I must wax lyrical a moment. If you are a lover of the sprawling epic, if you appreciate an historical novel steeped in ideas, speculation and fact, if you love a good swashbuckling read or if you just want to lose yourself in another world, then this magnificent trilogy is for you. But you must start at the beginning. They are called The Baroque Cycle and cover European history during the years of enlightenment, covering much of the late 17th and early 18th centuries and they are truly stunning. Begin with Quicksilver, move on to The Confusion and feel bereft when you finish this one.
The year is 1714. Daniel Waterhouse has returned to England, where he joins forces with his friend Isaac Newton to hunt down a shadowy group attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers with 'Infernal Devices' - time bombs. As Daniel and Newton conspire, an increasingly vicious struggle is waged for England's Crown: who will take control when the ailing queen dies? Tories and Whigs clash as one faction jockeys to replace Queen Anne with 'The Pretender' James Stuart, and the other promotes the Hanoverian dynasty of Princess Caroline.
Meanwhile, a long-simmering dispute between Newton and Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz comes to a head, with potentially cataclysmic consequences-Wildly inventive, brilliantly conceived, The System of the World is the final volume in Neal Stephenson's hugely ambitious and compelling saga. Filled with a remarkable cast of characters in a time of genius, discovery and change, The Baroque Cycle is a magnificent and unique achievement.
Neal Stephenson is the author of eight novels, including the cult successes Snowcrash and Cryptonomicon. He has been shortlisted for the Arthur C. Clarke Award six times, winning with Quicksilver. Four of his last five novels have been number one New York Times bestsellers. He lives in Seattle.
Maxim Jakubowski's view on CRYPTONOMICON... From the author of the major cyberpunk opus SNOW CRASH, a massive tales of conspiracies that span the ages and the globe as wheels within wheels of clandestine espionage and secret history unfurl. Wide screen baroque at its best and what Pynchon would write if he were a science fiction author.
