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Yes. Baroque Cycle is a true monster and varies in quality but I stuck with it for superb perspective on the birth of the modern age, and some of leading scient
by KineticLensman 6y ago
Yes. Baroque Cycle is a true monster and varies in quality but I stuck with it for superb perspective on the birth of the modern age, and some of leading scientific rivalries of the time (e.g. Newton vs. Leibniz). As well as the beginnings of science, it also considers the creation of modern finance systems.
At the risk of opening up the standard argument about the quality of the endings in Stephenson's books, I thought that the [spoiler-omitted: technology] conclusion of the third book in the cycle, although not particularly dramatic, is an excellent counterpart to the [spoiler-omitted: superstition] beginning of the first book.
- perl4ever 6y agoIt's entertaining, but the tone and atmosphere are so anachronistic. I like historical fiction that gives more of a sense of the alienness of past societies. Here's a translated quote from the novel 三国演义, per Wikipedia: "Brothers are like limbs, wives and children are like clothing. Torn clothing can be repaired; how can broken limbs be mended?"