The Confusion
Books Four & Five of The Baroque Cycle
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By:
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Neal Stephenson
About this listen
In the year 1689, a cabal of Barbary galley slaves, including one “Half-Cocked Jack” Shaftoe, devises a daring plan to win freedom and fortune. A great adventure ensues that will place the intrepid band at odds with the mighty and the mad, with alchemists, Jesuits, great navies, pirate queens, and vengeful despots across vast oceans and around the globe.
Back in Europe, the exquisite and resourceful Eliza, Countess de la Zeur, master of markets, pawn and confidante of enemy kings, onetime Turkish harem virgin, is stripped of her immense personal fortune by France’s most dashing privateer. Penniless and at risk from those who desire either her or her head (or both), she is caught up in a web of international intrigue, even as she desperately seeks the return of her most precious possession -- her child.Meanwhile, Newton and Leibniz continue to propound their grand theories as their infamous rivalry intensifies. And Daniel Waterhouse seeks passage to the Massachusetts colony in hopes of escaping the madness into which his world has descended.
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.©2004 Neal Stephenson (P)2010 Audible, Inc.Listeners also enjoyed...
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The known world floats upon the Breath of God, a thick gas similar to Earth's oceans, with land masses accessible by airship. The largest of these land masses are ruled by the rival empires of Freya and Rosia. Magic is intrinsic to the functioning of these societies, and is even incorporated into their technological devices. But now a crucial scientific discovery has occurred that could destroy the balance of power - and change the empires forever.
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Very Good Read
- By Keith on 05-31-11
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Treasure Island (Alpha DVD)
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Treasure Island is a tale of pirates, treasure, and shipwreck. When young Jim Hawkins finds a packet in Captain Flint's sea chest, he could not know that the map inside it would lead him to unimaginable treasure. Shipping as cabin boy on the Hispaniola, he sails with Squire Trelawney, Captain Smollett, Dr. Livesey, the sinister Long John Silver and a frightening crew to Treasure Island. There, mutiny, murder and mayhem lead to a thrilling climax.
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terrible narrator
- By Lesa on 03-30-09
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King of Ashes
- The Firemane Saga, Book One
- By: Raymond E. Feist
- Narrated by: David Thorpe
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For centuries, the five greatest kingdoms of North and South Tembria, twin continents on the world of Garn, have coexisted in peace. But the balance of power is destroyed when four of the kingdoms violate an ancient covenant and betray the fifth: Ithrace, the Kingdom of Flames, ruled by Steveren Langene, known as "the Firemane" for his brilliant red hair. As war engulfs the world, Ithrace is destroyed, and the Greater Realms of Tembria are thrust into a dangerous struggle for supremacy.
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Feist takes his writing to the next level
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By: Raymond E. Feist
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Mutiny on the Bounty
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The mutiny on HMS Bounty, in the South Pacific on 28 April 1789, is one of history's truly great stories - a tale of human drama, intrigue and adventure of the highest order - and in the hands of Peter FitzSimons it comes to life as never before. Commissioned by the Royal Navy to collect breadfruit plants from Tahiti and take them to the West Indies, the Bounty's crew found themselves in a tropical paradise. Five months later, they did not want to leave.
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You don't know the whole story.
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The Red Wolf Conspiracy
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The Imperial Merchant Ship Chathrand is the last of her kind. Six hundred years old, the secrets of her construction long forgotten, the massive vessel dwarfs every other sailing craft in the world. It is a palace with sails, a floating outpost of the Empire of Arqual. And it is on its most vital mission yet: to deliver a young woman whose marriage will seal the peace between Arqual and its mortal enemy, the secretive Mzithrin Empire.
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Not Bad, not great.
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Bloody Jack
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Life as a ship's boy aboard HMS Dolphin is a dream come true for Jacky Faber. Gone are the days of scavenging for food and fighting for survival on the streets of 18th-century London. Instead, Jacky is becoming a skilled and respected sailor as the crew pursues pirates on the high seas. There's only one problem: Jacky is a girl. And she will have to use every bit of her spirit, wit, and courage to keep the crew from discovering her secret.
