The Baroque Cycle, a series of books written by Neal Stephenson, appeared in print in 2003 and 2004. The cycle contains eight novels published in three volumes: Neal Town Stephenson (b. ... See also: 2002 in literature, other events of 2003, 2004 in literature, list of years in literature. ... See also: 2003 in literature, other events of 2004, 2005 in literature, list of years in literature. ...

• Quicksilver, Vol. I of the Baroque Cycle
  • Book 1 - Quicksilver
  • Book 2 - The King of the Vagabonds
  • Book 3 - Odalisque
• The Confusion, Vol. II of the Baroque Cycle
  • Book 4 - Bonanza
  • Book 5 - The Juncto
• The System of the World, Vol. III of the Baroque Cycle
  • Book 6 - Solomon's Gold
  • Book 7 - Currency
  • Book 8 - The System of the World

The story follows the adventures of a cast of characters who find themselves amidst some of the central events of late 17^th and early 18^thcenturies Europe. Despite its historical fiction nature, the author characterises the work as science fiction due to the presence of a few anomalous occurrences and its focus on science and technology. The sciences of cryptology and numismatics feature heavily in the series. Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson is the first volume of his series The Baroque Cycle. ... The Confusion is a novel by Neal Stephenson. ... The System of the World, a novel by Neal Stephenson, forms the third volume in The Baroque Cycle. ... (16th century - 17th century - 18th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 17th century was that century which lasted from 1601-1700. ... (17th century - 18th century - 19th century - more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 18th century refers to the century that lasted from 1701 through 1800. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Cryptography (from Greek kryptós, hidden, and gráphein, to write) is, traditionally, the study of means of converting information from its normal, comprehensible form into an incomprehensible format, rendering it unreadable without secret knowledge — the art of encryption. ... Numismatics (ancient Greek: ) is the scientific study of money and its history in all its varied forms. ...

Quicksilver takes place mainly in the years between the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy in England (1660) and the Glorious Revolution of 1688. King Charles II The English Restoration or simply Restoration was an episode in the history of Great Britain beginning in 1660 when the monarchy was restored under King Charles II after the English Civil War. ... The Coat of Arms of Queen Anne, the last British monarch of the House of Stuart The House of Stuart or Stewart was Scotlands, and then Great Britains, royal house, of Breton origin. ... The term Glorious Revolution refers to the generally popular overthrow of James II of England in 1688 by a conspiracy between some parliamentarians and the Dutch stadtholder William III of Orange-Nassau. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ...

The Confusion follows Quicksilver without temporal interruption, but ranges geographically from Europe and the Mediterranean through India to Manila, Japan and Mexico.

The System of the World takes place principally in London in 1714, about 10 years after the events of The Confusion.

The books feature considerable sections concerning alchemy, with protagonistas including Isaac Newton, Nicolas Fatio de Duillier and sundry other Europeans of note during late 17th and early 18th centuries. The principal Alchemist of the tale is the mysterious Enoch Root who also features in the contemporary novel Cryptonomicon Alchemy is an early protoscience|protoscientific and philosophy|philosophical discipline combining the elements of chemistry, metallurgy, physics, medicine, astrology, semiotics, mysticism, and art. ... Sir Isaac Newton, PRS (4 January [O.S. 25 December 1642] 1643 – 31 March [O.S. 20 March] 1727) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, inventor and natural philosopher who is regarded by many as the most influential scientist in history. ... Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (1664-1753) was a Swiss mathematician and a Fellow of the Royal Society. ... Enoch Root (Enoch the Red) is a fictional character from Neal Stephensons novels The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon. ... Cryptonomicon is a sprawling novel by Neal Stephenson that is more a combination of historical fiction and contemporary techno-thriller than the science fiction of Stephensons earlier works. ...

Main characters

• Eliza, a Qwghlmian girl abducted into slavery, and later freed, who becomes a spy and a financier
• Enoch Root, a mysterious personage who flickers about Europe and who never ages, may have certain other preternatural qualities
• Jack Shaftoe, an adventurer/criminal of high intelligence but questionable sanity
• Bob Shaftoe - brother of Jack Shaftoe
• Daniel Waterhouse, English scientist and political activist

Eliza is a main character from Neal Stephensons The Baroque Cycle (consisting of the novels Quicksilver, The Confusion and The System of the World). ... Qwghlm is a fictional location, featured in the books Cryptonomicon and The Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson. ... Enoch Root (Enoch the Red) is a fictional character from Neal Stephensons novels The Baroque Cycle and Cryptonomicon. ... Jack Shaftoe is a fictional character featured in the novels of Neal Stephensons The Baroque Cycle. ... Daniel Waterhouse is a fictional character from Neal Stephensons The Baroque Cycle, a series of novels: Quicksilver, The Confusion and The System of the World. ...

