King of the Vagabonds

Book Two of The Baroque Cycle

By: Neal Stephenson

Narrated by: Neal Stephenson (introduction), Simon Prebble, Kevin Pariseau

Length: 11 hrs and 11 mins

Publisher's summary

A chronicle of the breathtaking exploits of “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe – London street urchin turned legendary swashbuckling adventurer – risking life and limb for fortune and love while slowly maddening from the pox – and Eliza, rescued by Jack from a Turkish harem to become spy, confidante, and pawn of royals in order to reinvent a contentious continent through the newborn power of finance.

The Baroque Cycle, Neal Stephenson’s award-winning series, spans the late 17th and early 18th centuries, combining history, adventure, science, invention, piracy, and alchemy into one sweeping tale. It is a gloriously rich, entertaining, and endlessly inventive historical epic populated by the likes of Isaac Newton, William of Orange, Benjamin Franklin, and King Louis XIV, along with some of the most inventive literary characters in modern fiction.

Audible’s complete and unabridged presentation of The Baroque Cycle was produced in cooperation with Neal Stephenson. Each volume includes an exclusive introduction read by the author.

Listen to more titles in the Baroque Cycle.

©2003 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

“Bawdy, learned, hilarious, and utterly compelling, [it] is sprawling to the point of insanity and resoundingly, joyously good.” ( Times of London)

“Thrillingly clever, suspenseful, and amusing.” ( New York Times Book Review)

"Most tales of 'olde' times are replete with castles, robed lords and ladies, and handsome men on horseback. But what about the wretches they pass on the side of the road as they go off to a lively joust? is about those men, the poor, the grifters, whose names are lost to history—the vagabonds. Stephenson's novel tells their story, with the able help of storyteller Simon Prebble. Prebble's witty banter is perfect as the voice of Jack, a knave who is out to prove that even a lowborn can succeed in seventeenth- and eighteenth-century Europe. Prebble even does a great job with the historical characters such as Isaac Newton, Ben Franklin, and others. Equal parts action and adventure, along with a healthy dose of humor, make this a great listen." ( AudioFile)

Amazing

For a science fiction writer, Stephens is a hell of a historian! The tiny details of the history of science, and the atmosphere in which these people lived and did their revolutionary work are so vivid. Add all the action and adventure and the breakneck pace of the life of Half-Cocked Jack and you can't put it down.

Another amazing Neal Stephenson tale.

Mr. Stephenson has the ability to transport you into his characters shoes. He tells amazing and enjoyable tales.

Great Story To Be Continued

This was better than Quicksilver, the one before it. Better plot, characters and story lines.

Fun, action packed and nontheless interesting

In Book 2 of The Baroque Cycle is set in the same time period as Book 1, but concerns an entirely different set of characters and wholly different viewpoint than Book 1. The protagonist is Jack, a vagabond, a perfect rouge who could only be compared to the likes of Falstaff or Harry Flashman. Jack sees an entirely different view of the late 17th century than that provided by the moneyed, puritan of Book 1. This is a London where enterprising young boys can make money by clinging to the legs of hanging men (to hasten their deaths), a Paris where the rat catcher is a man of great influence and an Amsterdam so incredibly rich and free from petty corruption that a man like Jack can hardly find a place for himself. This is a viewpoint rarely found in historical novels, that of the least regarded, the poor, peasants, vagabonds, wretches, slaves, and prostitutes. In this book, Stephenson also introduces his most compelling female character. An intelligent, capable and witty young woman, sold into slavery at a young age and determined to both succeed and to gain her revenge. This volume is much more focused on fun, adventure and humor than Book 1. Nonetheless it is brimming with descriptions of the social, political, religious and commercial changes that were transforming Europe at that time.

I strongly recommend this to anyone who enjoys Stephenson or good historical novels.

Odd mix of fiction and non-fiction, acquired taste

3.5 stars. I'm really conflicted about this book and this series. I keep reading. I am interested. It can be funny and cutting and satirical. But it is truly an acquired taste, and one that I'm not 100% sure I love. There is more plot and action in this volume than there was in the first. But that is still leavened with copious amounts of history and science -- as I read a lot of nonfiction on those topics, this does not entirely turn me off, but I could see it being tedious to many readers. Perhaps my biggest issue with the book is that I usually turn to my reading with a distinct mood for either fiction or nonfiction, and the blending of the two in such obvious ways (with entire passages dealing with finance or history, with chemistry or physics) can be very jarring. I think I'll continue as I respect Stephenson and loved Cryptonomicon (which stars the descendants of many of the major players in this series). But I have to say my feelings are mixed.

kinda like jazz

The books are Interesting so far and must of taken an amazing amount of research to put together but they meanders around a lot. I suffer from American Attention Disorder, raised on MTV and fast paced movies, I can be enticed to meander through a plot but it takes some compelling writing. Sometimes I'm compelled, sometimes not so much.
This is my second time through the first part of the cycle, hoping I'll pick up plot points I missed and be ready to go all the way to the end this time.
I'm intrigued by pirates and scientists (I know, odd combo and role of the sciences is not yet apperent in this first part of the tale) but not at all with political intrigue itself. So the parts of the books with a strong female character present are my least favorite - bummer. If you enjoy the plottings of merchants and nobles then this won't be a problem. It is an important part of history just not my thing.
The books so far seem well worth a read/listen but it takes awhile. Also, this world is casually brutal and cruel so be ready for that as well.

Good but not a continuation of the last one.

I enjoyed the story, but not as much as the first one. not for younger listeners!

Can't wait to hear the next one

Gave me a feel for the times, and cohesion of events, better than any history book or "true" story.

Stephenson is great!

I once thought that Mr. Stephenson was to wordy and technical I with his writing. That was after listening to Reamde the first time (I've enjoyed it twice more since). The Baroque Cycle ties into Cryptonomicon, proving a backstory to a semi-historical novel. Now I just can't get enough! Off to listen to Book 3 now...

Amazing Performance!

That's is the first and most important thing to say about having this book on audio vs text. An amazing character development for which Stephenson I'd so adept. This was a wonderful 2nd book of "The Baroque" series and I most enjoyed that he went from high left oligarchy/royalty to salt of the earth recognition and rendering of the far right characters who endured the realities of the common person with the pulses of entrepreneurship flowing in their veins.