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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
It's been a while since I read book 1 and 2 of this world, so I was a little hazy going in. Three chapters in I remembered that I'm always a little hazy when reading the first third of a William Gibson book. The first third, I'm confused. Second third, I'm riveted. Third third, I'm terrified for everyone! This book delivered on the three stages of Gibson-book-reading.
I had no idea Hollis from book 2 was going to be a POV character because the Amazon description mentions her boyfriend as though he were the main character which is a bit annoying, but not the fault of the book. I loved Hollis, so I was excited to run around with her again, though arguably she had a bit more of a passive role this time, caught in the chaos more than actively handling it. She's the voice of reason among a bunch of chaotic interactions and characters and having a bit of a personal crisis.
Milgrim is the other POV character, and he's exceptionally endearing, another weirdo in a long list of weirdos in the book but unlike most, he's rather meek. Despite Hollis being passive in action, she's bold in decisions and morality, and it counters Milgrims completely uncertain personality. He's a man caught between a lot of conflicting forces, and he's not entirely used to being himself.
The dynamic of the characters were great, and I was genuinely concerned for everyone in the last third of the book. If I could say anything bad about this book, it's only that it feels somewhat incomplete, like throwing this assortment of characters together and putting them through all of this was leading to something it didn't quite get to. Maybe that'll happen one day. Regardless, for characters alone, this book is excellent, even more so if you like watching chaos slowly build until you're powering through the last fifty pages, deeply concerned about how it's all going to shake out.
I had no idea Hollis from book 2 was going to be a POV character because the Amazon description mentions her boyfriend as though he were the main character which is a bit annoying, but not the fault of the book. I loved Hollis, so I was excited to run around with her again, though arguably she had a bit more of a passive role this time, caught in the chaos more than actively handling it. She's the voice of reason among a bunch of chaotic interactions and characters and having a bit of a personal crisis.
Milgrim is the other POV character, and he's exceptionally endearing, another weirdo in a long list of weirdos in the book but unlike most, he's rather meek. Despite Hollis being passive in action, she's bold in decisions and morality, and it counters Milgrims completely uncertain personality. He's a man caught between a lot of conflicting forces, and he's not entirely used to being himself.
The dynamic of the characters were great, and I was genuinely concerned for everyone in the last third of the book. If I could say anything bad about this book, it's only that it feels somewhat incomplete, like throwing this assortment of characters together and putting them through all of this was leading to something it didn't quite get to. Maybe that'll happen one day. Regardless, for characters alone, this book is excellent, even more so if you like watching chaos slowly build until you're powering through the last fifty pages, deeply concerned about how it's all going to shake out.
Really enjoyed this last installment in the "Blue Ant" series. In particular I like the way it cycled back to the first book which seemed a really nice way to close the series off.
Hollis and Milgrim return with similar and in the case of Milgrim also very changed roles. While I am sure most people concentrate on Hollis for Milgrim is a real star character in this book and he really does bring a lot to it, I definitely found myself hoping he would get with Fiona.
Glad I finally got round to reading the series and I notice Gibson has a new book out, looks like it could be essential holiday reading!
Hollis and Milgrim return with similar and in the case of Milgrim also very changed roles. While I am sure most people concentrate on Hollis for Milgrim is a real star character in this book and he really does bring a lot to it, I definitely found myself hoping he would get with Fiona.
Glad I finally got round to reading the series and I notice Gibson has a new book out, looks like it could be essential holiday reading!
The Blue Ant series starts off strong with Pattern Recognition, but loses steam with each following book. What I enjoyed about the series is that the conflicts are small stakes yet interesting - strange forces are working to solve or obscure mysteries that bare no real effect on those on the outside. What I didn't like is how the climax of each book just kind of happens, everything is wrapped up neatly with no real moments of suspense. While I generally enjoyed Zero History, I would say it's definitely my least favorite of Gibson's novels.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
oooooh, this is the one. you have to read the first two in the series to understand and appreciate everything in this one, but wow, this is the good one. inexplicably about both fashion and the military, it's perfect in every way.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I don't know what it is about Gibson, but he touches reality so delicately and simultaneously changes the way you look at certain things. I don't really care about Curta Calculators (from Pattern Recognition) or Japanese clothing (from this book), but now I relate most things to similar concepts.
Some have criticized Zero History as being an exaggeration: A Spy book about jeans. I disagree, I think the story has a solid internal logic. In it some characters (Heidi) complain to overreactions. But when you understand that terrorism is about marketing... Then it all makes perfect sense.
The amount of ideas and visuals in this book are amazing. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I will soon reread the whole trilogy again.
Some have criticized Zero History as being an exaggeration: A Spy book about jeans. I disagree, I think the story has a solid internal logic. In it some characters (Heidi) complain to overreactions. But when you understand that terrorism is about marketing... Then it all makes perfect sense.
The amount of ideas and visuals in this book are amazing. I enjoyed it thoroughly. I will soon reread the whole trilogy again.
Not my favorite of his work, or even of this series. It's still interesting to see what Gibson is up to, though.