Reviews

The Cobweb by Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George

bennought's review against another edition

4.0

A thoroughly fun, interesting, and cynical romp around the US; from the scientific labs of a midwest research university to Washington DC. The combination of Stephenson's prose and story-telling skills with George's historical knowledge results in an engrossing thriller that questions and criticizes (most explicitly) the federal bureaucracy and the western system of fairly blindly accepting foreign students to drive our university's research programs. While the characters and world clearly didn't have Stephenson's normally intensive and deft touch (this was a thriller set in modern America), they weren't any close to flat or boring, and both were interesting and deep enough to keep the reader invested in them. If you're a fan of Stephenson, don't expect something nearly as good as his own novels, but also don't eschew the book because it's been co-authored. If you like thrillers and espionage and such, this is definitely a book you should pick up and get into. Very much looking forward to reading the next book [b:Interface|828|Interface|Neal Stephenson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1157396687s/828.jpg|107149] by these two authors.

leafdmcg's review against another edition

4.0

A standout of the genre.

dogtrax's review against another edition

3.0

Entertaining but nothing too deep here. A good beach read, perhaps.

stricker's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

nicolaspratt's review against another edition

4.0

Not as intriguing or compelling of a story as some of Stephenson's other works, but the interconnections between "normal" America and the politics of Washington D.C. are brought to light in a new and chilling way. The complexity of migrating through the CIA/FBI/NSA and staying sane are well documented, all while creating real and deep characters. The harshness of the rat-race, and the sliminess of small-town politics help paint this cobweb of a story.

llona_llegaconlalluvia's review against another edition

3.0

Saddam, guerra nel golfo

cfifer's review against another edition

adventurous informative lighthearted mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

captaincrunchabunch's review against another edition

adventurous informative medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

abmgw's review against another edition

5.0

Sehr schickes Buch, von dem man einiges lernen kann was das erzählen von Geschichten angeht. Außerdem erkennt man viel von dem was Stephenson in späteren Jahren auszeichen wird: historische und politische Tiefe, mäandernder Schreibstiel, Figuren mit "diversen" Hintergrund.

Wenn man das Buch zusammen mit "Interface" betrachtet: Stephenson wollte wohl eine Karriere starten als Polit-Thiller Autor. Mit "Zodiak" hat er dann scheine Schreibe simplifiziert, wohl um massentauglicher zu werden. Mit "Cryptonomnicon" und "Baroque" hat er dann wieder aus dem Brunnen geschröpt, aus dem auch "Interface" und "Cobweb" stammen.

Die moderne Variante von "Cobweb" wäre dann wohl "Reamde": ein rasanter Thriller mit bunten Figuren und interresanten Orten und viel Bewegung.

Sollte "Reamde" als Hörbuch kaufen.

wsythoff's review against another edition

3.0

Pretty fun read, if dated (Gulf War era story). Stephenson watered-down is still Stephenson.