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nicolaspratt's review against another edition
2.0
Interesting premise, somewhat slow and hard to follow all of the details.
just_justin's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
ablotial's review against another edition
4.0
ETA: Reread in December 2014
This was a really interesting book set in the late 1600s and early 1700s. It is historical fiction - that is, the main character never existed in real life, but he interacts with (famous) people who really did. Mother Goose, Sir Isaac Newton, Leibniz, Benjamin Franklin as a 10-ish year old boy, many famous religious and royal people... And it's pretty true to history as far as I know, and a wonderful story. I was very engulfed in the book and could not put it down.
It is very scientifically and mathematically based (if you couldn't tell by the historical characters involved), but not so much so that you have to know anything about either subject in order to enjoy the book. In fact, I feel as if I have learned a lot just by reading it. I am definitely looking out for the next book in the series!
This was a really interesting book set in the late 1600s and early 1700s. It is historical fiction - that is, the main character never existed in real life, but he interacts with (famous) people who really did. Mother Goose, Sir Isaac Newton, Leibniz, Benjamin Franklin as a 10-ish year old boy, many famous religious and royal people... And it's pretty true to history as far as I know, and a wonderful story. I was very engulfed in the book and could not put it down.
It is very scientifically and mathematically based (if you couldn't tell by the historical characters involved), but not so much so that you have to know anything about either subject in order to enjoy the book. In fact, I feel as if I have learned a lot just by reading it. I am definitely looking out for the next book in the series!
megelsewhere's review against another edition
1.0
The first third of the book was generally plodding and lacking in any interesting protagonists (and no, I don't care that the oh-so-clever-writer added in as many famous characters as he could think of, they were still generally annoying). The second third showed much more promise, and was actually really fun, until the very end when everything got awful. Not like The-Empire-Strikes-Back-second-act-as-many-bad-things-happen-as-possible awful, though I think that's what the author was aiming for. Just unneccesary and silly and revolting. Based on that, a quick thumbing of the final third, and the pervasively self-conscious and occasionally completely-annoying prose, I'm done with this one. It had high points. The descriptions of some of the experiments in the first section. The soon-to-be insane Vagabond King. There was even an infrequent well-written paragraph. It appears there is actually quite a lot of story material for a really good book here, but this redition of the plot has abused my trust for far too long.
One last thing. The only "real" female character in the novel is badly written. I mean, it's not like his male characters beyond Jack are well-thought out and consistently imagined. But Eliza is a particularly poorly developed character- confusing and often contradictery, with shifting morals and no real reason behind many of her actions. I don't know if this is one of those "well aren't women just like that, guffaw" things or simply another literary over-extension on the author's part. I do know it was aggrivating, though.
One last thing. The only "real" female character in the novel is badly written. I mean, it's not like his male characters beyond Jack are well-thought out and consistently imagined. But Eliza is a particularly poorly developed character- confusing and often contradictery, with shifting morals and no real reason behind many of her actions. I don't know if this is one of those "well aren't women just like that, guffaw" things or simply another literary over-extension on the author's part. I do know it was aggrivating, though.
hunterkat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0
luckypluto's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
funny
informative
inspiring
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
It took me twenty years, but I finally finished reading this book. Overall, I’d say it was pretty good. It’s more or less a European history lesson, and I loved reading about that, as well as the birth of science during the enlightenment. I enjoyed the characters’ stories as well, but the book definitely gets bogged down a third of the way through and my interest began waning (and thus my reading pace began to slow). It’s a dense book and reading it can be a chore. It’s interesting to consider how our reading habits have changed dramatically in twenty years; would a “normal” modern reader (i.e., not me) who is distracted by social media, video games, etc., force themselves to read this tome? Stephenson keeps churning out these novels so I suppose the answer is “yes”, but the baroque prose of The Baroque Cycle makes me wonder.
Despite the density of this novel, I remain dedicated to my mission to finishing the other two books in this series, come hell or high water.
Despite the density of this novel, I remain dedicated to my mission to finishing the other two books in this series, come hell or high water.
astrochem's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
bramboomen's review against another edition
4.0
I don't even know where to begin with this one, I just have some thoughts about it:
- I struggled a lot reading this.
- I really liked it.
- I don't know why.
- For some reason I think I liked this book more because I loved Cryptonomicon.
- I struggled a lot reading this.
- I really liked it.
- I don't know why.
- For some reason I think I liked this book more because I loved Cryptonomicon.
nanikeeva's review against another edition
2.0
could've been a very engaging book, but felt like too much was shoved into it? if that makes sense
erebus53's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I never recommend Neal Stephenson as an author unless I know the reader, because his works are often peculiar. The preface to this book, #1 of the Baroque Cycle, alludes to this work being large and convoluted. Set in the late-1600s / early 1700s, the author tells us that this was an era which he was not really familiar with, and wished to explore. Let's just say he takes us along on that ride.