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Sometimes it clicks
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The Hammer and the Cross
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865 A.D. Warring kings rule over the British Isles, but the Church rules over the kings, threatening all who oppose them with damnation. Only the dreaded Vikings of Scandinavia do not fear the priests. Shef, the bastard son of a Norse raider and a captive English lady, is torn by divided loyalties and driven by strange visions that seem to come from Odin himself. A smith and warrior, he alone dares to imagine new weapons and tactics with which to carve out a kingdom.
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Couldn't finish it
- By Susan on 07-22-16
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The Thousand Names
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With this stunning series opener, Django Wexler leaps to the upper echelon of today’s best fantasy authors. The Thousand Names opens his Shadow Campaigns series with a tale of bloody rebellion that will reshape an empire -- and a world. Captain Marcus d’Ivoire and Winter Ihernglass see their fortunes rise under the command of military genius Janus bet Vhalnich. But Janus’ obsession with the supernatural portends a dire fate for the realm.
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90% battles and 10% character development
- By Kathleen on 11-15-14
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The Unknown Shore
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Inspired by the Wager disaster, The Unknown Shore is an immediate precursor to Patrick O'Brian's acclaimed Aubrey/Maturin series that displays all the splendid prose and attention to detail that delight O'Brian's millions of fans.
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As Good as the Series
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The Bastard
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Set against the colorful tumult of events that gave rise to our fledgling nation, this novel of romance and adventure introduces Phillipe Charboneau. The illegitimate son of an English nobleman, Phillipe flees Europe and, as Philip Kent, joins the men who set our course for freedom. The Bastard is the first volume in the Kent Family Chronicles, a series of novels that details one family's journey in the early years of the American nation.
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An Amazing Tale
- By will on 11-06-13
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Bury the Living
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Rebellion has always been in the O'Reilly family's blood. So when faced with the tragic death of her brother during Northern Ireland's infamous Troubles, a teenage Nora joined the IRA to fight for her country's freedom. Now, more than a decade later, Nora is haunted by both her past and vivid dreams of a man she has never met. When she is given a relic belonging to Brigid of Kildare, patron saint of Ireland, the mystical artifact transports her back eighty years - to the height of Ireland's brutal civil war.
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Great Narrator
- By Sandra on 09-29-22
By: Jodi McIsaac
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What listeners say about The Confusion
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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- Darwin8u
- 11-27-18
Two Books Con-Fused
“When a thing such as wax, or gold, or silver, turns liquid from heat, we say that it has fused,” Eliza said to her son, “and when such liquids run together and mix, we say they are con-fused.”
- Neal Stephenson, The Confusion
Volume Two of Stephenson's massive Baroque Cycle consists of Books 4 and 5 (Part One, if it isn't obvious, consisted of Books 1-3). Since both books 4. Bonanza and5. Juncto are concurrent, Stephenson threads/interleaves the two books together (hence Con-Fusion).
This volume continues with the major characters: Daniel Waterhouse, Eliza, Bob Shaftoe, & Jack Shaftoe, along with a host of other fantastic characters both real (Newton, Leibniz, Louis IV, Pepys) and imagined. Like the previous volume, 'The Confusion' takes place during the end of the Nine Years' War (and the period shortly after) and explores the beginning of the Enlightenment, complete with politics, war, modern economics, science and the scientific method, currency, information technology, trade, religion and cryptography. Usually, when Newton or Leibniz are discoursing, Stephenson is waxing philosophic about atoms, thinking machines, or currency.
Fundamentally, these books are historical fiction for geeks. He pushes some people and events to the point of soft-SF/mysticism (I'm thinking of Enoch Root, a man who appears and disappears and acts as a catalyst for change throughout time). It wasn't perfect and there were some points where I was a turned-off by the jocular humor, but these were minor issues. It isn't close to high art, but it is a fascinating read.
