Document: WM-006                                                 P. Webb
Category: Review                                              2017.02.07

                           Count Zero review

Abstract

   Cyberpunk is my favorite genre for a reason.

Body

   After reading William Gibson’s Neuromancer I knew I had to read
   Count Zero. Once it picked it up, it was difficult to put down.

   There are four different story arcs that eventually culminate in a
   satisfying climax. What does a wannabe hotshot hacker cowboy, a
   disgraced historian, an extremely rich and dying man, and a hitman
   for hire all have in common? Well, you’re gonna have to read *Count
   Zero to figure out for yourself (I’m assuming* you don’t want
   spoilers). There is a lot to love about this sci-fi novel and I hope
   it becomes a movie someday.

   Something that stood out to me was continued references to "the
   matrix". Count Zero was printed in 1986 (before I was alive!) and
   because this book is so inventive and fascinating, I wouldn’t be
   surprised if the Wachowski siblings point to it as inspiration for
   the Matrix film trilogy[1]. There are also references to "decks",
   which appear to be the interface through which cowboys access the
   matrix Ghost in the Shell[2] style. I imagine they look like the
   computer Sam Flynn used in Tron: Legacy[3] to access the Grid.

   

   Gibson has an interesting writing style that evokes a sense of
   longing for the future, which is bizarre considering the book is
   older than myself. However, as forward-thinking as most concepts are,
   some of his writing is dated. Not too much to take you out of his
   world, but just enough to make one think, "Wow, this would be
   incredible when updated for a film".

   What I didn’t like was his way of switching to another character’s
   storyline at the beginning of most chapters and taking (what I felt
   was) far too long to let you know who the new focus was on. This
   forced me to re-read the beginning of several chapters in order to
   get the characters’ inner voices to make sense in their respective
   environments. I don’t know about you, but I mentally create voices
   for characters in novels based on their initial descriptions.

   Like many futuristic books, this one explores corporate espionage,
   suspect scientific morals, the disillusionment of the rich, &c. Just
   fascinating stuff especially as the world seems to go in this
   direction IRL.

   Count Zero[4] is Paul-approved. 🕸