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The System of the World

Book Eight of The Baroque Cycle

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The System of the World

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

In this concluding volume of Neal Stephenson’s epic work, “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe must escape the noose of Jack Ketch; the rivalry between Newton and Leibniz comes to a head; and Daniel Waterhouse pursues his dream to build the Logic Mill.

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.

©2004 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc. Genre Fiction Historical Fiction Political Science Fiction Suspense Thriller & Suspense Fiction Royalty Middle ages

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Critic reviews

“Learned, violent, sarcastic and profound: a glorious finish to one of the most ambitious epics of recent years.” ( Kirkus Reviews)
The sort of work that quickly becomes an obsession.” ( Toronto Star)
All stars
Most relevant  
Is how I feel having spent the last months listening to the narrators recount this tale during my solitary walks along the mudflats of the local river estuary. Loved it.

Bereft

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Everything you hoped for: every story thread, character arch, every t crossed, every i dotted, to perfect satisfaction. Lovers of history, politics, science, philosophy and many other eldritch curiosities all get their payoffs and rewards for following this circuitous, baroque journey to its conclusion.
In a, “baroque,” way, you could say this has been a story about the founding of America. Though, that is the continent we see less of than any other.
My life will be duller without the sparkle of Eliza, Daniel, the Shafto’s and the many other, mostly real, some imagined, cast of supporting players.
I’m willing to bet that the fans of this series will feel rewarded with the ending they were hoping for. I know I was.

I Will Miss These People

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This is a longish read in print (3 x 1000 words?) but Mr Prebble does an admirable job with some VERY tricky accents...hats off to you, Sirrah!

Only 4 out of 5 for performance due to three (in my humble) ...

1. Hysterically dreadful music as always...
2. Kevin Pariseau.
3. The actor playing Eliza in the earlier volumes, an overdone and misjudged performance.

Other than these, purely subjective, criticisms, I thoroughly recommend that you give these hefty volumes a try. They will repay your shrewd investment many times over!

Even better than reading it, shoddy production!

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Very enjoyable series, with a well written ending and thankfully some epilogues.
Read well throughout the series, although the horrendous pronunciation of Dutch names and particularly Scheveningen was somewhat jarring. Highly recommend.

Grand books, well read.

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Fantastic ending to a great saga that I have enjoyed every minute of. Perfectly summed up

Perfect ending

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If you could sum up The System of the World in three words, what would they be?

EpicSatisfyingThoughtful

What did you like best about this story?

It ties together all the threads from the earlier books in the series and comes up with a highly satisfying and plausible climax.

What about the narrators’s performance did you like?

Consistent accents that distinguish between the characters in, occasionally long, sections of dialogue.

All loose ends tied up - well, nearly all

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Having listened to all eight books now, I must say a hearty thanks for this experience. Most of the history is accurate, some fanciful but the story works in such a way as to pull you through the cauldron of late 17th century Europe, around the world and back to the beginning of the modern period and the first stirrings of industry.

Fantastic performance.

What a journey!

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Satisfying conclusion to the epic and as with the other installments, excellent performance by narrator

if you've got this far you'll not be disappointed

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Have listened to all 8 volumes and both the writer and narrator have maintained an excellent standard throughout. Quite a complex tale with a lot of characters. Will definitely listen to this more than once.

Great series

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Neal has written a nourishing, expansive body of work which is absolutely entertaining from start to finish.
Take your time with his books, there is no rush to get to the next plot point, no rush to the finish. More than other books I have read/ listened to, the journey is far greater than the destination. Enjoy floating in the deranged, perverse, elegant and intelligent mind of Neal, trust him to get you there, and you will be rewarded!

An Exceptional Series - just enjoy it!

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