The Confusion (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 2)
by Neal Stephenson
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 2006)
The Confusion is a typical second book of an atypical trilogy, and that is not at all a criticism. The second book of trilogies always bridge the gap between the first and the last with a focus on character, plot development and building the framework for the payoff. When this is done well, as with The Two Towers, the second installment can hold its own with any installment in the trilogy; when this is done very well, as with Empire Strikes Back (I apologize for the movie re...more
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Read in August, 2007
Volume 2 if you read the Baroque Cycle in its original format of 3 volumes; Books 4 and 5 (Juncto and Bonanza) of the 8 distinct books the cycle is broken in to. Either way, an awesome continuation of Quicksilver (aka Vol 1). Good news... the cliffhanger from Quicksilver is resolved. Bad news... new cliffhanger at the end of this volume. Most of the non-bit players return, new ones enter, some leave, and the saga continues as Jack, protagonist of Bonanza, follows treasure literally around the ...more
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This is the second volume of Neal Stephenson's "Baroque Cycle": a piece of historical fiction that leans heavily on science fiction.
The story is set in various parts of Europe, North Africa, and India in the late 1600s. It tackles history, great leaps forward in scientific and mathematical thinking (Newton and Liebniz are secondary characters, among others), politics, sex (ah, now I've caught your interest!), finance, world exploration, and many other topics.
The characters are...more
The story is set in various parts of Europe, North Africa, and India in the late 1600s. It tackles history, great leaps forward in scientific and mathematical thinking (Newton and Liebniz are secondary characters, among others), politics, sex (ah, now I've caught your interest!), finance, world exploration, and many other topics.
The characters are...more
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Read in January, 2005
Historical fiction (again), this time in the later part of the 17th Century. This is the second of the three-volume Baroque Cycle. There are a handful of different storylines to follow, and a good mix of real and fictional characters, from Isaac Newton to King Louis XIV. It is oftentimes very humorous, which is one of the main things that kept me reading. Matt and I read this at the same time, each with our own copies. We had our own little book club, and would stop in the same place from t...more
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Read in May, 2007
recommends it for:
anyone who likes really long books with intricate plots
I actually wasn't going to pick up this book after finishing quicksilver, but I enjoyed the ending of quicksilver, so I thought I would give this one a try. The Confusion was OK. It was a slow read, that wasn't always the best escape for me from my world of studying. The end of The Confusion was well worth the read, but I can't say that I really enjoyed every step of the way. It's more... if I hadn't read the middle of the book, there would be...more
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It's a bit hard to categorize the Baroque Cycle: you could make an argument for fantasy or historical fiction. I'm splitting the difference and calling it an alternative history, but I don't mean by that the typical alt history approach of, "Let's envision a world in which a big thing didn't happen." This is more of "the real world plus a lot of fictional stuff that Stephenson thought would be cool."
In my view, the Confusion is the best part of the Baroque Cycle. It ha...more
In my view, the Confusion is the best part of the Baroque Cycle. It ha...more
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Read in January, 2008
I very much enjoyed this book. From its historical references and settings to its interwoven plot and interesting characters, I found it to be captivating and compelling.
It took me a long time to finish this book- not because of any fault of the writing but because it is over 800 pages long. That I stayed with it, enjoyed it, and find myself thinking and talking about it after I finished it is testament to how I feel about the book. This is the second volume of the trilogy, The Baroque Cycle by ...more
It took me a long time to finish this book- not because of any fault of the writing but because it is over 800 pages long. That I stayed with it, enjoyed it, and find myself thinking and talking about it after I finished it is testament to how I feel about the book. This is the second volume of the trilogy, The Baroque Cycle by ...more
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Read in August, 2007
recommends it for:
whoever liked the first three books (volume one)
It took me a year to get to this book, mostly because I was indeed Confused! This trilogy consists of eight books; when it was released in mass market paperback, that's how it was published -- sort of. Volume one was three separate books, as is volume three, but this volume has two books interwoven, so it is published in the mass market edition as parts one and two. I somehow missed the third book when I bought the mass market paperbacks to read on holiday; when I went to read The Confusion, ...more
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Read in January, 2005
A review won't really help most people, except those that gave Quicksilver a shot and were bored by the end of it. The Confusion might as well be titled, Jack and Eliza's Picaresque Adventures, and while Stephenson maintains the random forays into explaining 17th century monetary systems, the complicated workings of Versaille, or hierarchies of Indian monarchs, this book is an adventure novel at heart that just happens to require 900+ pages of backstory to appreciate. The novel fol...more
