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The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3)
The System of the World - The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3
Author: Neal Stephenson
'Tis done. 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 ...  more »
ISBN-13: 9780060523879
ISBN-10: 0060523875
Publication Date: 10/1/2004
Pages: 892
Rating:
  • Currently 4.1/5 Stars.
 54

4.1 stars, based on 54 ratings
Publisher: William Morrow Company
Book Type: Hardcover
Other Versions: Paperback
Members Wishing: 1
Reviews: Member | Amazon | Write a Review

Top Member Book Reviews

reviewed The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) on + 61 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 2
If you are a Neal Stephenson fan, you will love this series - very deep plots and great characters, set it the late 17th / early 18th century, mainly in western Europe, but with adventures all over the world.
ver0nika23 avatar reviewed The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) on + 15 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 1
I got a little tired of this series after book 2, but boy am I glad I kept on reading! Stephenson somehow manages to wrap up the entire series in the last 15 pages of this book, and delivers the goods!
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althea avatar reviewed The System of the World (The Baroque Cycle, Vol. 3) on + 774 more book reviews
Overall, I found The Baroque Cycle rather tedious. But it did end pretty well. Ties in a bit more with Cryptonomicon. Had some actual tension and action...
I still hold that these books really could have used a good editing, however. At many points, the characters were just being put through 'Philosophickal Dialogues' which in no way really resembled conversations that actual people might have... of course, this was decidedly intentional, and some of the most interesting bits were in such parts... but I still feel the whole thing could have benefited greatly from being 'tighter'...
Like I said before, it was work to read this... not wholly unrewarding work, but still...

I'm still not positive how I feel about what Stephenson did with this work, which was really to put ideas about computing, information theory, and the economics of information and capitalism into the minds of historical (and fictional) characters of the 17th century... it's (obviously) not accurate, and although it draws some interesting parallels, I think I do prefer historical novels that make an effort to accurately portray a feeling of time and place (although they may be equally wrong, who knows?).


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