Jack Shaftoe, aka the King of the Vagabonds, aka Quicksilver, aka l'Emmerdeur, aka Jack the Coiner -- the Baroque Cycle by Neal Stephenson.

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This is one of the interesting and entertaining set of books I've ever read. I loved it. That said,it is definitely not for everyone. It's big, complicated, and sprawling. It covers multiple intertwining story lines over decades and continents.

I'm a sucker for European history (fiction and non), so this really hit my sweet spot, The placement of so many famous Enlightenment period figures, from Isaac Newton to Louis XIV, and others besides, in proper historical context, but still as "real" people was great fun to read about.

I read the Cycle early last year. A few weeks later I thought to pick up the first book and "just read a few pages" because of how much fun it was. I was hooked,and completed the Cycle a second time.

Be aware that is is written in a Baroque style and is very wordy. To illustrate, my son and I have both read the Cycle, and also all the Jack Reacher books. After a passage in the Cycle, I compared the two...

"(Baron von Hackelheber) drew kis left hand up the outside of his thigh, black wool purring under his fingertips, and over the line of tiny silver buckles that fastened the rapier's black leather scabbard to the end of a broad leather strap - a baldric, it is called. - slung diagonally over his body. Continuing up and back, his hand passed under the skirt of his black wool coat, peeling the hem up to expose its black datin lining. He bent his elbows and supinated his wrist. The back of his hand glided up his buttock and over the black leather belt that kept his breeches from falling down, and stopped above his left kidney. He closed his hand on something hard, the handle of his dagger."

.........

".Reacher reached for his knife."

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One last comment -- Half-cocked Jack, the King of the Vagabonds is to my notion one of the great characters in fiction.