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The final section of The Baroque Cycle. Clever, detailed historical fiction epic about the 1600s and 1700s in Europe, The Middle East, and a bit of North Americ

The final section of The Baroque Cycle. Clever, detailed historical fiction epic about the 1600s and 1700s in Europe, The Middle East, and a bit of North Americas east coast. Interactions between fictional and real characters, without anything that can be proved didn't happen (like The Thee Musketeers). And, just a hint of magic. See Isaac Newton as a precocious Cambridge student probing the universe by maneuvering a darning needle through his eye; later, his occult obsessions. Honorable mention to Children of Time and its sequel. Gripping sci-fi story about transforming, interactions between humans and computers, and other beings. Imaginative world about cultures very different from own own, and how they might evolve under different evolutionary conditions. Also, honorable mention to Project Hail Mary.

Klaster_1 5y ago
Just finished the last book of Baroque Cycle today too, this was something that I picked up after seeing a recommendation on HN (thanks!). Intertwined, complex story spanning over decades of an era I hardly knew anything about was a welcome surprise, it reads pretty much like Cryptonomicon or Reamde, but on a grander scale.
gfody 5y ago
(I) think of the baroque cycle as fictionalized history rather than historical fiction
- fsloth 5y ago
  It's a bit of both. I learned a ton of the period from the baroque cycle. Stephenson inserts the most curious historical details of the period into the books and you are constantly checking wikipedia - did this really happen? Usually the most outrageous details are picked from history. Such a marvelous trilogy.
oxymoron 5y ago
I absolutely adore the Baroque Cycle. Question: Since I read it I’ve wanted to read more about the development of money and financial institutions, but I’ve had difficulty finding good books on the topic. Does anyone have any good recommendations?
- irq-1 5y ago
  Money: The Unauthorised Biography by Felix Martin

Klaster_1 5y ago

Just finished the last book of Baroque Cycle today too, this was something that I picked up after seeing a recommendation on HN (thanks!). Intertwined, complex story spanning over decades of an era I hardly knew anything about was a welcome surprise, it reads pretty much like Cryptonomicon or Reamde, but on a grander scale.

gfody 5y ago

(I) think of the baroque cycle as fictionalized history rather than historical fiction

fsloth 5y ago
It's a bit of both. I learned a ton of the period from the baroque cycle. Stephenson inserts the most curious historical details of the period into the books and you are constantly checking wikipedia - did this really happen? Usually the most outrageous details are picked from history. Such a marvelous trilogy.

oxymoron 5y ago

I absolutely adore the Baroque Cycle. Question: Since I read it I’ve wanted to read more about the development of money and financial institutions, but I’ve had difficulty finding good books on the topic. Does anyone have any good recommendations?

irq-1 5y ago
Money: The Unauthorised Biography by Felix Martin