England, 1714. London has long been home to a secret war between the brilliant, enigmatic Master of the Mint and closet alchemist, Isaac Newton, an...
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reviews
Jul 29, 2011
This is a simply terrific conclusion to the magniicent "Baroque Cycle" and is best read after Quicksilver and The Confusion. Stephenson's narrative is littered with genius. His research is immaculate, his conjuring of the place, the time, the mood, the language, the smells and sounds of LLondon's Newgate Prison are just fantastic.
All our old favourites are back but this is Daniel Waterhouse's story. Looking back it's clear now that book one was Eliza's tale, book 2 Jack's and book More...
All our old favourites are back but this is Daniel Waterhouse's story. Looking back it's clear now that book one was Eliza's tale, book 2 Jack's and book More...
Nov 29, 2011
Sarah
rated it: 
This review isn't just about System of the World, but about the whole Baroque Cycle. The short version of the review is... I think he could have accomplished everything he set out to accomplish with these books in a third as much space. Finishing them felt like a test of endurance. I always have trouble keeping track of Stephenson's characters and plotlines but, again, this time there were simply too many for me to have half a chance. I felt like I needed a flowchart and a timeline.
A More...
A More...
Aug 10, 2011
Clif
rated it: 
This is the concluding book 8 of Neal Stephenson's epic Baroque Cycle (3rd book of volume 3 as originally published). Finally in this book Newton and Leibniz are placed in the same room and told by Princess Carolyn to resolve their differences. As depicted in this book, the calculus issue is hardly mentioned at all. The main differences that appear to be contentious are in the areas of philosophy and metaphysics. I am under the impression that the physical encounter of these three individual
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Dec 19, 2011
Stephen
rated it: 
I found this entire series hard to get into. The second and third books were a little easier, but I still floundered around trying to get through the book. Many of the tangents were uninteresting to me (not a big fan of economics apparently) and hard to get through.
That being said, I did at least feel that the story told in the Baroque Cycle was finished up with this book, and the last half of the novel I found started to grab me and pull me in.
All in all, the series was not More...
That being said, I did at least feel that the story told in the Baroque Cycle was finished up with this book, and the last half of the novel I found started to grab me and pull me in.
All in all, the series was not More...
Oct 22, 2011
Ian
rated it:
Well, I finished this awhile ago but never wrote a review. Where to begin? I'm not sure I could even do it justice. What a monumental trilogy. It deserves stars just for being written. Add to that the fact that it was actually *well* written and fun to read (as Stephenson's books tend to be) and the five stars were almost too few. That said, I found a few small spots in Volume 2 to run a bit slow, but Volume 3 was a fantastic way to wrap things up. What terrific characters he created. Ta
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Aug 08, 2011
My least favourite of the three novels in The Baroque Cycle. Not as heady as Quicksilver, not as exciting as The Confusion. About 100 pages too long.Climax took place about 150 pages from the end. That's one loooooong denouement. I hope Stephenson is planning to connect the events of this trilogy to Cryptonomicon. A Victorian Shaftoe / Waterhouse plot would be simply awesome.
Feb 18, 2011
Natalie
rated it:
I enjoyed this whole convoluted series immensely. What I "read" were actually the audible.com editions, read by Simon Prebble, who is an absolutely brilliant narrator. Combine his expert reading with Stephenson's witty, complex prose, and you're left with the most entertaining series of books I've come across in a very long time.
Aug 09, 2011
I am deeply saddened because I finished "The System of the World" right now and do not know what to read afterwards... It is/was impressive. The Baroque Cycle were my first books of Stephenson and I am eager to read the very rest of them all.
Aug 03, 2011
As always, Neal Stephenson amazes me with another amazing work. The third in the baroque cycle, he does a wonderful job of whipping the characters into an ending froth and leaving everyone satisfied with a well rounded story.
Sep 08, 2011
Susan
rated it:
Loved it! I always feel so smart when I finish one of Stephenson's novels; not I can drop tidbits about Leibniz and life in 18th century England into conversation and sound really erudite. I will say that by the time you reach the end of this 3000-page trilogy, you will have forgotten what happened at the beginning, so read the books in close sequence if you can. I promise you will get a good laugh from Dappa's duel if you stick it out.
Dec 20, 2010
Jens
rated it:
A good read. A fun read. And his teasing references to "monadology" are a brilliant approach - evocative without being overtly didactic.
Sep 10, 2011
Brian
rated it:
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.
Jul 31, 2011
Great conclusion to an incredible series!! A must read for history enthusiasts...funny, slick, informative...
Aug 05, 2011
Baroque Cycle is not for the faint of heart (reading-wise) ---but WoW, what a great, deep story. Really puts you into the time and characters.
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