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eznark's review against another edition
2.0
Gibson's Agency is a pointless, empty novel that I honestly can't figure out why it exists. At no point is there any tension whatsoever and the entire thing is just....nothing.
I guess he wrote a whole book just to toast Hillary at the end? Cool.
Two stars because I still like the Big Stub stuff.
I guess he wrote a whole book just to toast Hillary at the end? Cool.
Two stars because I still like the Big Stub stuff.
mc_j_ho's review against another edition
2.0
Rather than repeat what others have said, I will simply note that the repeated mentions of bringing a charger and a Muji bag along and the possibility of these being lost (but minor spoiler alert they aren't actually ever lost, leaving Chekhov's gun unfired) were covered enough to almost warrant sub-plot status. That little goes on in this book. It felt like a sentimental revisit with parts of the Gibson I have loved for years, but ending in a mediocre result.
kellerko's review against another edition
3.0
I rarely read fat sci-fi and I must admit I got lost a few times during this book but I blame that on the fact that I was knitting a hat with complicated cabling during most of it. There was lots of action and futuristic things to think about.
bechols's review against another edition
3.0
Some cool ideas (and fun SF references) but not much happens.
apatofuture's review against another edition
2.0
I enjoyed the prequel "[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]" and I'm a fan of Gibson's Blue Ant series ("[b:Pattern Recognition|22320|Pattern Recognition (Blue Ant, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1288326931l/22320._SY75_.jpg|2455062]" etc.). Plus, my own work as a researcher deals with the concept of agency. So I went in with high hopes. But oh my, that book is BORING.
The whole book basically consists of one protagonist being driven to and fro in/on various vehicles, clutching her Muji garment bag, people repeating to each other what they just heard other people say via telepresence, and a swarm of faceless assistants dragging in more and more drone tech.
I get it, the whole idea is that the AI protagonist has agency because it can make a bunch of humans do stuff. But the human protagonists just watch and obey and act like slack faced zombies*. Which COULD be an interesting story. But it isn't.
I usually enjoy Gibson's vapid dystopia / low-key apocalyptic-ish style. But "Agency" just was ... meh.
*def walkers, not runners
The whole book basically consists of one protagonist being driven to and fro in/on various vehicles, clutching her Muji garment bag, people repeating to each other what they just heard other people say via telepresence, and a swarm of faceless assistants dragging in more and more drone tech.
I get it, the whole idea is that the AI protagonist has agency because it can make a bunch of humans do stuff. But the human protagonists just watch and obey and act like slack faced zombies*. Which COULD be an interesting story. But it isn't.
I usually enjoy Gibson's vapid dystopia / low-key apocalyptic-ish style. But "Agency" just was ... meh.
*def walkers, not runners
mark_b's review
4.75
Agency follows The Peripheral in Gibson’s Jackpot trilogy. Part 3 hasn’t been released as of early 2024. Agency stands more or less on its own, but it makes sense to read The Peripheral first. I read Agency when it came out in 2020, and decided to re-read it in anticipation of part 3. It’s hard to think about Agency without at the same time considering The Peripheral. In some ways Agency is not as striking as The Peripheral. Many of the same characters populate both books. Much of the action in Agency takes place in San Francisco and the surrounding Bay Area. The Peripheral is set in the ambiguous “county”, a rural area somewhere in the southeastern US. London looms large in both books. Gibson writes in a genre sometimes called “economic fiction”. The dystopian elements of Agency (and The Peripheral) are not entirely economic. I very much enjoyed Agency. Is it Gibson’s best work? Maybe not, but Agency definitely hits the right notes. Anyone who likes Gibson will enjoy Agency; anyone who consumes dystopian SF should appreciate it.
pcody_mit's review against another edition
2.0
Great first half, then goes off a cliff to crash into nonsensical gibberish