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King of the Vagabonds

Book Two of The Baroque Cycle

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King of the Vagabonds

By: Neal Stephenson
Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Simon Prebble, Kevin Pariseau
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About this listen

A chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe – London street urchin turned legendary swashbuckling adventurer – risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox – and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Listen to more titles in the Baroque Cycle.©2003 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Action & Adventure Fantasy Fiction Genre Fiction Historical Science Fiction Adventure Royalty

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Critic reviews

"Most tales of 'olde' times are replete with castles, robed lords and ladies, and handsome men on horseback. But what about the wretches they pass on the side of the road as they go off to a lively joust? is about those men, the poor, the grifters, whose names are lost to history—the vagabonds. Stephenson's novel tells their story, with the able help of storyteller Simon Prebble. Prebble's witty banter is perfect as the voice of Jack, a knave who is out to prove that even a lowborn can succeed in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. Prebble even does a great job with the historical characters such as Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and others. Equal parts action and adventure, along with a healthy dose of humor, make this a great listen." ( AudioFile)
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This was a lot of fun. I could have done without the songs during the hallucinations, but otherwise this was a treat.

Lots of fun. Hope he ties it all together in Act 3

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The second book in an exciting series. It brings out the history of 17th century Europe with a fictional narrative that exposes the hollowness of Civilisation and Colonization

Baroque cycle catches speed

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Find here the rawness and stench of low life in the 17th century. Some great scenes, horrible events jostling with the bizzare and humorous.

Very funny and creative.

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I loved it through to the end, Neil weaves a delightful tale through historical events.

A whirl wind of intregue & depravation

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I have read through the cycle 4 or 5 times prior to listening to this and it is one of my favorite books. I really liked the first audio, the second took a bit of getting used to (I have lived in London for 30 years and I know how they talk). The third I can’t listen to: I love the character of Eliza and admire her integrity. The lady who reads her part had, for me, an accent that sounded like she was sneering at everything and every one. This was such a shame and I feel that putting on the accent was unnecessary and inappropriate. It was also a shame for me as I was enjoying the story so much. (Other people may like this way of speaking.) Maybe in future I will only purchase audiobooks I have not read as the personal relationship we can establish with a much loved work can make the intrusion of something we do not like difficult to accept.
I will go back to the book for the remainder.
I really enjoyed the introductions by the author: it was very informative and a lovely bonus. I have been a fan of his work for many years.
Also recommend are the audiobooks of Reamde, Snowcrash and Interface

Very enjoyable, except…

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How did he do it? This is a wonderful evocation of Europe at the start of “the long eighteenth” century. Repays repeat listening and ought to made into a Netflix series immediately!!

All aboard the time machine...

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I'm utterly in love with these books. Well worth a listen. you won't be disappointed.

ace

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Much as I enjoyed the first book in this series, jostling with the various historical personalities and their agendas of the Enlightenment, and I was truly entertained by the characters and story, this second book sets itself above and beyond its predecessor in every respect.
Again, we have the granular detail of historical accuracy, the clever manner of presentation which shows how alien this world was from our modern one, whilst also showing how so many things never change, with wit, irony and humour.
Yet, the characters of Jack and Elisa, both vagabond’s on the make, in their own very unique ways, are irresistible and so well depicted that you just have to fall in love with them, and you’re riveted to see what become of them by the end.
Even more surprisingly, the humour - both bawdy and subtle- reaches Shakespearean levels of cleverness, complexity and wit at times, whilst, at other times I frequently found myself laughing out loud; genuine belly laughs at straightforward gags, ironies (this author loves his ironies and symbolism) and clever comebacks that you would expect to hear in a Billy Wilder comedy, with pratfalls and sight gags, expertly written and narrated, that you might expect to see in a Jim Carey movie!
Most of all, I have fallen in love with the author’s world building, taking real people and events and mixing them so cleverly with the doings of our two fictional protagonists. This second book is the one that sells the third, as you will just want to get back to this fascinating world of intrigue, plotting, science, history and slapstick to see where you’ll end up next!
As ever, a great book can be spoiled by a bad reader, but Simon Prebble’s delivery is SUPERB! He sounds like a radio 4 anchor when he’s simply giving exposition, and then switches effortlessly into a wide array of accents and characterisations that hit the mark perfectly every time, both enhancing the drama and making the laughs a little bigger by turns.
For fans of history, I cannot recommend this book enough, if you want to experience that colourful, vibrant, dirty and dangerous world for yourself, from the comfort of your armchair.
Just buy it. You’ll be glad you did.

Characters You Can Fall In Love With

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If you have read "Quicksilver" and were not put off by the negative reviews for the first book your efforts will be rewarded and you will soon find the narrative gaining momentum as Jack enters to reak havok across Europe. The sections that relate Jack's adventures are certainly the most fun parts of this excellent novel. Nothing less than 5 stars for this extraordinary and highly entertaining work. See my reviews for the other parts.

Introducing Jack and Eliza

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Yes, interesting in parts, but a big let down after Book 1. Neal Stephenson is undobtedly quite brilliant but the whole Jack Shaftoe thing seemed frivilous, disjointed and (often) boring. I think that I was expecting The Barouqe Cycle to be some kind of Magnus Opus, and Book 1 was certainly a good start, but now I'm wondering what Book 3 will bring. However, I'm strangely drawn to completing the series for fear of missing something extraordinary.

Edit: Having completed, and enjoyed, Odalisque (Book 3) I decided to go back and have another listen to Books 1 &2 now that I was familiar with the main characters. Time well spent as the overall picture / timeframe became much clearer and Vagabonds definitely became more relevant to the overall story.

Not a Patch on Quicksilver

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