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The Confusion cover

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The Confusion

by Neal Stephenson Book 2 in the The Baroque Cycle series.

First published 2004

Amazon

4.3(26,832)

Jack Shaftoe is enslaved aboard a Barbary galley until he and his companions seize an opportunity to escape and pursue a fortune in Spanish gold. Their journey across the Mediterranean and beyond turns piracy, global trade and the movement of bullion into parts of a single contest over who controls money.

Eliza operates within the court of Louis XIV while managing spies, family claims and financial schemes that reach England and the Dutch Republic. The alternating narratives gradually reveal that Jack’s treasure and Eliza’s political manoeuvres are connected through the same international network of credit, war and revenge.

Historical Periods

Stuart Period1603–1714 CE Reign of Louis XIV1643–1715 CE Barbary Corsairs and Mediterranean Captivityc. 1450–1830 CE

Genres

Court & Political Fiction Espionage Historical Sagas Historical Thriller Maritime Fiction

Historical people

Louis XIV1638–1715

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