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The Baroque Cycle is a multi-perspective view of a big period of European and world history. Did that make sense? These 3 books capture so many aspects of the era of Newton, the Sun King, Liebniz, the first settlings of the New World...a magnificent adventurous epic of historical fiction. Stephenson keeps it entertaining, bringing reality to both true historical figures and imaginary ones, revealing so many levels of the societies of the world during this time, making heroes out of street urc...more
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Even more captivating than QuickSilver, largely because of the increased focus on Jack Shaftoe and Eliza. I could read about Jack's adventures in perpetuity, which Stephenson apparently anticipated as that's practically how much of them he provides. The only disappointment in the book, other than perhaps the realistic but upsetting bad luck that befalls beloved characters, is the plot-advancing ending, which feels slapped on. Nonetheless, this is the kind of book that both entertains and, tho...more
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Read in June, 2008
The Baroque Cycle has definitely picked up momentum from the first volume, but introduces so much new material that the pace was pulled down by all the background detail to go with that new material. It wasn't as laden with stage dressing as the first volume, thankfully, but even the action itself seemed to suffer from pacing issues apart from all those tangents. But ultimately, I am looking forward to reading the third volume much more than I was looking forward to reading this installment when...more
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Read in July, 2007
I'm a slut for the Stephenson. I couldn't get enough, racing through this book in under 2 weeks (cutting out the very painful, forced hiatus while on a road trip). While certain friends of mine express shock at my passion for this series, I'm enjoying watching Neal weave the threads of the Enlightenment together in a way that my 9th grade World History text never could. The developments in Natural Philosophy of the time are given their roots in the politics and culture of the time. Who would...more
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Read in November, 2007
This book is mammoth with a great esoteric vocabulary, swashbuckling adventure, a mix of real and fictional characters and events as well as insights into finances and philosophy at the end of the 1600s. It was fun to trace out the maps within cities and around the globe. The plot is solid but would not be sufficiently intriguing if you did not find these other things interesting. The ending is unsatisfactory as the author wants you to read the next book in the cycle. I do intend to read the...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to Rai by:
my brother-in-law
this book has so far inspired me to buy the book: Pirate Utobias: moorish Corsairs & European Renegades, by Peter Lamborn Wilson.
Ok, now that I finally finished it, i thought that there actually weren't enough pirates, nor enough chaos and confusion in this book. However, I did truly enjoy it and since i'm 2/3rds of the way through the trilogy, I must read the last one.
Oh, I also learned some things about the euro wars of the 1600s and the history of money markets.
Ok, now that I finally finished it, i thought that there actually weren't enough pirates, nor enough chaos and confusion in this book. However, I did truly enjoy it and since i'm 2/3rds of the way through the trilogy, I must read the last one.
Oh, I also learned some things about the euro wars of the 1600s and the history of money markets.
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My personal favorite of this massive, almost 3000 page trilogy. Or at least the half with Jack Shaftoe was. It was a confusion, if you will, of the two main characters Jack and Eliza. Eliza was sorta lame, not nearly as cool as some of stephenson's other female characters, like Y.T. or America. Jack's half of the novel was still good enough to make this my favorite. Sailing, pirates, samurai, good stuff in general.
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Read in January, 2007
recommends it for:
People interested in Renaissance science and looking for a good story.
No matter how long I put off reading the next, this series always sucks me back. I was pleased. (With a book this long, it's really hard to try and sum up everything I liked or disliked). Of course, I always love good writing that teaches me about science, history, pirates, finance, and etymology while also telling a great story.
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Read in February, 2007
Stephenson knows how to write long, sometimes tedious books, but they are always worth it in the end. No one does speculative and hard-science fiction like Stephenson. He's a modern day Jules Verne.
The Baroque cycle is...difficult to read, but that is because it is written in a baroque style! Isn't Stephenson clever!?
The Baroque cycle is...difficult to read, but that is because it is written in a baroque style! Isn't Stephenson clever!?
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Read in January, 2006
So I made it half-way through this book -- halfway through the trilogy, in fact -- before returning to full time work after a 12-week leave of absence.
And I haven't picked it up again.
Excellent reading, but too dense to make my way through it ten pages at a time, as my new parental lifestyle demands.
And I haven't picked it up again.
Excellent reading, but too dense to make my way through it ten pages at a time, as my new parental lifestyle demands.
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The three books make for a long read. Historical fiction, Stephenson does a great job weaving fact and fiction into the story, to the point where you go to the web to see what's true and what's not.
Interesting story about the conflict between Newton and Leibniz, the rise of banking and currency.
Interesting story about the conflict between Newton and Leibniz, the rise of banking and currency.
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