Summary of The Baroque Cycle

The Baroque Cycle is a series of novels by Neal Stephenson that tells the story of Daniel Waterhouse, an Englishman and brilliant polymath, as he navigates the world of 17th and early 18th Century Europe. Waterhouse, a natural philosopher who is acquainted with a wide range of scientific and philosophical subjects, is at the center of the story, which follows him through his numerous encounters with major figures of the era, including Isaac Newton, Leibniz, Archbishop Wake, and John Churchill. Along the way, Waterhouse is involved in various economic and political controversies of the time, including colonization, slavery, the stock market, and banking. He also becomes entangled in a mysterious and dangerous quest to find the Elixir of Life. At its core, The Baroque Cycle explores the birth of modern science and its impact on the world.