System of the World: Volume Three of the Baroque Cycle

“The Baroque Cycle . . . will defy any category, genre, precedent, or label—except genius. . . . Stephenson has a once-in-a-generation gift: he makes complex ideas clear, and he makes them funny, heartbreaking, and thrilling.”—Time

Wildly inventive, brilliantly conceived, The System of the World is the final volume in Neal Stephenson’s hugely ambitious and compelling saga. Filled with remarkable characters—including natural philosopher Daniel Waterhouse, master counterfeiter Jack the Coiner, a.k.a. Jack Shaftoe, King of the Vagabonds, and royal confidante Eliza, Duchess of Arcachon-Qwghlm—and set in a time of genius, discovery, and change, the Baroque Cycle is a magnificent achievement.