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Great book! I really enjoyed it.

Long-winded, but gives a real feel of the time and characters.

Here's an example of one of the many many reasons why I love Neal:

"Finally, the crisis—Jack’s legs thrashed in the hot water as if his body were trying to flee, but he was stalked, impaled. A bubble of numenous light, as if the sun were mistakenly attempting to rise inside his head. Some kind of Hindoo apocalypse played out. He died, went to Hell, ascended into Heaven, was reincarnated as various braying, screeching, and howling beasts, and repeated this cycle many times over. In the end he was reincarnated, just barely, as a Man. Not a very alert one. “Did you get what you wanted?” she inquired. Very close to him. Jack laughed or wept soundlessly for a while. “In some of these strange Gothickal German towns,” he at last said, “they have ancient clocks that are as big as houses, all sealed up most the ...

I've really loved most of Stephenson's books but this one is just not capturing my attention. I can only read until I realize my mind is drifting away from the words on the page. I plan to come back later and try again.

Keep trying to start this one but I just can't get into it. Which is strange as the setting, characters and plot seem right up my alley.

Going to give it another go.

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Reader tags: adventure, england, fiction, historical fiction, history, owned, scientists

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