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fae's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
shoddy23's review against another edition
4.0
Like all the best 'science fiction' writers, Gibson sends us all a message from the near future - in this case, quite literally. OK, the number of characters you have to try and keep track of is kind of confusing, especially if you haven't read [b:The Peripheral|24611819|The Peripheral|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1574084339l/24611819._SY75_.jpg|40167043]. Luckily they are given ridiculously playful names, just to help you out.
Essentially it's classic Gibson. In the seemingly mundane nougat of plot following at least two different timelines you can find plenty of nutty ideas to chew on. Agency rewards a careful, close read and possibly some cross referencing - precisely the kind of analysis today's tech generation may struggle to achieve, given that unlimited access to information seems to have simultaneously conspired to make us all stupid.
Gibson serves up a metaphorical warning disguised as a tech-noir mystery thriller: get informed about the klept, about the City of London, and about the surveillance state - or get fucked.
Essentially it's classic Gibson. In the seemingly mundane nougat of plot following at least two different timelines you can find plenty of nutty ideas to chew on. Agency rewards a careful, close read and possibly some cross referencing - precisely the kind of analysis today's tech generation may struggle to achieve, given that unlimited access to information seems to have simultaneously conspired to make us all stupid.
Gibson serves up a metaphorical warning disguised as a tech-noir mystery thriller: get informed about the klept, about the City of London, and about the surveillance state - or get fucked.
bigbeardedbookseller's review against another edition
4.0
I'm a huge fan of William Gibson (I've not got a collection of Neuromancer in different editions...) and am always waiting for his next book with great anticipation, waiting to see where he takes us next.
In Agency, he gives us a 'prequel and sequel' to The Peripheral.
Like The Peripheral the story of Agency switches between two different timelines, a 2017 where Verity lives in a world where Hilary Clinton won the 2016 elections, and the other is set in the 22nd century post-Jackpot world of Russian crime families and advanced technology.
Written in short punchy chapters switching between the two time frames, developing character depth and interaction which makes you invest very quickly and ensures that you don't want to put the book down. The explanation of the technology in the book works on extrapolations from existing technology so never really seems that far fetched.
Though the way interaction with 'stubs' is achieved is the most 'out there' technology mentioned it still doesn't jar and t hat's what I've always enjoyed about Gibson's writing, especially Blue Ant Trilogy and the Bridge Trilogy, the technology could be out there now, being developed and tested as it is never an outrageous use of 'black box' technologues.
Another great addition to William Gibson's oeuvre, and I'm now back to anticipating his next work.
In Agency, he gives us a 'prequel and sequel' to The Peripheral.
Like The Peripheral the story of Agency switches between two different timelines, a 2017 where Verity lives in a world where Hilary Clinton won the 2016 elections, and the other is set in the 22nd century post-Jackpot world of Russian crime families and advanced technology.
Written in short punchy chapters switching between the two time frames, developing character depth and interaction which makes you invest very quickly and ensures that you don't want to put the book down. The explanation of the technology in the book works on extrapolations from existing technology so never really seems that far fetched.
Though the way interaction with 'stubs' is achieved is the most 'out there' technology mentioned it still doesn't jar and t hat's what I've always enjoyed about Gibson's writing, especially Blue Ant Trilogy and the Bridge Trilogy, the technology could be out there now, being developed and tested as it is never an outrageous use of 'black box' technologues.
Another great addition to William Gibson's oeuvre, and I'm now back to anticipating his next work.
categal's review against another edition
4.0
Verity is an app whisperer recruited by a tech start-up to explore and give feedback on an AI interface they have developed. She’s also in hiding from the world after breaking up with her billionaire boyfriend. There are also people from the future trying to stop a nuclear war in Verity’s time. And what about the AI, named Eunice? She’s kicky and has an agenda all her own.
This was a fun romp through San Francisco, London, present day, future. Gibson has a real way with creating absolutely believable futures — the way that self-driving cars and robots have become so normal that they’re boring, and a really fun look at how the future influenced the last election. I only found out after reading this that his earlier book The Peripherals starts this story. Back to the library!