Other characters

• Louis Anglesey - Earl of Upnor.
• Thomas More Anglesey - Cavalier, Duke of Gunfleet.
• Duc d'Arcachon - French admiral who dabbles in slavery.
• Etienne d'Arcachon - Son of the duke; most polite man in France.
• Henry Arlanc - Huguenot, friend of Jack Shaftoe, porter of Royal Society.
• Mrs. Arlanc - Wife of Henry
• Gomer Bolstrood - Dissident agitator.
• Clarke - Alchemist, boards young Isaac Newton
• Charles Comstock - Son of John Comstock.
• John Comstock - Earl of Epsom and Lord Chancellor.
• Roger Comstock - Marquis of Ravenscar, Whig ally of Daniel Waterhouse.
• Will Comstock - Earl of Lostwithiel
• Dappa - Nigerian sailor aboard Minerva
• Moseh de la Cruz - galley slave, Spanish Jew
• Vrej Esphanian - Armenian galley slave
• Mr. Foot - Ertswhile bar-owner from Dunkirk
• Édouard de Gex - Jesuit fanatic
• Gabriel Goto - galley slave, Jesuit priest from Japan
• Lothar von Hacklheber - German banker obsessed with alchemy
• Thomas Ham - Goldsmith half-brother of Daniel Waterhouse.
• Otto van Hoek - Captain of the Minerva
• Jeronimo - galley slave, a vile but high-born Spaniard
• Mr. Kikin - Russian diplomat in London
• Nyazi - galley slave, camel-trader of the Upper Nile
• Norman Orney - London shipbuilder
• Danny Shaftoe - son of Jack Shaftoe
• Jimmy Shaftoe - son of Jack Shaftoe
• Sluys - Dutch merchant and traitor
• Mr. Threader - Tory money-scrivener
• Drake Waterhouse - Puritan father of Daniel Waterhouse
• Faith Waterhouse - Wife of Daniel Waterhouse
• Godfrey Waterhouse - Son of Daniel Waterhouse
• Mayflower Waterhouse - Half-sister of Daniel Waterhouse, wife of Thomas Ham
• Raleigh Waterhouse - Brother of Daniel Waterhouse
• Sterling Waterhouse - Brother of Daniel Waterhouse
• Charles White - Tory who bites peoples' ears off.
• Yevgeny the Raskolnik - Russian whaler.

People whose surname is Clarke include (see also Clark): Alexander R. Clarke, British geodesist, whose 1866 spheroid was the standard Earth spheroid for a very long time Sir Arthur C. Clarke (born 1917) is an author and inventor, probably most famous for his science fiction novel 2001: A Space Odyssey... John Comstock, the Earl of Epsom, Lord Chancellor, is a fictional character in Neal Stephensons novel The Baroque Cycle. ... Roger Comstock is a fictional character in Neal Stephensons Baroque Cycle of novels. ... Moseh de la Cruz appears in the Neal Stephenson novel The Confusion, and is in many ways the mastermind of the Bonanza adventure that makes up almost half of that book. ... Wikipedia does not yet have an article with this exact name. ... Sluis is a municipality and a town in the southwestern Netherlands in the west of Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. ...

Historical figures who appear as characters in the novel

• Bolingbroke
• Caroline of Ansbach
• Jean Bart
• Catherine Barton
• Charles II of England
• John Churchill
• d'Artagnan
• Nicolas Fatio de Duillier
• John Flamsteed
• Benjamin Franklin - as a young boy
• George I of Great Britain
• George II of Great Britain - as the Prince of Wales
• George Frideric Handel
• George Jeffreys
• Robert Hooke
• James Stuart - James II / Duke of York.
• Gottfried Leibniz
• Louis XIV of France
• Thomas Newcomen
• Isaac Newton
• Henry Oldenburg
• Samuel Pepys
• Peter the Great
• Bonaventure Rossignol - French cryptanalyst.
• James Scott, Duke of Monmouth
• Solomon - (anachronistic) traveling incognito as Solomon Kohan
• Sophia of Hanover
• Edward Teach
• John Wilkins
• William III of England - as William, Prince of Orange
• Christopher Wren
• Jack Ketch

Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke (1678 - December 12, 1751) was an English statesman and writer. ... Margravine Caroline of Brandenburg-Ansbach (or Anspach) (Wilhelmina Charlotte Caroline) (1 March 1683 – 20 November 1737) as Queen Caroline was the queen consort of King George II of Great Britain 1727-1737. ... Jean Bart (October 21, 1651 - April 27, 1702) was a French naval commander of the 17th century. ... Catherine Barton (1679-?) was Isaac Newtons half-niece, and had a relationship with Charles Montagu, 1st Earl of Halifax after his wifes death in 1698. ... Charles II (29 May 1630–6 February 1685) was the King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 30 January 1649 (retrospectively de jure) or 29 May 1660 (de facto) until his death. ... John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, in his Garter robes The Most Noble John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough (May 26, 1650 – June 16, 1722), in full The Most Noble Captain-General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Earl of Marlborough, Baron Churchill of Sandridge, Lord Churchill of Eyemouth, KG... Charles de Batz-Castelmore, Comte dArtagnan (c. ... Nicolas Fatio de Duillier (1664-1753) was a Swiss mathematician and a Fellow of the Royal Society. ... John Flamsteed - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... Benjamin Franklin by Jean-Baptiste Greuze 1777 Benjamin Franklin (January 17 [O.S. January 6] 1706 – April 17, 1790) was one of the most prominent of Founders and early political figures and statesmen of the United States. ... George I (Georg Ludwig) (28 May 1660 – 11 June 1727) was Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) from 23 January 1698, and King of Great Britain and King of Ireland from 1 August 1714, until his death. ... George II (George Augustus) (10 November 1683–25 October 1760) was King of Great Britain and Ireland, Duke of Brunswick-Lüneburg (Hanover) and Archtreasurer and Prince-Elector of the Holy Roman Empire from 11 June 1727 until his death. ... George Frideric Handel (German Georg Friedrich Händel), (February 23, 1685 – April 14, 1759) was a German Baroque music composer who lived much of his life in Great Britain, a leading composer of concerti grossi, operas and oratorios. ... George Jeffreys, 1st Baron Jeffreys (1648 – April 18, 1689), better known as Hanging Judge Jeffreys, became notorious during the reign of King James II, rising to the position of Lord Chancellor (and serving as Lord High Steward in certain instances). ... A portrait, claimed by historian Lisa Jardine to be of Robert Hooke Robert Hooke, FRS (July 18, 1635 - March 3, 1703), one of the greatest experimental scientists of the seventeenth century, played an important role in the scientific revolution. ... James II of England and VII of Scotland ( 14 October 1633–16 September 1701 ) became King of England, King of Scots, and King of Ireland from 6 February 1685. ... Gottfried Wilhelm Leibniz (also von Leibni(t)z) (July 1 (June 21 Old Style) 1646, Leipzig – November 14, 1716, Hannover) was a German polymath, deemed a genius in his day and since. ... For the musical group of the same name, see Louis XIV (band). ... Thomas Newcomen (baptized February 24, 1664 – August 5, 1729), blacksmith and inventor was born in Dartmouth, Devon, England. ... Sir Isaac Newton, PRS (4 January [O.S. 25 December 1642] 1643 – 31 March [O.S. 20 March] 1727) was an English physicist, mathematician, astronomer, alchemist, inventor and natural philosopher who is regarded by many as the most influential scientist in history. ... Categories: Royal Society | Stub ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Portrait of Peter by Paul Delaroche Peter I (Russian: Пётр I Алексеевич or Pyotr I Alexeyevich)(Peter Alexeyevich Romanov) (10 June 1672–8 February 1725 [30 May 1672– 28 January 1725 O.S.] ) ruled Russia from 7 May (27 April O.S.) 1682 until his death. ... The Rossignols, a family of French cryptographers and cryptanalysts, included: Antoine Rossignol (1590 - 1682) Bonaventure Rossignol Antoine-Bonaventure Rossignol The family name meant nightingale in French. ... James Crofts, later Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth, 1st Duke of Buccleuch (April 9, 1649–July 15, 1685) recognised by some as James II of England and James VII of Scotland, was born in Rotterdam in the Netherlands, the son of Charles II and his mistress, Lucy Walter, who had... Solomon (Hebrew, Shlomo from Shalom for peace, also Arabic as Suleiman or Sulyaman meaning peace) can mean any of the following: 1. ... The Electress Sophia of Hanover was born Sophia, Pfalzgräfin von Simmern, at The Hague on October 14, 1630, and died at Herrenhausen on June 8, 1714. ... Blackbeards flag, showing a horned skeleton holding an hourglass and threatening a bleeding heart with a spear. ... John Wilkins. ... William III of England (14 November 1650 – 8 March 1702; also known as William II of Scotland and William III of Orange) was a Dutch aristocrat and a Protestant Prince of Orange from his birth, King of England and King of Ireland from 13 February 1689, and King of Scots... Christopher Wren by Godfrey Kneller, 1711. ... John (Jack) Ketch (died 1686) was one of Charles Is executioners who became famous through the way he performed his duties during the tumults of the 1680s, when he was often mentioned in broadsheet accounts that circulated throughout England. ...

