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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Very solid followup and a bit easier to follow than Neuromancer. Prescient on the influence of the megacorps and there's more than a little preview of Hubertus Bigend/Cayce Pollard in Josef Virek/Marly here. The voodoo thing is a little bit inscrutable, but then again, it's Gibson, so that's likely the idea.
I read the original years ago. Some of the predictions were good and it was interesting. For some reason, I never read this, or did before I added my database and re-read the original. I checked it out and only got part way through.
The problem is that it doesn't age well. It's far too jumbled and vague, counting on buzzwords and world building to sustain it. They don't.
The problem is that it doesn't age well. It's far too jumbled and vague, counting on buzzwords and world building to sustain it. They don't.
Sharp, pacey and ultra slick cyberpunk. Highly enjoyable and immersive!
One of my favorites. The first time I read it I did it one day. This time I took my time. It was better that way. While I would agree that Gibson's characters seem to be interchangeable, it's the texture of the environment that is worth the trip. When you read a Gibson novel, you are submerged in the world he's created. You have to take your time to look around. Don't be in a rush. Read his stuff a few times to get the full brunt of what he's doing.
It's a soft four as I really dislike the way one of the characters died at the end , both as described and functionally as part of the narrative. Also, Turner's story, the literal first and last thing in the novel, started really slowly and took until half the novel to really take off. Bobby is okay, but he's rather passive. However, I did like quite a bit of the rest of it, and the epilogue left a smile on my face. Marly, the third lead, is easily the most likeable of the bunch, and her journey allows for the most introspection and decision on her part. Gibson, as always, weaves a beautiful and insane trip.
After finishing Mona Lisa Overdrive, this really feels like an incomplete first half as so much continues and concludes so much of the story.
Spoiler
(Jackie deserved better)After finishing Mona Lisa Overdrive, this really feels like an incomplete first half as so much continues and concludes so much of the story.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you liked Neuromancer, read this next and you won’t be disappointed. Gibson’s dialogue in count zero is definitely slang heavy, and doesn’t really read in the most accessible way, so anticipate a lot of confusion if you pick this one up. Overall, count zero expanded on Gibson’s technology driven world in pretty satisfying ways.
The three strands that make up Count Zero are individually compelling and well paced and for nearly 200 pages I was enjoying them as separate stories before I started to wonder what the connecting thread was, especially when I realised there was less than a third of the book left. I should've had more faith, when the penny finally dropped shortly after the three stories pulled together at a rapid pace and rushed for the finish, which good, didn't quite deliver the satisfaction the rest of the book did (I had a similar experience with Neuromancer).
I think one of the real joys of reading this book was getting lost in the jargon, the ideas and concepts that Gibson's world presents which from the vantage of our modern world, looks like a very possible reality if only technology had developed differently from our timeline.
I think one of the real joys of reading this book was getting lost in the jargon, the ideas and concepts that Gibson's world presents which from the vantage of our modern world, looks like a very possible reality if only technology had developed differently from our timeline.
adventurous
challenging
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No