The Confusion: Books Four & Five of The Baroque Cycle

This is really a pirate adventure with a lot of historical fact, speculation, liberty and down-right fiction thrown in. It's very well written and read. A bit overlong in some of the description and detail, but the reading really makes an excellent job of hiding that.

I would strongly recommend that the listerner begins at the beginning of the Baroque Cycle and sees it through to the end, as most of the plot lines begin before, and finish well after, this book. Although it could be argued that this is a standalone listen I do not believe you would be doing the story any justice be stopping at the end of this book.

The reading and production of this is excellent. The characterisations are broad and consistent, with lots of emotion and humour conveyed.

I really enjoyed Quicksilver, originally the first of a trilogy of which this is meant to be the second book. Perhaps there were some warning signs in the fact that it was difficult to make out which book this was and how it fitted in the cycle. To say it is a sprawling novel would be an understatement. It is at times almost infuriatingly pleased with its own cleverness and it could easily have been half the length. And yet the whole thing just carries you along. There is a mordant sense of humour running through it which often saves the day when you feel you have heard one too many tall-tale, battle description or exegesis on economics and physics. The narrators are excellent with great voice characterisations. I docked it one star because it did almost drive me to distraction at times trying to keep up with all the plot twists. I would love to see someone try to bring these books to the big screen - there is a ready-made role there for Johnny Depp.

I have been loving the ride on this series. It's long and delicious and brilliant and witty. The characters are people you really want to know better - even the ones that aren't icons of history like Newton and Leibnitz.

Daniel Waterhouse's movements through the story.

Yes. Prebble, Kellgren, and Pariseau narrated the earlier books in this series as well. They are consummate!

Yes, I laughed many times and occasionally got misty-eyed.

Neal Stephenson is a planetary treasure.

favorite is Jack

When Jack is "King" and checks on "the potato"

The character's distinct personalities are brought to life through the narrators. I would miss out, particularly, in hearing Jack Shaftoe's dialect.

Jack, of course, to see what might happen.

The title describes the story at this point. Eliza is stuck between England and France, embroiled in politics. Jack is stuck, well, lots of places. Everywhere but where he wants to be.

Highly detailed, and sometimes slow moving, the entire story will span over 50 years, the reign of many different kings and queens across europe, several trips to America and back, pirates, african queens, and the Philosopher's Stone. Well worth slogging through the slow points to find out what happens in the end.

Finally! After more than a year's delay, I have a device that can access this in Audible! The volume, though long at 34 + hours, is really 2 books, and was exciting and a very entertaining listen. In The Confusion, scenes from 2 books alternate. Junco tells what is happening in the political intrigue and finance ridden life of Eliza, Bonanza relates Jack's journeying around the world to many places, including India, California and Mexico, gaining and losing treasure and searching for more. Both Jack and Eliza have many adventures and many narrow escapes. Their lives remain entangled and heavily affected by each other's events, though many years go by without their meeting again. We meet the mysterious Enoch Root again, and many other characters mentioned in Quicksilver and many new ones. The volume ends with a cliffhanger as Jack sets out on a dangerous mission motivated by threats to Eliza and her children.

It is wonderfully acted by Simon Prebble who brings the characters so much to life that they are vividly real, and very entertaining. He makes scene, action, mood and emotion just as vivid as are his delightful characterizations. Jack Shaftoe is ever my favorite character/characterization in what I have heard ( 1st 5 books) of this series. Eliza is next, as performed by Mr. P. He conveys more personality and more feelings than does the completely competant Katherine Kellgren, who was, nonetheless, very enjoyable.

In the 4th high quality download, a few of the bits seem to be out of order - noticeably that Daniel sails Meteor back to Eliza and meets her illegitimate son and it is known she has the Pox, but then there is a jump back to Eliza prior to her getting the pox and meeting up with her illegitimate son. There is a similar problem where Minerva is christened but then we wind back to a few years earlier where there is a big reveal that Jack is building a boat. Which we already know about. Unlike Quicksilver where the novel deliberately shifts between Daniel as young man and Daniel as old, there is only this small part of the final bit of the Confusion where this odd jumping about in the what is otherwise linear narrative occurs, which makes me guess that this is an error rather than something deliberate in the text.

Also - an easter egg of sorts - listen carefully at 4 hours and about 12 minutes into the fourth part of the high quality recording. Either the narrator has a special leather chair or he's had too many beans.