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The Confusion (Baroque Cycle 2)
 
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The Confusion (Baroque Cycle 2) (Hardcover)

by Neal Stephenson (Author)
4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover: 815 pages
  • Publisher: William Heinemann Ltd (1 April 2004)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0434008788
  • ISBN-13: 978-0434008780
  • Product Dimensions: 23.6 x 15.4 x 5.2 cm
  • Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 201,267 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    Popular in this category:

    #16 in  Books > Science Fiction & Fantasy > Authors, A-Z > S > Stephenson, Neal

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Product Description

Time Out
‘This weird, wonderful collision of scholarship and story telling has no peer. Roll on, October’

Jack
‘a hugely talented author’

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The Confusion (Baroque Cycle 2)
81% buy the item featured on this page:
The Confusion (Baroque Cycle 2) 4.6 out of 5 stars (16)
Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle (Baroque Cycle 1)
6% buy
Quicksilver: The Baroque Cycle (Baroque Cycle 1) 3.8 out of 5 stars (40)
£6.99
Cryptonomicon
6% buy
Cryptonomicon 4.2 out of 5 stars (83)
£6.99
Snow Crash
4% buy
Snow Crash 4.2 out of 5 stars (50)
£4.99
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Customer Reviews

16 Reviews
5 star:
 (9)
4 star:
 (7)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.6 out of 5 stars (16 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars The 1600's come to life, 12 Dec 2004
By Alexander Kjerulf "Alexander Kjerulf" (Copenhagen, Denmark) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
I cannot find words for how good The Confusion is. We still follow the people from Quicksilver as they strive to find their way in the chaotic world of the late 1600's and early 1700's. The themes are still money, piracy, sex, slavery, science, black magic, etc. and the cast is still comprised of vagabonds, galley slaves, scientists, royalty, soldiers, priests, alchymists and much, much more. The action goes (literally) round the world, to places like Egypt, India, Japan, the Philippines, all of Europe and, of course, Qwghlm, the fictional Island that also appears in Cryptonomicon.

I am in awe of how many themes are woven together in this book, and of the amount of research it must have taken. I have never had any sense of what the rennaisance was like, and suddenly the 1600's seem real and present to me. I've done some fact-checking in Wikipedia, and it only serves to expand and deepen the picture that Stephenson paints of that period.

The ending is just about the funniest, saddest, most satisfying, most intriguing and most annoying thing I've ever read. And I can't wait to read the final book in the series which is The System of the World.

A word of caution: These books are subtle. Much of the actions is hinted at rather than described explicitly. Once you get the hang of it, it is immensely satisfying to read.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Standing on the shoulders of giants, 16 Feb 2005
Cryptonomicon was astounding. Weaving together multiple periods in time isn't a new idea but in the right hands it is a powerful tool.

Quicksilver, a massively-pre prequel, was almost as good. A huge book, a real epic, but you're forever stuck with idea that the sheer good fortune of our central characters - just how lucky did Jack, Eliza and Daniel have to be in order to mix with the factual people they did - was a little bit too much. But you were having so much fun, you gave Stephenson more slack.

And so the sequence rolls on - The Confusion will be just that if you've not read Quicksilver (which itself was probably better if you'd read Cryptonomicon). It's a huge endeavour - it took me an age to finish it, and while it starts slowly it's a real slow burner. By the end you'll be as gripped as with the best cinematic thriller.

It's a subtle read, you really do need to pay close attention (or to have access to the Megaweb wiki to look up those previous threads) or you'll lose track completely, but ultimately it is worth it.

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8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb just doesn’t do it justice!, 5 April 2004
This novel has everything; humour, adventure, intrigue, sex and naval warfare! It's all extremely well written with excellent dialogue and a cast of characters that will split your sides with laughter (my particular favourite was a Spanish nobleman galley slave with Tourette's syndrome…….).If you haven’t read Quicksilver, buy it together with this one and be prepared for a literary feast!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Thank goodness for bulk buying!
Having read a great deal about the Baroque cycle before buying i decided to order all 3 books in the series. Read more
Published 10 months ago by Charlie Mount

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime & Intriguing
In the Baroque cycle (of which this is the 2nd book) and in his previous book Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson creates sublime story-scapes mixing history, science and fiction to... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Flipflops

4.0 out of 5 stars epic
I've liked a lot this second episod of the saga. the focus shifts outside of europe and that also makes it more interesting. Read more
Published on 23 Dec 2006 by an italian in london

5.0 out of 5 stars Mind-blowingly erudite !
I've been immersed in this novel for awhile now, and have resisted taking it to read on the train as I'd more than likely miss my stop. Read more
Published on 25 Nov 2006 by Ms. K. Johnston

5.0 out of 5 stars Genius
I liked 'Snow Crash', absolutely loved 'Cryptonomicon' and am awed by the Baroque Cycle. Admittedly sometimes it is a bit too long. Read more
Published on 3 Mar 2006 by Dominic Buschi

4.0 out of 5 stars More Jack please
I just read this over a week while on holiday and as I was in the South of France, I found this an apt why to spend some of my time there. Read more
Published on 16 May 2005 by S. Baptist

4.0 out of 5 stars Another piece in the puzzle
After reading "The Confusion" I had to go back and read "Cryptonomicon" to confirm what I suspected - these books don't just feature different generations of the same families,... Read more
Published on 2 Dec 2004 by D. A. Harris

4.0 out of 5 stars Good but not as good as Quicksilver
It's a really good continuation from Quicksilver apart from the Eliza part of the story gets a bit tiresome.
Published on 18 Oct 2004 by puggyr

5.0 out of 5 stars A marvelous con-fusion
I think here is Stephenson at his peak. The storytelling and characterization are magnificently accomplished, the historical reconstruction mingles perfectly with the sense of... Read more
Published on 6 Sep 2004 by Ventura Angelo

4.0 out of 5 stars Not the level of Quicksilver or Cryptonomicron
Good enough, but not the level of Quicksilver or Cryptonomicron. Not enough science or economics.
Published on 20 Jul 2004 by Jan Dockx

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