Review: Spook Country by William Gibson

I started this book just before last Christmas and while I found it interesting, it turned out to be the book that I set aside from time to time to read other, more captivating, works first. I am notorious for loving long novels and this one, though I bought it in hardcover, just didn't have the heft I was looking for. The truth is, though, that I'm a huge William Gibson fan. I always find myself falling for his geeky-cool characters and find his style to be very close to home.

This book's subject matter was just a touch out of reach for me. Though I kept up well enough, I don't imagine that most people would. It's half hacker innovation and part spy movie. Until I picked up this book, I have never imagined the usefulness of "geo-hacking," using the GPS satellite networks to track items, people or even create art, as this book details.

The story is told from the point of view of three very different individuals, all pieces of the story puzzle who are approaching the middle from very different angles. There is Hollis Henry, the ex-lead singer of a moderately famous rock band turned journalist, investigating locative art for a mysterious magazine. There is Tito, a young member of a Cuban-Russian-Chinese crime family who specializes in data smuggling. Lastly there is Milgrim, a Russian speaking drug addict who is being held hostage by a government man who needs his skills to track Tito. All three are working toward a single shipping container. The second string of characters, from Hollis' old band mates to Tito's highly trained family, are just as easy to visualize as these three and I really enjoy them.

I've only read one book by Gibson in the past, his first cyberpunk offering, Neuromancer. I loved Neuromancer and while Spook Country doesn't quite captivate me as much, there is still the strong cool factor that I gathered from his first work. I will definitely read more of his books.

One thing that I really loved about this book was the chapter titles! So many authors seem to let this old art form slip but I always appreciate clever chapter titles. Some great ones from Spook Country that stand out to me are "International Currency of Bad Shit," "Spectacles, Testicles, Wallet and Watch," and "Mongolian Death Worm." I chuckled at these as I found them and it will probably be the most memorable aspect of this book for me.

As for how accurate the information in the book is, geo-hacking and all that, I can't say. It's not something I found easy to research. I thought it was interesting, what I could follow. I also can't really say that the content was all that relevant for my daily life but that's the great thing about cyberpunk. It's near-future enough for everything to seem accessible but still wild enough to spark the imagination.

Down to my recommendation, I will always recommend William Gibson stylistically. However the content of this book may feel like failing to tread water to the those less open to obscure technology.