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5 people found this helpful
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- Suspect
- 05-22-18
Books 4&5 - by far The Best
The first three books developed the characters and set the scenes. Each was fantastic. I wasn't quite sure what to expect in The Confusion, books 4&5, but they exceeded even my highest expectations by leaps and bounds. Tons of action, adventures on land and the high seas, political tensions, scientific intrigue (hysterical dialogues btw 'physicists'), and truly superb writing. Oh, and the narration is equally as superb. Five stars front to back. Highly recommended by this guy.
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- Tim
- 03-01-14
Swiss Army Knife of Storytelling
The second volume in the Baroque Cycle consist of two books into 34 hours and 30 minutes, or 848 pages. "The Confusion" combines "Bonanza" (book 4) and "The Juncto" (book 5) together into one large sum. The two books intertwine together, telling three main parts all at the same time, hence "The Confusion." The subject of pirates in the sea, capture of the slaves and the ongoing value of the currency, makes this to be an awesome book to tackle.
The two books are companions to each other by flashing back and forth into each plot. You can't read these books separately and will be force to read the complete volume into one set. The best comparison of the second volume is "Cloud Atlas" by David Mitchell. Neal Stephenson has the same style of storytelling in "The Confusion."
Very much like a Swiss Army knife, you get all of the necessary tools to continue on with the series.
I've been on other sites that also reviews books and "The Confusion" has stirred up mix results. Some people love it and other can't seem to get through the first chapter. To all of the naysayers that are cursing Stephenson of writing out of his genre, here are my thoughts. I agree with some of you that it's somewhat weird to see a science fiction author writing about the 18th century. When I first started this series, I wasn't expecting an history lesson, but as a fan boy of Stephenson, I appreciate his efforts at writing out of his comfort zone.
There are many popular authors who writes the same thing over and over by having sequel after sequel like book #26. Neal Stephenson is still an indie author because in all of his novels, the story ends at the last page of the book. He doesn't keep extending the line with the same pen in other novels.
I cannot wait to come to the last period or question mark in the Baroque Cycle.
So far, they have all been excellent and once you stop labeling Neal Stephenson as a stereotypical sci fi writer, you can quickly get into the Cycle.
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2 people found this helpful
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- Kindle Customer
- 07-09-12
Long Awaited!
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.
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- Bram Blenk
- 02-27-17
awesome book
Amazing series. a must read for anyone who has an interest in history. Combining the 2 books as was done here made it much easier to follow the story line. when I read the hard copy books a few years ago, this section was somewhat confusing but not anymore.
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- Philip Criswell
- 09-25-17
Thoroughly enjoyable!
I will admit I had a hard time with volumes 1, 2 and three in the series. Wasn’t sure where it was going. This however, was well performed and a very good story.
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- Kevin
- 10-17-14
Interesting journey around the world
This is a pretty good tale about Jack's journey's around the globe touching on several different societies. Eliza also figures prominently in this book and provides an overall excellent adventure. It is sometimes hard to tell the difference between the fiction and reality but that is what makes the book fun to read.
The performance is great and really brings the characters to life. Overall a good read.
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- Frederick Vaughn
- 08-04-22
Awesome time.
Simon Prebble is amazing. He brings Jack Shaftoe to life along with the rest of the cast, in my opinion.
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- Kimberley
- 06-03-18
Page Turner!!!
loved it, love the whole series. I keep thinking I will pause and listen to something else for awhile, but I can't 😁
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- Amazon Customer
- 08-31-18
Love this series.
This series is a sprawling adventure of truly epic proportions. Believe me, you will fall in love if you give it even half a chance. Trust me. It has inspired me in many ways and the author is an amazing writer. Check out The Diamond Age for a story by him set in the future which is just as awesome.
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