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)

Read the whole cylce

On my second read through the whole cycle. I love Neal Stephenson's writing, and Simon Prebble is an excellent narrator.

Exceptional character development

Any additional comments?

The characters are absolutely fantastic. The story is a bit difficult to follow at times. The dialogue is engaging and you don't want to miss a single word.

The humor is genuine, very real and after the fact. I suspect there is much I missed.
I think I may have to listen to this one again to get the most from it.

Still I give this book well deserved praise for it's quality of the characters and the dialogue. The information on the limits and uses of technology of the times is fascinating.

Not For Me

I'm a Neal Stephenson fan, but this series apparently just isn't for me. I wasn't enthralled with Quicksilver, but I read a number of reviews suggesting to give the rest in the series a try, that it would get better. And, just like Quicksilver, King of the Vagabond is well written and at times quite funny, but there is no real story. I'm guessing this one is just not for me.

Wonderful books

Too bad the first book (Quicksilver) turned off so many Audible listeners. If they had continued on to this book and the rest of the series many of them would have changed their minds. The books combine a history of an interesting period in Europe, the origins of mechanics and calculus, the development of modern money, markets and banking, and a look at Cairo and India in the late 17th Century with great adventure yarns. Neal Stephenson is amazing and these books are some of his best.

Different, unsettling

Most historical fiction I've read deals with war, romance, etc. The protagonist can be a scoundrel, but still something of a hero. A look at the seamier side of life in those times, provides a different perspective.

Great pairing of story and narrator.

The characters and plot are very appealing but the narrator does an amazing job bringing them to life.

A Fun Read

A great story, well performed. I got the impression the performer was enjoying himself, especially during Jack's musical hallucinations.

Great cast of Characters, Excellent

The action picks up a notch and the characters are fewer, making it easier to follow. Also not as much jumping around compared to Quicksilver. Still the main focus of the book, like Quicksilver, is the rich historical period. The historical aspect of the series still seems to dominate the fictional characters and plots. Stephenson though writes extremely well and makes it come alive and interesting. Not dry historical fiction which tends to dominate the books I get. The narration continues to be top rate and probably makes this book a 5 star rather than a 4 star. Looking forward to book 3 in the series.

No Cryptonomicon

I'll say by saying that Cryptonomicon, Fall, and Reamde are among my favorite books of all time. I absolutely get sucked into Stephenson's intricate technological and philosophical diversions. But, and maybe it's just me, the intricate political/financial diversions with which The King of the Vagabonds is... abundantly adorned(?), they simply didn't grab and hold on to my attention. Some of the (I imagine) historically plausible financio-political intrigue was so convoluted I simply wanted it to be over so we could get back to Jack and Eliza engaged in some further adventuring, or chakra discovering, scientific conversations with Leibnitz, or something other endless speculating on who would doublecross whom causing the prices of seventeen century stock market to do what...

Odd Middle Book

While the story telling was enjoyable the book really didn't go anywhere. Maybe in Book 3 we will see how everything goes together but for now this book is inconsequential.