Ratings41
Average rating3.7
Tito is in his early twenties. Born in Cuba, he speaks fluent Russian, lives in one room in a NoLita warehouse, and does delicate jobs involving information transfer.Hollis Henry is an investigative journalist, on assignment from a magazine called Node. Node doesn't exist yet, which is fine; she's used to that. But it seems to be actively blocking the kind of buzz that magazines normally cultivate before they start up. Really actively blocking it. It's odd, even a little scary, if Hollis lets herself think about it much. Which she doesn't; she can't afford to.Milgrim is a junkie. A high-end junkie, hooked on prescription antianxiety drugs. Milgrim figures he wouldn't survive twenty-four hours if Brown, the mystery man who saved him from a misunderstanding with his dealer, ever stopped supplying those little bubble packs. What exactly Brown is up to Milgrim can't say, but it seems to be military in nature. At least, Milgrim's very nuanced Russian would seem to be a big part of it, as would breaking into locked rooms.Bobby Chombo is a "producer," and an enigma. In his day job, Bobby is a troubleshooter for manufacturers of military navigation equipment. He refuses to sleep in the same place twice. He meets no one. Hollis Henry has been told to find him.Pattern Recognition was a bestseller on every list of every major newspaper in the country, reaching #4 on the New York Times list. It was also a BookSense top ten pick, a WordStock bestseller, a best book of the year for Publishers Weekly, the Los Angeles Times, Newsday, and the Economist, and a Washington Post "rave."Spook Country is the perfect follow-up to Pattern Recognition, which was called by The Washington Post (among many glowing reviews), "One of the first authentic and vital novels of the twenty-first century."
Series
3 primary booksBlue Ant is a 3-book series with 3 primary works first released in 2003 with contributions by William Gibson.
Reviews with the most likes.
This was a disappointing sequel to Pattern Recognition. I had difficulty engaging with both the plot and the characters.
I liked this book but unlike Pattern Recognition I didn't get sucked into it. The short chapters were interesting but I think it kept me from building the kind of immersion I expect. But a lukewarm experience ina Gibson novel is still hotter than most books.
I'm a William Gibson fanatic. Spook Country is set in 2006 and is tenuously connected to Pattern Recognition. These books aren't science fiction, but they are just as cutting-edge cool. I thought Pattern Recognition was Gibson's best work since Neuromancer. Spook Country didn't quite capture an overall mood like PR did, but it's a blast seeing its characters work the system in their personal spheres with the very latest technology as they bump into and up against one another. Gibson's commentary on the current state of America is perfect: understated and wry.
The story concerns the intersection of the lives of a member of a former rock singer whose band achieved cult status, a member of a Cuban-Chinese crime family, a drug addicted Russian translator, a couple of ex-government agents, and some hi-tech artists all affected by the comings and goings of a mysterious cargo container. There are a few people out there that will pick up this book simply because of that last sentence. Whether it's that or just Gibson's name on the cover, pick it up, read it, enjoy yet another of Gibson's worlds.