonomicon as well as the first two installments in a trilogy he calls the Baroque Cycle (Quicksilver [BKL S 1 03] and The Confusion [BKL F 15 04]), brings the long-winded but compulsively readable series to its conclusion. All three volumes have been lengthy but also effective as the author delves deeply into European history in the late-seventeenth and early-nineteenth centuries, eras of great intellectual and political ferment. Daniel Waterhouse, who was introduced in the first volume, has come back to England from the American colonies to mediate a dispute between two scientists, Isaac Newton and Gottfried von Leibniz. Around this continuing struggle, which has a side story encompassing Newton's desire to find a time-bomb-armed criminal gang, led by his archenemy, a counterfeiter called the king of the vagabonds, swirls a larger arena of contention: the probably sooner rather than later death of Queen Anne and whether the Whigs or the Tories will dominate the court in the reign that follows. Obviously--given the book's length--details are profuse, but each detail speedily draws readers into the narrative rather than impeding it. The language, to correlate with the times in which the novel is set, is done in a stately but not overwrought style. Expect considerable demand. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

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"MEN HALF YOUR AGE and double your weight have been slain on these wastes by Extremity of Cold," said the Earl of Lostwithiel, Lord Warden of the Stannaries, and Rider of the Forest and Chase of Dartmoor, to one of his two fellow-travelers. Read the first page

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4.5 out of 5 stars (2 customer reviews)

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7 of 10 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars If it ain't Baroque, Oct 26 2004

By

Shane (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: System Of The World Baroque Cycle #3 (Hardcover)

Fans of Neal are going to love this series; but... fans of Cryptonomicon may not. It is extremely different (although there are some fantastic similarities in characters - read it you'll see) and will definitely not be everyone's cup of tea. It takes a long (long, long) time to get comfortable with the characters and the story but just like every Stephenson work, it is well worth the effort.It seems sometimes an act of freakish genious that he's able to tie everything together. This book (and the whole series) is a challenge, no doubt, but it's been a fun challenge.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Detail served well in Volumes 1 and 2, but..., Jan 2 2012

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OpenMind "R Granger" (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: The System Of The World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle (Paperback)

Having recently finished reading "The System of the World", I can say that the Baroque Cycle, in its entirety, ranks as one of the most ambitious, cohesive, and engrossing works I've ever read. Stephenson has outdone himself with a tale of religion, economy, friendship, lost love, intrigue, and (of course) science. Having said that, I am only being honest when I say that Volume 3 was the most difficult to get through.

Where Volumes 1 and 2 made use of detail to enrich the readers' experience, Volume 3 merely seems to overwhelm, and even sometimes bore. The endless descriptions of London landmarks and geography take away from what is otherwise a book with thrilling action sequences (the taking of the Tower of London especially standing out), the foundations of long-term friendships being shaken (with Daniel and Isaac drifting apart as Isaac become engrossed with minting coins and prosecuting counterfeiters, while Daniel pursues morally ambiguous ends), and a good old fashioned [attempted] murder mystery.

Volume 3 culminates with the inevitable: Jack being led to Tyburn Cross, to be executed for soiling the Pyx and casting the authenticity of the coinage into doubt; Daniel and Isaac attending the Trial of the Pyx, with Newton's career, good name, and life literally hanging in the balance; Eliza, seemingly unfazed by Jack's death sentence, continuing to wield her influence across borders, seas, and loyalties. A satisfying finale it is, but its readability is severely hampered by less than judicious use of detail, which was well-calculated before, but seems excessive this time around.

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Amazon.com: 4.4 out of 5 stars (83 customer reviews)

47 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Word Alchemy, Dec 21 2004

By J. Vilches - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: System Of The World Baroque Cycle #3 (Hardcover)

In 1714, Daniel Waterhouse finishes his long trip from America to England. He is prepared to mediate a vicious argument between Newton and Leibniz about who invented calculus first. But he is quickly caught up in diverse adventures: building a logic mill, sleuthing out a bomb maker, playing shell games with gold, and planning jailbreaks. Jack Shaftoe pops in here and there sowing mayhem and counterfeit coins. Eliza, the Countess de la Zeur by way of being "Good with Money", continues her behind-the-scenes royal intrigues and her efforts to end slavery.

Conflicts galore weave together into a complex tapestry: the power struggle between the Whigs and the Tories, the battle between Newton the Minter and Jack the Coiner, the feuding calculus inventors, and the clash between alchemy and science. In the end it all boils down to this: will the new system of the world be based on free markets and science? Or feudalism and alchemy?

