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A review by maitrey_d
The Confusion by Neal Stephenson
5.0
This is nothing short of one of the best fiction works I've read.
I thought it would be difficult to beat Quicksilver, but Stephenson pulls it off yet again with The Confusion.
The frenetic pace set by Jack Shaftoe and his pirate band through their voyages in the Mediterranean, or in Hindustan, or in the Pacific is some of the most enjoyable didactic literature I've ever read. I'm also slightly partisan when Stephenson describes the outlandish designs created by the South Asian edged-weapons industry or the smelting of wootz steel, this book touches on favourite topics of mine.
The stories of Daniel Waterhouse and Eliza take a backseat, though Eliza does have some moments of awesome, especially in the supposed invasion of England.
Bottomline: Read this book if you like pirates, elephants with Damascus steel tusks and badass samurai on the loose in Cairo.
I thought it would be difficult to beat Quicksilver, but Stephenson pulls it off yet again with The Confusion.
The frenetic pace set by Jack Shaftoe and his pirate band through their voyages in the Mediterranean, or in Hindustan, or in the Pacific is some of the most enjoyable didactic literature I've ever read. I'm also slightly partisan when Stephenson describes the outlandish designs created by the South Asian edged-weapons industry or the smelting of wootz steel, this book touches on favourite topics of mine.
The stories of Daniel Waterhouse and Eliza take a backseat, though Eliza does have some moments of awesome, especially in the supposed invasion of England.
Bottomline: Read this book if you like pirates, elephants with Damascus steel tusks and badass samurai on the loose in Cairo.