Helpful Score: 4
I started this review three times before I finally decided on this.
Blah.
It started out great, as a techno-thriller set in post 9/11 America, a glimpse of the shadowy world of the spy and counter-spy.
The ending left me wondering why I bothered reading, what was the point of the whole exercise.
If this was an intentional effect, Gibson revealing the absolute routine and semi-pointless nature of most intelligence operations in the real world, he has succeeded brilliantly.
Not Gibson's best work, and this coming from a real Gibson fan.
Blah.
It started out great, as a techno-thriller set in post 9/11 America, a glimpse of the shadowy world of the spy and counter-spy.
The ending left me wondering why I bothered reading, what was the point of the whole exercise.
If this was an intentional effect, Gibson revealing the absolute routine and semi-pointless nature of most intelligence operations in the real world, he has succeeded brilliantly.
Not Gibson's best work, and this coming from a real Gibson fan.
Helpful Score: 2
Gibson is a pretty consistently excellent writer - mostly because of his ability to take potentially mundane subjects and write about them in ways that make them seem fascinating, exotic - and "cyber!" Hollis Henry, a woman who is a minor celebrity in certain circles because she used to sing with a gothy indie-rock band, has been asked to write an article for a start-up magazine that aims to be 'the Belgian 'Wired''. on 'locative art' - a new form of digital, virtual reality installation art. However, something doesn't smell right. The magazine doesn't seem to exist. The mogul in charge doesn't really seem to interested in art - but wants information on any mentions of 'international shipping.' Meanwhile, a junkie who can translate Russian is being held captive by a man who may or may not be a private detective, a DEA agent - or a nutcase. And also meanwhile, a young member of a crime family (whose resemblance to Johnny Depp merits multiple mentions), is being instructed on a potentially dangerous mission. Spook Country is not a perfect book. Some elements would gain from a bit more background, to make them more believable. But overalls, it's clever, funny, interesting - and definitely hip.
Helpful Score: 2
I felt that, while this is better even than much of what had made Gibson famous, it fell short of expectations. I adored Pattern Recognition, and expected this to stand up as well. It was not bad by any means, but I felt Gibson lost in this title his customary edginess and velocity. Hope to see it return, and I most definitely will not wait for paperback for whatever he next writes!