The third and final book in the Baroque Cycle is just as weighty as the first two. It features a quick synopsis of Quicksilver and The Confusion for those who need a refresher. Even with the summary, I wouldn't advise starting with the third book. Each of the books in the series has its own character. Quicksilver was all about set-up, so while it was rich in detail and characters, it could be slow and a bit disjointed at times. The Confusion was full of madcap adventures and the pieces just flew around the board. The System of the World wraps all of the previous threads together, and strikes a nice balance between philosophy, intrigue, and action.

Stephenson keeps up the expected torrent of words, but as with the other two books, he keeps your attention with an iron fist of plot in a velvet glove of delightful prose. Stephenson manages to seamlessly combine serious discussions, obscure trivia, and profound silliness. As a reader, you have to pay the same attention to all, because you never know what small detail the plot is going to hang on next.

Daniel Waterhouse is the driving character for most of this book. If you loved The Confusion because it centered on Jack and Eliza, you might be disappointed in the smaller roles they play in the third book. But if you can get past that disappointment, you will find that Daniel has evolved into a more interesting and active character than he was in Quicksilver.

The Baroque Cycle requires a substantial investment of time and attention, but it is well worth the effort. The System of the World is a satisfying end to a great series. With Stephenson, as in life, the journey is more important than the destination, and he definitely gives you a lot of journey in the 3000-or-so page trilogy.

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Baroque Cycle--a life-changing work, Nov 28 2004

By Inchoatus.com "Inchoatus.com" - Published on Amazon.com

This review is from: System Of The World Baroque Cycle #3 (Hardcover)

The Baroque Cycle as a whole is one the most wholly remarkable series of books written by any author that we are aware of. It is an important read for anyone willing and able to change their thinking about how things work, how societies come to be, and how one should go about living theirs. Its scholarship is breathtaking. Its point supremely important and accurate. The Baroque Cycle will not have so much an effect on the genre of speculative fiction as it will on the fiction as a whole and answering the question of why do people bother to read? It is to read things like The Baroque Cycle that we read: to discover things about ourselves and the world around us. It will be interesting to see if, in 10 or 15 years, other authors dare to extend their concept of science fiction in to the past as Stephenson has done.

WHO SHOULD READ THIS:

Anyone who is reading this review has probably already invested a substantial amount of time in reading Quicksilver and The Confusion. It is unthinkable that, after reading those books, that they will not attempt System of the World. We will not deter them--they should run forth and purchase because it is refreshing to see such a work of astonishing scope come to a sort of satisfactory conclusion. The Baroque Cycle as a whole we feel will ultimately become a defining work in literature marking the early 21st century. The only thing that may hold it back is its length, which is daunting but wholly necessary.

WHO SHOULD PASS:

There may be a certain segment reading this series only for Jack Shaftoe and his exploits. While he is here in this book, he is not the focus and he seems somehow diminished in his age. We can't imagine anyone continuing to read these books only for adventure narrative but, if that was your main draw, it is largely absent in System and is much more focused on philosophy, economics, and politics.

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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars He turns this one into gold..., Nov 2 2004

By Peter Krogh - Published on Amazon.com

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This review is from: System Of The World Baroque Cycle #3 (Hardcover)

My five stars are specifically for The System of the World, not the entire series.

In the acknowledgements, Stephenson refers to a mid-course correction with regards to his writing approach. He does not describe what it is, but I think I know. In the first book, there are many passages that are so oblique, tangential, and orthogonal only to style that I found it difficult to stay with the program the whole way through. This tendency lessened in The Confusion and nearly disappears here in System. Good for him, good for us.

My only real complaint for this book is Mr. Stephenson's need to provide painfully detailed driving directions of old London. I appreciate his descriptive powers (I really do!) but describing what street flows into which, where, and whether to turn left or right, &c. [ ;-) ] is a bit irritating. His map on the inside cover is not detailed enough for following along, assuming that you accept such embellishment is necessary for advancing the story. E.g., one of the two climaxes is at Tyburn, the streets around which are described for PARAGRAPHS. Go ahead and try to find it on the map.

Why am I bitching? I have no idea. I loved the characters, loved this book, enjoyed the Confusion and had faith through Quicksilver. Maybe I'm put off because he's SO CLOSE to being a true literary genius of my generation, but he's not QUITE there yet. Hey, there seems to be a 200 year gap for him to work with now...

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