Publisher's Synopsis
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.
This novel, as well as the 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.
