The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)

Triumphant finish to the often difficult Baroque Cycle series.

Neal Stephenson is the f*cking Mozart of writing xD

somehow, in this trilogy, Neal Stephenson managed to make probably hundreds of characters come to live and spring from the pages in ways that television, movies, and many books can't. Because there are so many characters, I actually wanted more - more - more! I could have stood to read a couple hundred more pages about Jack Shaftoe, Eliza, Bob Shaftoe, Isaac Newton, Princess Caroline,...more

somehow, in this trilogy, Neal Stephenson managed to make probably hundreds of characters come to live and spring from the pages in ways that television, movies, and many books can't. Because there are so many characters, I actually wanted more - more - more! I could have stood to read a couple hundred more pages about Jack Shaftoe, Eliza, Bob Shaftoe, Isaac Newton, Princess Caroline, Johan von Hackleheber, Daniel Warterhouse, Saturn, Leibniz, Dappa, Van Hoek, etc... Daniel Waterhouse seemed more of an observer in Quicksilver, and delegated to the sidelines in Odalisque/The Juncto, really surprised me. I was initially apprehensive when he was taking more and more of center stage (as I wanted to hear more about Jack and Eliza, to be quite frank), but in this book, he surprised me quite pleasantly, and I am glad that Neal gave us the glimpses of Daniel in the past so that we could appreciate him in this book. Spoiler: The story was amazing, and if I had one complaint, it was that there was not enough Eliza in this book! After all the time that we are following Jack in his quest and knowing his love for her, I wanted to see her and Jack reunite and know, from her point of view, what she really thought of him after all this time (as it was a bit less obvious). Yet, after she was so prominent in King of the Vagabonds, Odalisque, and Juncto, we don't even get anything from her point of view in this book - all of her appearances are from Johan, Caroline's, or Daniels point of view. And this is a book that is highly centered around finance, which was her favorite game. It would have been great if we could have seen her in action a bit more. But that is a minor complaint, as this is an excellent read either way.   hide

An amazing conclusion to a startling, complex, riotous romp through late 18th century England and France. A must read for all historical novel fans!