Slightly worse since there's not enough scientific digressions, slightly better since there's better characters. Let's see what happens.


REREAD:

Huh, I forgot how well this book actually functions as a proper story, as long as you ignore it cuts out right at the end of the second act. Action? Romance? Not just expository Dialogue? I also tried my best to follow the financial and political plots going on, but it was still quite difficult. I also forgot  Jack's drug addled trip trying to escape from a cult of Satan-worshippers in the woods . Good times.

Reread, still 4/5.

Solid adventure and wit. As I said in my review of Quicksilver, this series has surprised me as to how much I enjoyed a historical narrative. Stephenson manages to flip the script somewhat on the first book in a way which was rewarding.

As much as I love the natural philosophy and alchemy so far in the series, Jack the vagabond had me totally live inside in a way I’ve not noticed from a book in years.

Stellar stuff, I will go straight on to the next book eager for more.

Woody Hayday

An amusing story with an interesting historical backdrop. Reminds me a lot of Outlander, in this regard.

Me gustó mucho este libro, además de la historia principal donde se habla de Jack y Eliza he aprendido un montón de cosas como que el río Amstel está en Holanda, que una Odalisca es una mujer en un harén etc etc.

Muy recomendado, a mi me transportó a una época que me habría gustado ver aunque no vivir en ella.

I LOVE the character of "Half-Cocked Jack" You have to read it - I won't explain how he got the name, but he's one of my favorite characters in historical fiction. Neal Stephenson did an astonishingly good job of weaving the course of history into a very funny story that worked incredibly well on a variety of levels: Adventure, romance, humor, intrigue and lessons in Baroque economics.

In terms of wit, Mr. Neal Stephenson gives Sir Terry Pratchett a run for his money.

The Baroque cycle is pretty choppy - some good things, some things which drag and drag. This book is my favourite so far. A pretty wild ride of a story and interesting characters. I also like the descriptive and tongue in cheek writing style.

Book 2 of 9 of the Baroque Cycle achieves its goal of introducing immediately compelling characters who will shape the plot in the later installments of the series, as well as setting the scene for an explosive conflict. Inconsistent pacing and a meandering plot made for a difficult read at times, but the story is punctuated with enough intriguing, hilarious, and/or beautiful moments to keep the reader engaged. The heartbreaking ending reveals how effective Stephenson is at forcing the reader to be invested in his characters.

As a stand-alone story it wouldn’t work as well, but as the second installment of a long saga it does a great job at setting up the major players in the stories to come.

3.3/5

Fantastic read or listen in my case. Laughed out loud as the plot cracked along at a fair pace. Book 2 does not follow book 1, so I am expecting them to link up characters later. Reminded me of the Flashman books.

I liked it.

The second book of Quicksilver, which it itself a three-book volume in the three-volume "Baroque Cycle" series.

Shifting gears somewhat from Quicksilver (the first book, not the first volume), Stephenson follows the adventures of Jack Shaftoe, a seventeenth-century adventurer-hobo ("vagabond") on the Continent. Where the first book concerned itself mostly with science, King of the Vagabonds is a Picaresque novel rife with the spirit of Rabbelais and Shakespere-- bawdy, improbable adventures intertwine with genuine historical events and grim scenes of war and death. In place of science, economics seem to be the focus of this book.

After a brief stint in the Polish-Hungarian Army during the Battle of Vienna, Jack frees Eliza, a Qwghlmian kidnap victim, from the Sultan's harem. The two journey across the Continent, investing in get-rich-quick schemes and rubbing elbows with unexpected royalty.

Unfortunately, Stephenson's first successful novels were pigeonholed in the "Science Fiction" category; subsequent novels were placed there, apparently out of habit.

Like the first book, this is relentlessly rich in world-building detail... yes, Baroque in name and nature. Unlike the first book this seems much more concerned with entertaining with its supernaturally witty and capable underdog protagonists, with almost non-stop banter that wouldn't be out of place in a top-rating 2010s TV series.

What left the biggest impression on me was the nerdy deep dives into 17th century European economics, especially the vivid and enthralling depictions of trade and society in Amsterdam; and also the colourful and often outrageous set pieces which could easily become classic scenes if they were ever put on film. Fun stuff.