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  <title><![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]></title>
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  <description><![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]></description>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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  <read_at>Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Thu Mar 27 11:09:04 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Apr 27 20:19:11 -0700 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Whew. About 2,700 pages later, and thank heavens it wraps up beautifully, making the long trek well worth the effort. Now that I've reached the end, I realize fully how enjoyable the journey itself was.<br/><br/>People often asked me what these books are about. Er. It's a story of alchemy (human m...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/18767173">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>3</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[People who have read Cryptonomicon]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 18 08:46:35 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Sep 18 08:56:06 -0700 2007</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I am doing this as a review for the Baroque cycle altogether, so don't bother reading the reviews for the other two if you are reading this one.<br/><br/>The Baroque cycle is a massive, epic, depressingly wide reaching body of creative work which, I believe, has made several well respected fantasy...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/6380958">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
  <id>9963442</id>
    <user>
    <id>634536</id>
    <name><![CDATA[Amy]]></name>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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    <rating>2</rating>
  <votes>2</votes>
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  <read_at>Tue Feb 05 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 04 21:28:04 -0800 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Feb 05 20:57:43 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This series was an ambitious project on Stephenson's part, but I think he tried to do too much. I liked the characters he created and found the plot interesting, however, the books are uneven in their pacing and sort of unfocused.  Sometimes it's a love story, sometimes it's an adventure, sometimes ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/9963442">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.25</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[]]></recommended_for>
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  <read_at>Mon Sep 08 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Jul 08 20:08:31 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Sep 08 21:10:20 -0700 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I don't even know how to begin to review this trilogy.  It's really all one novel, and so it might then be the longest novel I've read.<br/><br/>It has everything.  An around the world sea voyage.  The Barbary corsairs.  Love triumphing over death.  Women trimuphing over men.  The beginnings of th...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26714611">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/26714611]]></url>
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      <review>
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    <name><![CDATA[Marc]]></name>
    <location><![CDATA[Arlington, MA]]></location>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <date_added>Mon Dec 01 11:07:30 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Mon Dec 01 11:10:08 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Finished the last book in this series.   Wow, was it long.   Don't knwo that it needed to be that long.  Lots of diverse wanderings through the plot line that eventually all come together but didn't seem altogether necessary.  Instead of invoking the typical &quot;Years later&quot;, and giving a sum...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39035609">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39035609]]></url>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39035609]]></link>
</review>
      <review>
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    <![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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  <date_added>Thu Feb 05 09:27:31 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu Feb 05 09:27:31 -0800 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[<p>The conclusion to <em>The Baroque Cycle</em> is a veritable doorstop, but a doorstop perhaps worth its weight in 18th-century gold coins‚Äîespecially to those who need a reminder about the dangerous misuses of science and &quot;progress.&quot; Critics can't heap enough praise on Stephenson's eloquent narrati...</p><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/45459685">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[The first one was good, the second was better, this one ROCKED! This picks up quite a bit of time after the events of the second book (but only a few months after the opening scenes of the first book, go figure). All of the characters have moved on with their lives, but what they were doing during t...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/43238259">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Thu Sep 03 03:59:44 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[In Quicksilver, the first book of the Baroque cycle, it isn't obvious where Stephenson is going.  That book is an enjoyable read, to be sure, but I never would have guessed Stephenson's ambition with these novels is to explain how the world we live today came about, where the scientific method rules...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69903082">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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  <read_at>Wed Jul 15 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
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  <date_updated>Wed Jul 15 20:16:50 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I finally finished the Baroque Cycle (after what felt like several decades). Throughout my struggle to finish the 2000+ page trilogy I found myself continually wondering why I was still plowing through. Yes, there were great characters, and yes, Stephenson has an amazing way with dialogue (IMHO one ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/63669125">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
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  <read_at>Sun Jan 18 00:00:00 -0800 2009</read_at>
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    <body><![CDATA[This is a beautiful trilogy that is trying at times. I don't know if the series deserves 5 stars, but this, the third novel of the trilogy, certainly deserves more than 4. I loved it. It may be partially due to the sense of accomplishment one gets at the end of this book for having read the entire s...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41572482">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
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  <read_at>Sat Nov 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Fri Dec 12 18:33:29 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri Dec 12 18:40:55 -0800 2008</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[I stuck with the Baroque Cycle mostly for bragging rights, not because it was fun reading.  It was educational, and like an education, when it was over, I was left with a void to fill by some other means.  The ending was well resolved in a feel good way but I could not believe that the King of the V...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/39983504">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Mon Aug 10 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jul 20 06:30:51 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 11 09:27:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This Baroque Cycle is an enjoyable read. Because it is composed of three large books, many readers seem intimidated. But it reads like a series of smaller books featuring the same characters.<br/><br/>It is, also, really reads like an historical fiction in most all ways.<br/><br/>However, there ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64202773">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/64202773]]></url>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Mon Dec 01 00:00:00 -0800 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Dec 30 15:47:14 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Dec 30 15:55:46 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is really more like a 3.5 stars for me - the first two books in the Baroque Cycle I thought were better with the second book &quot;The Confusion&quot; being closest to a 5 star.  Stephenson throws out a whole slew of threads and brings them pretty satisfactorily together regarding:  commerce, a...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41333698">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/41333698]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
