The System of the World (novel)
 | |
| Author | Neal Stephenson |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | The Baroque Cycle |
| Genre | Historical novel |
| Publisher | William Morrow |
Publication date | September 21, 2004 |
| Media type | Print (hardback & paperback) |
| Pages | 912 pp (first edition, hardback) |
| ISBN | 0-06-052387-5 (first edition, hardback) |
| OCLC | 55036877 |
| 813/.54 22 | |
| LC Class | PS3569.T3868 S97 2004 |
| Preceded by | The Confusion |
The System of the World is a novel by Neal Stephenson and is the third and final volume in The Baroque Cycle. The title alludes to the third volume of Isaac Newton's Philosophiae Naturalis Principia Mathematica, which bears the same name.
The System of the World won the Locus Award for Best Science Fiction Novel[1] and the Prometheus Award in 2005, as well as a receiving a nomination for the Arthur C. Clarke Award[1] the same year.
Style
The System of the World emulates many different literary styles. As one reviewer put it: it "is a con-fusion ... of historical novel, roman à thèse, epistolary novel, roman à clef, nouveau roman, satirical novel, roman fleuve, et cetera, et cetera, all bound up in the unlikely guise of epic science-fiction page-turner."[2]
Main characters
- Eliza
- Enoch Root
- Bob Shaftoe, brother of Jack Shaftoe
- Jack Shaftoe
- Daniel Waterhouse
- Isaac Newton
- Johann von Hacklheber
Other characters
- Henry Arlanc, Huguenot, friend of Jack Shaftoe, porter at the Royal Society
- Mrs. Arlanc, wife of Henry
- Roger Comstock, Marquis of Ravenscar, Whig ally of Daniel Waterhouse
- Will Comstock, Earl of Lostwithiel
- Édouard de Gex, Jesuit fanatic
- William Ham, Banker, nephew of Daniel Waterhouse
- Otto van Hoek, Captain of the Minerva
- Dappa, First mate of the Minerva
- Mr. Kikin, Russian diplomat in London
- Norman Orney, London shipbuilder
- Mr. Threader, Tory money-scrivener
- Charles White, fictional, Tory who bites off people's ears
- Peter Hoxton (alias Saturn), Horologist, engages in illicit activities
Historical figures who appear as characters in the novel
- Isaac Newton
- Gottfried Leibniz
- Christopher Wren
- Thomas Newcomen
- Peter the Great
- Caroline of Ansbach
- George I of Great Britain
- George II of Great Britain
- Sophia of Hanover
- John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
- Henry St John, 1st Viscount Bolingbroke
- Robert Harley, 1st Earl of Oxford and Earl Mortimer
- Catherine Barton
- Jack Ketch
References
- 1 2 "2005 Award Winners & Nominees". Worlds Without End. Retrieved 2009-07-21.
- ↑ Burns, John (16 October 2004). "Systemic Stephenson". The Globe and Mail (Canada).
Editions
- ISBN 0-06-052387-5 : Hardcover edition.
- ISBN 0-06-075086-3 : Paperback edition.
External links
- The System of the World at Worlds Without End