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"In this richly imagined follow-up to his bestseller 'Cryptonomicon' , Neal Stephenson brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in a time of breathtaking genius and discovery, men and women whose exploits defined the age of the High Baroque... Daniel Waterhouse possesses a brilliant scientific mind and yet knows that his genius is dwarfed by that of his friends Isaac Newton, Gottfried Leibniz, and Robert Hooke. A student of the twin disciplines of science and alchemy, he is embroiled in a bloody struggle for religious freedom. Jack Shaftoe began his life as a London street urchin and is now a reckless wanderer in search of good fortune. The intrepid exploits of Half-Cocked Jack, King of the Vagabonds, are quickly becoming the stuff of legend through Europe. Eliza is a young woman whose ingenuity is all that keeps her alive after being set adrift from the Turkish harem in which she has been imprisoned since she was a child. Daniel, Jack and Eliza traverse a landscape populated by mad alchemists, Barbary pirates, and bawdy courtiers, as well as historical figures including Samuel Pepys, Ben Franklin, and other great minds of the age. Travelling from the infant America