The entire narrative is laced with asides that allude to the origins of modern things that we now take for granted. I feel like this is frequently done by modern authors writing historic fiction, but that with most authors it tends to be clumsy, and prone to anachronism. Stephenson has a way of making it feel more like an in-joke. His cast of characters is a group of Natural Philosophers (scientists and mathematicians), and his setting is war, and religious upheaval, and eventually he even leans hard into that theatre metaphor as his main character, Daniel, slowly learns that he must play at roles for his own self-preservation.
As in Stephenson's book Aиатнем, there is a lot of curiosity and scientific understanding that is played out in the form of dialogues. As step away from earlier works like Snow crash which have been criticised for being bogged down by stream-of-consciousness infodumps, bouncing ideas from character to character can feel more like Jane Austen in places. This work has more cut-and-thrust witticism... but a lot of it is likely to feel a bit boring if you aren't that interested in the science, the history, or the characters, (who, at times, appear to be an all-star cast of historical science fanservice).
In the middle of the story is a ribald play that satirizes the current political goings on. It is characterised as hackneyed, bawdy, derivative and unintellectual, but appears to be indicative of the status quo, outside of those who have cloistered themselves in laboratories. Were it not for this negative framing, and the existence of a sympathetic African sailor who is depicted as expert, and clever, I might suspect that the author was just trying to be an edgy bastard and get away with using the N word just to lean in to historical accuracy. He is deliberately unflinching in his accounts of the vivisection of dogs, extracting menstrual fluid from rags, head on pike, the proposed idea of doing anatomical experiments on those incarcerated in mental institutions, and immolation in The Great Fire. To his credit, he also accounts for the emotional upset and trauma caused to survivors who witnessed these things.
Amongst the making fun of ridiculous fashions, the noble art of decorative syphilis, Isaac Newton sitting in an apple orchard in gold sunglasses, and things that go bang in the night, the plot feels a bit nebulous, so if you are looking for Story, you may have difficulty.
I have fun in books like this, but it's an acquired taste.. perhaps literary Vegemite. I have preferred his other books though.
The entire narrative is laced with asides that allude to the origins of modern things that we now take for granted. I feel like this is frequently done by modern authors writing historic fiction, but that with most authors it tends to be clumsy, and prone to anachronism. Stephenson has a way of making it feel more like an in-joke. His cast of characters is a group of Natural Philosophers (scientists and mathematicians), and his setting is war, and religious upheaval, and eventually he even leans hard into that theatre metaphor as his main character, Daniel, slowly learns that he must play at roles for his own self-preservation.
As in Stephenson's book Aиатнем, there is a lot of curiosity and scientific understanding that is played out in the form of dialogues. As step away from earlier works like Snow crash which have been criticised for being bogged down by stream-of-consciousness infodumps, bouncing ideas from character to character can feel more like Jane Austen in places. This work has more cut-and-thrust witticism... but a lot of it is likely to feel a bit boring if you aren't that interested in the science, the history, or the characters, (who, at times, appear to be an all-star cast of historical science fanservice).
In the middle of the story is a ribald play that satirizes the current political goings on. It is characterised as hackneyed, bawdy, derivative and unintellectual, but appears to be indicative of the status quo, outside of those who have cloistered themselves in laboratories. Were it not for this negative framing, and the existence of a sympathetic African sailor who is depicted as expert, and clever, I might suspect that the author was just trying to be an edgy bastard and get away with using the N word just to lean in to historical accuracy. He is deliberately unflinching in his accounts of the vivisection of dogs, extracting menstrual fluid from rags, head on pike, the proposed idea of doing anatomical experiments on those incarcerated in mental institutions, and immolation in The Great Fire. To his credit, he also accounts for the emotional upset and trauma caused to survivors who witnessed these things.
Amongst the making fun of ridiculous fashions, the noble art of decorative syphilis, Isaac Newton sitting in an apple orchard in gold sunglasses, and things that go bang in the night, the plot feels a bit nebulous, so if you are looking for Story, you may have difficulty.
I have fun in books like this, but it's an acquired taste.. perhaps literary Vegemite. I have preferred his other books though.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Blood, Death, Drug use, Sexism, Sexual content, Ableism, Animal death, Death of parent, Bullying, Injury/Injury detail, Medical content, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Vomit, War, Alcohol, Murder, Racial slurs, Confinement, Drug abuse, Eating disorder, Excrement, Emotional abuse, Grief, Gun violence, Racism, Chronic illness, Classism, Colonisation, Fire/Fire injury, Forced institutionalization, Gore, Infidelity, Pandemic/Epidemic, Religious bigotry, Self harm, and Slavery