Embarquez pour un voyage épique à travers le tumultueux XVIIe siècle, une période de profonds changements, de révolutions scientifiques et d'explorations mondiales. Ce récit tentaculaire suit une distribution de personnages ambitieux dont les vies s'entremêlent avec des événements historiques cruciaux et des découvertes révolutionnaires. Découvrez un monde richement détaillé de commerce, de philosophie et d'aventure, où les fortunes se font et se défont. C'est une saga imposante qui explore l'aube de l'ère moderne avec une profondeur passionnante.
In which Daniel Waterhouse, fearless thinker and courageous Puritan, pursues knowledge in the company of the greatest minds of Baroque-era Europe -- in a chaotic world where reason wars with the bloody ambitions of the mighty, and where catastrophe, natural or otherwise, can alter the political landscape overnight.
It is the late 1600s on the high seas. A group of Barbary galley slaves plot as they ply the oars of a pirate ship. These ten men - unfortunates from around the world impressed into servitude - have heard whispers of an enormous cache of Spanish gold. Together, they hatch a daring scheme - escape their chains, seize a ship, and find the treasure. And, amazingly, they succeed - leaving some very unhappy men behind who vow to hunt down the vagabonds and bring them to justice, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, back in France... The beautiful Eliza, toast of Versailles and spy extraordinaire, attempts to return to London with her baby, a child whose paternity is shrouded in mystery. As she makes her way home from the Continent, her ship is stopped by a French privateer - and she is returned to the Sun King's court. all manner of characters, including buccaneers, poisoners, Jesuits, financial manipulators, and ever the stray cryptographer or two. In this hugely ambitious, profoundly compelling adventure, Neal Stephenson brings to life a cast of unforgettable characters in a time of breathtaking genius and discovery - men and women whose exploits defined an age known as the Baroque.
England, 1714. London has long been home to a secret war between the brilliant, enigmatic Master of the Mint and closet alchemist, Isaac Newton, and his archnemesis, the insidious counterfeiter Jack the Coiner. Hostilities are suddenly moving to a new and more volatile level as Half-Cocked Jack hatches a daring plan, aiming for the total corruption of Britain's newborn monetary system. Enter Daniel Waterhouse: Aging Puritan and Natural Philosopher, Daniel has been on a long and harrowing quest to help mend the rift between adversarial geniuses. As Daniel combs city and country for clues to the identity of the blackguard who is attempting to blow up Natural Philosophers, political factions jockey for position while awaiting the impending death of the ailing queen, and the "holy grail" of alchemy, the key to life eternal, tantalizes and continues to elude Isaac Newton. As Newton, Waterhouse, and Shaftoe each circle closer to the object of Daniel's quest, everything that was will be changed forever ... This P.S. edition features an extra 16 pages of insights into the book, including author interviews, recommended reading, and more.