  <id>69576344</id>
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    <name><![CDATA[Steve]]></name>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Sat Sep 26 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Aug 31 11:32:44 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Sep 27 17:56:46 -0700 2009</date_updated>
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    <body><![CDATA[Well, I'm now officially depressed.  I finished reading the Baroque Cycle.  To say that I enjoyed reading the series would be to stretch the word &quot;enjoyed&quot; to the breaking point.  It would be rolling the word &quot;enjoyed&quot; off to the juicing room.  It would be hanging the word &quot;...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69576344">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
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  <date_added>Fri Jun 12 20:06:47 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Aug 04 07:16:35 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I must admit, I breathed a sigh of relief as I finished the last page in this book, the end of a long trilogy, The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson. <br/><br/>The third book, The System of the World, was better than the first two...I finally felt like there was some payoff for going through the o...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/59471263">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
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  <read_at>Thu May 28 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sun Mar 15 20:42:19 -0700 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Fri May 29 07:44:26 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[I absolutely loved these books, and as glad as I was to finally finish them, a part of me wishes the story was a lot longer too. There were a few things I would have done differently (Jack and Eliza's reunion, for one--I felt this was one of the climaxes the series was building to, and it only gets ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/49404195">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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  <description>
    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>3</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <read_at>Thu May 07 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Mon Jan 26 11:04:23 -0800 2009</date_added>
  <date_updated>Thu May 07 14:24:51 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[well, I like Neal, but like most of his stuff, all three books in this cycle could have used a better editor. The mere fact that I read all 2736 pages is a testament to his story telling, but I mean come on at least 1432 pages detailed 18th century architecture and fashion. That level of detail is e...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44409406">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/44409406]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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  <title>
    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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  <average_rating>4.24</average_rating>
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    <![CDATA[<p>England, 1714. London has long been home to 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. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system.</p> <p>Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the &quot;holy grail&quot; of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton.</p> <p>As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ...</p><p>This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.</p>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>4</rating>
  <votes>0</votes>
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  <read_at>Tue Mar 31 00:00:00 -0700 2009</read_at>
  <date_added>Sat Dec 20 13:48:31 -0800 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Mar 31 09:50:06 -0700 2009</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[Much like other reviewers here, I'm impressed not only by the book itself as a good yarn, but by the Baroque Cycle as a whole.  I was skeptical of the whole project through the first half of the first book, and I have to admit that I wasn't sure if I would make it.  But it was worth it.  I've never ...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40539198">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/40539198]]></url>
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</review>
      <review>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
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    <![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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    <rating>5</rating>
  <votes>1</votes>
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  <recommended_for><![CDATA[Hanoverians, Respected Whigs, Savants, Masters of the Mint, Coiners, Tsarists, and Alchemists]]></recommended_for>
  <recommended_by><![CDATA[]]></recommended_by>
  <read_at>Tue Oct 28 00:00:00 -0700 2008</read_at>
  <date_added>Tue Sep 09 19:28:03 -0700 2008</date_added>
  <date_updated>Tue Nov 04 12:13:37 -0800 2008</date_updated>
  <read_count>1</read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[This is the final book in the Baroque Cycle.  The Historical Fiction Epic about how the modern world was formed out of the 17th (and early 18th) century.  The stories weave together accounts of fictional characters with historical figures.  The narrative threads through historical events and provide...<a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32487954">more...</a>]]></body>
    
  <url><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/32487954]]></url>
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  <isbn>0099463369</isbn>
  <isbn13>9780099463368</isbn13>
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    <![CDATA[The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, #3)]]>
  </title>
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  <average_rating>4.27</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>41</ratings_count>
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    <![CDATA[<p>'Tis done.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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.</p> <p>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 &quot;holy grail&quot; 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.</p> <p>Everything that was will be changed forever ...</p> <blockquote><em>The System of the World</em> is the concluding volume in Neal Stephenson's Baroque Cycle, begun with <em>Quicksilver</em> and continued in <em>The Confusion</em>.</blockquote>]]>
  </description>
  <published>2003</published>
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  <date_added>Sun Oct 21 10:32:41 -0700 2007</date_added>
  <date_updated>Sun Oct 21 10:32:41 -0700 2007</date_updated>
  <read_count></read_count>
    <body><![CDATA[<a rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="http://nhw.livejournal.com/737376.html">http://nhw.livejournal.com/737376.html</a>[return][return]Any Man, when he shall have completed a TaÃ…Â¿k, be it one which he has aÃ…Â¿signed to HimÃ…Â¿elf, or an ImpoÃ…Â¿ition from Ã…Â¿ome <em>external</em> Party, may experience a certain Euphoria. I write here of two such TaÃ…Â¿ks which have been completed, <em>vi...</em><a href="http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/8024530">more...</a>]]></body>
    
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