Quote

"Why Baroque? Because it is set in the Baroque, and it IS baroque. Why Cycle? Because I am trying to avoid the T-word ("trilogy"). In my mind this work is something like 7 or 8 connected novels. These have been lumped together into three volumes because it is more convenient from a publishing standpoint, but they could just as well have been put all together in a single immense volume or separated into 7 or 8 separate volumes. So to slap the word "trilogy" on it would be to saddle it with a designation that is essentially bogus. Adoration, by Peter Paul Rubens: dynamic figures spiral down around a void: draperies blow: a whirl of movement lit in a shaft of light, rendered in a free bravura handling of paint In the arts, Baroque (or baroque) is both a period and the artistic style that dominated it. ...

Having said that, I know everyone's going to call it a trilogy anyway. " - Neal Stephenson

Deviations from Real History

• The IJsselmeer did not exist in the 17th and 18th centuries: it originated only in 1932. The equivalent body of water had the name of the Zuiderzee. Note too the correct capitalisation: IJsselmeer rather than Ijsselmeer.
• The yo-yo never existed as a bladed weapon, although inhabitants of the Philippines used a non-returning weapon otherwise similar in concept (but made from stone) in the 16th century.
• Blackbeard is shown aboard the "Queen Anne's Revenge" in 1713. He in fact did not take possession of that ship until 1717.
• Quicksilver begins in 1713 with the execution of a witch on Boston Common. But the last such execution in Boston took place in 1688. [1] (Stephenson probably chose that scene to complete the symbolic bracketing of the cycle; it begins with a witch hanging (a vestige of the Middle Ages), and ends with Daniel inspecting a steam engine (the birth of the Industrial Revolution.))
• Nicotine appears in pure form in the series, although it was first isolated in 1828.
• Slavery did not exist in France (colonies excluded) during the 17th century "nulle personne n'est esclave en ce royaume", so Abigail cannot be kept there in slavery by Lord Upnor

IJsselmeer seen from space The IJsselmeer (or Lake IJssel) is a shallow lake of some 1250 km² in the central Netherlands bordering the provinces of Flevoland, North Holland and Friesland, with an average depth of 5 to 6 m. ... 1932 (MCMXXXII) is a leap year starting on Friday. ... Landsat photo The Zuider Zee (Dutch: Zuiderzee, pronounced ZIGH-der-zee) was a former shallow inlet of the North Sea in the northwest of the Netherlands, extending about 100 km inland and at most 50 km wide, with an overall depth of about 4 to 5 meters and a coastline... The yo-yo is a toy consisting of two equally-sized discs of plastic, wood, or metal, connected with an axle, around which a string is wound. ... Blackbeards flag, showing a horned skeleton holding an hourglass and threatening a bleeding heart with a spear. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... // Events January 4 — The Netherlands, Britain & France sign Triple Alliance February 26-March 6 What is now the northeastern United States was paralyzed by a series of blizzards that buried the region. ... Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson is the first volume of his series The Baroque Cycle. ... // Events April 11 - War of the Spanish Succession: Treaty of Utrecht June 23 - French residents of Acadia given one year to declare allegiance to Britain or leave Nova Scotia Canada first Orrery built by George Graham Ongoing events Great Northern War (1700-1721) War of the Spanish Succession (1702-1713... View of the Water Celebration, on Boston Common, October 25th 1848 For the NBC series, see Boston Common (TV series) Boston Common is Boston, Massachusetts most famous public park and the oldest city park in the United States. ... // Events A high-powered conspiracy of notables, the Immortal Seven, invite William and Mary to depose James II of England. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... A steam engine is a heat engine that makes use of the thermal energy that exists in steam, converting it to mechanical work. ... The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th century resulting from the replacement of an economy based on manual labour to one dominated by industry and machine manufacture. ... Nicotine is an organic compound, an alkaloid found naturally in the nightshade family of plants, such as tobacco and tomatoes. ... 1828 was a leap year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ...

External links

• Locus Magazine interview with Neal Stephenson
• The Source of the Modern World interview by Glenn Reynolds at Tech Central Station
• Back to the Baroque review by Reynolds in The Weekly Standard
• The Metaweb - (a wiki concerned with writing articles on subjects mentioned or covered in the Baroque Cycle, started by Stephenson)

Glenn Reynolds (born August 27, 1960) is Beauchamp Brogan Distinguished Professor of Law at the University of Tennessee, and is best known as the Internets Instapundit. ... Tech Central Station (TCS) describes itself as a website where free markets meet technology. TCS publishes daily original commentary, news and analysis, focused on economics, business, foreign affairs, technology, science, environment, trade, and culture. ... The Weekly Standard is an American conservative political magazine published 48 times per year. ...