Pattern Recognition
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Technological
3.7
(154)
William Gibson
'Part-detective story, part-cultural snapshot . . . all bound by Gibson's pin-sharp prose' Arena--------------THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BLUE ANT TRILIOGY - READ ZERO HISTORY AND SPOOK COUNTRY FOR MORECayce Pollard has a new job. She's been offered a special project: track down the makers of an addictive online film that's lighting up the internet. Hunting the source will take her to Tokyo and Moscow and put her in the sights of Japanese hackers and Russian Mafia. She's up against those who want to control the film, to own it - who figure breaking the law is just another business strategy.The kind of people who relish turning the hunter into the hunted . . .A gripping spy thriller by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer. Part prophesy, part satire, Pattern Recognition skewers the absurdity of modern life with the lightest and most engaging of touches. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks won't be able to put this book down.--------------'Fast, witty and cleverly politicized' Guardian'A big novel, full of bold ideas . . . races along like an expert thriller' GQ'Dangerously hip. Its dialogue and characterization will amaze you. A wonderfully detailed, reckless journey of espionage and lies' USA Today'A compelling, humane story with a sympathetic heroine searching for meaning and consolation in a post-everything world' Daily Telegraph'Electric, profound. Gibson's descriptions of Tokyo, Russia and London are surreally spot-on' Financial Times
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More Details:
Author
William Gibson
Pages
368
Publisher
Penguin UK
Published Date
2004-06-24
ISBN
0141904461 9780141904467
Ratings
Google: 1
Community ReviewsSee all
"Compared to other Gibson novels, I really didn't like this one. It wasn't really sci-fi, but that wasn't my real issue. A lot of the book focuses on corporate dealings, and there are frequent references to brands, labels, and concepts that make the book feel dated and sort of boring to those unaware of the fashion world. The book is incredibly slow-paced, the ending boring, and everything that seems like character development actually ends up being meaningless; same goes for any conflict because here comes Big Business with a deus ex machina to save the day... There's just nothing that invests you in the main plot - it is honestly irrelevant what happens. The subplot about Win and Cayce's mom was also fairly irrelevant and didn't make Cayce seem more Deep (which I presume was the point, because otherwise what WAS the point?) Don't get me started on the shoehorning of Cold War sentiments that ironically are a more accurate critique of contemporary crony capitalism. I felt this all made for a very disappointing read. Pick up Neuromancer or Idoru instead. "