This was a fun romp through San Francisco, London, present day, future. Gibson has a real way with creating absolutely believable futures — the way that self-driving cars and robots have become so normal that they’re boring, and a really fun look at how the future influenced the last election. I only found out after reading this that his earlier book The Peripherals starts this story. Back to the library!
charlotte_literat's review against another edition
1.0
Meh I really thought I would like this book. A fiction story about AI, the shared capacities and work of private sector & DoD and technologies’ potential and challenges for military deployment ... all sounded pretty awesome. However, the AI disappears basically at the beginning of the book, leaving behind a conglomeration of characters who the reader never gets to know on a deeper level & who all want to appear super cool and capable but remain unlikable and ineffective. While I usually love multiple story lines, time shifting etc. this book is just confusing as hell and Gibson throws too many words and concepts in there that don’t make much sense - maybe one should have read his earlier book on the topic that supposedly could be viewed as the prequel to “Agency” but not necessarily so. Anyways, I quit halfway through because there are just too many good books out there and sadly for me, this one just didn’t deliver in the way I thought it would.
Also, I feel like airport books are just not my type of genre lol.
Also, I feel like airport books are just not my type of genre lol.
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
3.0
Okay, this book was a cool concept but had a lot of issues. First off, the chapters are so short and there are so many various characters that you never really connect to any of them. In fact I spent most of the time trying to remember who all the assorted people were and why they were important. It didn't help that many of them were returning from The Peripheral, which I read a while ago and didn't really remember much of. I don't remember this being marketed as a sequel when I first heard about it, but it definitely is and you definitely would be helped by knowing all the characters from the first book. That aside, not a lot actually happens. Most characters simply do what they're told and the ending is rather anti-climactic. So between the poorly developed cast and the sketchy plot, this book was a bit of a let down. Which is frustrating because I was so excited about the concept. Argh!
aquaphase's review against another edition
5.0
One of the most delightful things about reading a William Gibson novel (aside from keeping track of all the name-dropped brands) is watching each story thread come to a common, woven, conclusion. This is done quite deftly in Agency: the blending of timelines and alternate futures folding right into an adventure that really had me examining my concept of the fictional representation of artificial intelligence.
As he has been for decades, Gibson is a master at weaving mythical technology into the familiarity of human interaction and emotion. I just hope the next novel doesn't take another six years to enjoy.
As he has been for decades, Gibson is a master at weaving mythical technology into the familiarity of human interaction and emotion. I just hope the next novel doesn't take another six years to enjoy.
grid's review against another edition
5.0
This is a world (or worlds, really), that I will be happy to inhabit as many times as Gibson decides to put me there. I think the peripheral had more new and interesting ideas, but this was a bit faster paced, and less intentionally confusing. (That last, I’m not sure whether it’s a pro or con.)
michaelwong's review against another edition
3.0
At some point, the cool banter runs out of gas. This, maybe his best dialog yet with his "oops I thought I was on mute" moments, made it about 3/4 through.
His anticlimactic climaxes are admirable in Cohen Brothers way, but this time just too unsatisfying. The balance between excitement and deadpan reached a much better balance in #1.
Lacks the color and imagery of #1: plastic island, animated tattoos, prehistoric dogs. Not his fault, 2017 just isn't that flashy and the Oakland fab shop his very hip, but just not as juicy a read.
Fun that it's set in San Francisco. Though disturbing the SF has become such a parody of itself that Gibson could nail it with what seems such apparent ease.
As an aside, I feel like Clinton wouldn't have been the savior Gibson sorta painted her as. Too bad Agency want set in a Bernie stub ;)
His anticlimactic climaxes are admirable in Cohen Brothers way, but this time just too unsatisfying. The balance between excitement and deadpan reached a much better balance in #1.
Lacks the color and imagery of #1: plastic island, animated tattoos, prehistoric dogs. Not his fault, 2017 just isn't that flashy and the Oakland fab shop his very hip, but just not as juicy a read.
Fun that it's set in San Francisco. Though disturbing the SF has become such a parody of itself that Gibson could nail it with what seems such apparent ease.
As an aside, I feel like Clinton wouldn't have been the savior Gibson sorta painted her as. Too bad Agency want set in a Bernie stub ;)