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jeregenest's review against another edition
4.0
I really loved this book which is incredibly compelling with Gibson's labyrinthine plots that tell us the maze is the message. I'd place it together with Graham Greene as a spy novel that tells us who we are and the lies we delude ourselves with. Just with more technology.
jocelyn_sp's review against another edition
3.0
Full of fun ideas, without quite coming together as a book
aandnota's review against another edition
3.0
while a good read it felt too much like an addendum to the excellent pattern recognition. i started choking on the constant stream of brand labels, as in PR, but without the witty counterpoint of the protagonist's label-phobia. (is there actually a term for that? google doesn't think so, and it knows all).
garretreece's review against another edition
5.0
I read [book: Pattern Recognition] when it came out and swore that Gibson couldn't get any better.
Mr. Gibson, I humbly apologize for doubting you; words alone cannot express the depth of my inaccuracy.
Mr. Gibson, I humbly apologize for doubting you; words alone cannot express the depth of my inaccuracy.
ivand's review against another edition
After beeing a Gibson fan for my whole life I was a little bit disappointed by this one - combining all the working elements from previous novels without any added value.
I understand why this novel was so popular - it was made easier for the masses.
I understand why this novel was so popular - it was made easier for the masses.
wubledoo's review against another edition
1.0
Ugh- did not like this at all. Gave up after a couple chapters. Felt like it was written by an out-of-touch old guy that had read some articles about "technology" and decided to write a "cool" book about what he learned. Ick.
jedbird's review against another edition
4.0
I read this when it was published and felt it was just meh. And, honestly, it's still meh, but I have more patience for that now. When NEUROMANCER was published, it described a version of the future that seemed dangerous and aspirational, and I read Gibson's next several books for more of that feeling. These Blue Ant books, and the Peripheral books that follow, show different takes on things that absolutely exist in our world, from the mundane to the cutting edge, and I do miss the scary, exhilarating angle from the early books.
But this is entertaining, albeit a bit slow-moving. A minor musical celebrity trying for a new career in journalism thinks she's doing a story on locative art, but it takes on dimension at a dizzying pace. A boy who lives outside of the everyday world conducts high-level espionage dependent on balance and reflexes. A drug addict with a valuable talent is almost uncomprehending as he's pulled along. There's a prank, a good one. Hubertus Bigend is occasionally on the phone, making this a Blue Ant story.
I enjoyed this more this second time, so 4* instead of 3*
But this is entertaining, albeit a bit slow-moving. A minor musical celebrity trying for a new career in journalism thinks she's doing a story on locative art, but it takes on dimension at a dizzying pace. A boy who lives outside of the everyday world conducts high-level espionage dependent on balance and reflexes. A drug addict with a valuable talent is almost uncomprehending as he's pulled along. There's a prank, a good one. Hubertus Bigend is occasionally on the phone, making this a Blue Ant story.
I enjoyed this more this second time, so 4* instead of 3*
salieri2's review against another edition
2.0
I was irritated to finally realize today why I wanted to rate [b:Spook Country|22322|Spook Country|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1186350896s/22322.jpg|1715356] at least 3 stars despite finding it largely unsatisfying--because somewhere in the back of my head, it reminded me of a far better book. Today was the day I realized which book it is: [b:Count Zero|22200|Count Zero|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167343629s/22200.jpg|879764], Gibson's 2nd Sprawl novel, published in 1986. Marly Krushkova, a pawn searching for the artist behind mysterious assemblage boxes, is a lot more interesting and human than Hollis Henry, writing about VR GPS installations which seem geekily interesting but bloodless. Tito stays compelling as long as he stays mysterious, but his Santeria/voodoo doesn't have the immediacy of the simulated Haitian AI remnants Bobby encounters in [b:Count Zero|22200|Count Zero|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167343629s/22200.jpg|879764]. As soon as he turns out to be afraid of flying he's halfway turned into an NBC afterschool special, and as soon as he joins an impromptu band he's suddenly mundane.
Gibson's written this book before! and did better with it. Go read [b:Neuromancer|22328|Neuromancer|William Gibson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517YWCGDZPL._SL75_.jpg|909457], [b:Count Zero|22200|Count Zero|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167343629s/22200.jpg|879764], and [b:Mona Lisa Overdrive|22328|Neuromancer|William Gibson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517YWCGDZPL._SL75_.jpg|909457] instead, if you haven't already...these are why William Gibson is great, not this later, lesser work.
Gibson's written this book before! and did better with it. Go read [b:Neuromancer|22328|Neuromancer|William Gibson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517YWCGDZPL._SL75_.jpg|909457], [b:Count Zero|22200|Count Zero|William Gibson|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1167343629s/22200.jpg|879764], and [b:Mona Lisa Overdrive|22328|Neuromancer|William Gibson|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517YWCGDZPL._SL75_.jpg|909457] instead, if you haven't already...these are why William Gibson is great, not this later, lesser work.
pastathief's review against another edition
4.0
Very much feeling like a sequel or a parallel story to Pattern Recognition, Spook Country finds Gibson honing his new contemporary style. I really think that it's in these two books that he's finally come into his own.
While Pattern Recognition in many ways was a contemporary cyberpunk novel, this novel strays further into character development and character study, with great results. The plot is perhaps less immediately arresting than Pattern Recognition's, and the main character less oddly unique. However, all of the supporting characters truly shine, fascinatingly sketched and engaging. It's really one of the few stories I've read in a long time which presented the material from multiple viewpoints anchored to multipl characters where there were no characters that I disliked and no chapters that I wanted to rush through to get back to my favourite storyline.
The way the loose threads are ultimately gathered up is slightly more coincidental and convenient than in PR, but ultimately I think more satisfying, for the triumphs are more personal and you wind up feeling for the all of the people of this story.
A really engaging read. I listened to the audiobook version, read by Robertson Dean, and he did a magnificent job, a slick, polished flatness to his voice that suited the text brilliantly while still providing enough characterization to make the characters each pop out.
Two thumbs up. :)
While Pattern Recognition in many ways was a contemporary cyberpunk novel, this novel strays further into character development and character study, with great results. The plot is perhaps less immediately arresting than Pattern Recognition's, and the main character less oddly unique. However, all of the supporting characters truly shine, fascinatingly sketched and engaging. It's really one of the few stories I've read in a long time which presented the material from multiple viewpoints anchored to multipl characters where there were no characters that I disliked and no chapters that I wanted to rush through to get back to my favourite storyline.
The way the loose threads are ultimately gathered up is slightly more coincidental and convenient than in PR, but ultimately I think more satisfying, for the triumphs are more personal and you wind up feeling for the all of the people of this story.
A really engaging read. I listened to the audiobook version, read by Robertson Dean, and he did a magnificent job, a slick, polished flatness to his voice that suited the text brilliantly while still providing enough characterization to make the characters each pop out.
Two thumbs up. :)
jeremyhornik's review against another edition
4.0
Re-read. There’s something so wildly plausible about Gibson’s writing, the evocative material world, that makes everything seem like science fiction... even the real, actual stuff of the real, actual world. It seems polished, somehow. Anyhow, read it on my iPhone, and it seems appropriate for my first novel consumed that way.