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The System of the World
- Book Eight of The Baroque Cycle
- Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Kevin Pariseau, Simon Prebble
- Length: 11 hrs and 37 mins
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The System of the World
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Summary
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Roger D.
- 27-04-23
Bereft
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Ash Roskell
- 23-07-23
I Will Miss These People
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kindle Customer
- 24-08-17
Even better than reading it, shoddy production!
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!
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- mrmalaya
- 06-02-18
What a journey!
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance4 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- M. van Heerebeek
- 24-08-22
Grand books, well read.
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.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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- A Farquhar
- 18-06-16
Perfect ending
Fantastic ending to a great saga that I have enjoyed every minute of. Perfectly summed up
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Doug
- 08-07-18
Vote Conservative?? Listen first
Great book and heartbreaking at the same time. What’s not to love about the nhs...... the politicians who make war on in in the background while telling you it’s safe in their bloody hands!
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Neil Pearse
- 24-01-16
All loose ends tied up - well, nearly all
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.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Kentigern
- 11-09-22
if you've got this far you'll not be disappointed
Satisfying conclusion to the epic and as with the other installments, excellent performance by narrator
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- rt19561
- 27-08-19
Great series
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.
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