The System of the World (2004)

I'm going to miss this series. ( )

As a whole, a slower finish to the trilogy than I'd expected, and in true Neal Stephenson fashion, the actual ending was more abrupt than I'd have liked... but still, I set this one down sorry to have it over. Way too clever in places, but I expected nothing less from him. Now I have to go and look to see what parts of the setting were historically accurate and which were made up. ( )

Wonderful book. This series is a multi-faceted jewel of historical and technological trends through the Baroque period. The combination of interesting original and historical characters draws you in and captivates you with their shared history and evolution. ( )

First of all, wow! Feels good to have finally put a cap on these books after years of them glaring at me from book-baskets and shelves.

We're back to the three-books-in-one structure of Quicksilver, although the point of view hops around all over the place. The first and the last are incredibly enjoyable -- Solomon's Gold relates Daniel Waterhouse's return to Europe and conscription into Isaac Newton's efforts to capture Jack Shaftoe, now a criminal mastermind destroying the new currency that has been built up in the past two books. It's half political thriller, half Ocean's 11 (as Jack's storyline focuses on a spectacular break-in at the Tower of London). The final portion of the book (before a hefty set of epilogues), with the same title as the novel as a whole, splits its time between Jack's date with destiny at the hands of Jack Ketch, and Isaac and Daniel's date with destiny as the new King of England assesses the coins Newton has been churning out.

The middle bit, Currency, sort of defies description, but not in a good way -- there are some amusing parts as Daniel tries, again, to capture Shaftoe, and a spectacular showdown between Shaftoe and the villainous Father de Gex (who I was certain was a real person -- nice job, Stephenson), but ultimately it feels like Stephenson shunting around the major players like pieces on a board to line them up for the grand finale.

So, the question naturally arises: did Stephenson pull this off -- a three book, probably three-thousand-page trek through the dawn of modern science, economics, etc.? I'd say the answer is "pretty much" -- there are some big dropped threads along the way (namely Eliza, and her efforts to abolish slavery in England -- they feel like they were cut from this book, as Stephenson gets really close to going somewhere but then fails to deliver), but The Baroque Cycle is quite the ride and may (wonder of wonders) end up matching my all-time favorite Cryptonomicon for laughs, thrills, and deep dives into things never really thought about by most. Definitely recommended. Pack a lunch. ( )

This is how you do historical fiction! A wide-ranging tale covering the history of royal families, court intrigue, early espionage and cryptography, scientific invention, finance, etc. Epic in every way. ( )