Count Zero (Sprawl Trilogy) Mass Market Paperback – April 1, 1987

Count Zero is a worthy sequel to "Neuromancer", and is one of those rare works (with its siblings) that seems almost (but not quite) prophetic. Gibson's world is similar to ours in oh so many ways, and the corollaries between the Internet of today and his vision of cyberspace in 1987 are astonishing. One has to wonder if the names of the nations/corporations were just changed a bit, and the dates were just shifted a bit into the future...whether we are getting closer to Gibson's grim and dystopian future? (So maybe it is prophetic after all?)This book is really about introducing "The Count" himself, and describing the events that shaped him for the concluding book of this trilogy: "Mona Lisa Overdrive". The world is fleshed out a bit, and the reader is treated to the unending complexity of Gibson's world. This, like the other two books in the series are fascinating and in many ways plausible look at how the world _might_ end up. Although this truly is a setup book, don't let that dissuade you, the characters are awesome, and the story is engaging.I recall reading this years ago, perhaps about the time it appeared on the bookshelves the first time, and being fascinated with it. Now, with 25+ years between its' publishing and today, it still manages to capture my attention and interest. Gibson is one of those writers who can write stories about characters and technology in such a way that while central to the story the technology doesn't overwhelm the characters and is abstract enough that even 25 years after he penned the book, it doesn't feel dated or implausible, just different.In this, "Neuromancer" "Count Zero" & "Mona Lisa Overdrive" remind me of E.E. "Doc" Smith's Lensman Novels where starships are flown with banks of Levers, Valves and Inertial Navigation systems, or even the great Isaac Asimov's Foundation books, where "Atomics" rule the day. Even though the technology in their works is dated or even absurd, the stories still stand and are considered classics. So too "Neuromancer", "Count Zero" & "Mona Lisa Overdrive" where I think you'll find that the concept of a [Cyber] Deck isn't so far different from modern tablets, cell phones & PC's after all...and Cyberspace absolutely reeks of the modern Internet (aka Cyberspace!). Even without that easy correlation however, like Asimov & Smith, Gibson's books are bonified classics.On top of that, "Neuromancer", "Count Zero" & "Mona Lisa Overdrive" are THE books that began the entire Cyberpunk genre/meme. How cool is that?"Count Zero" is a book I consider a staple of my collection of great Science Fiction. For me, it and its' siblings stand proudly among my collection of Asimov, Foster, Anderson, Anthony, Pohl, Banks, Bova, Smith, Heinlein, Dickson and many others.

It can be very interesting to see 3 different perspectives moving through the same story, which Gibson has done well to curate into a cohesive narrative, though it can feel a bit disjointed at times, as well. Gibson, much like Neuromancer, is happy to throw you into the deep end of terminology and facsimiles that can take you a moment to decode before moving on, but eventually you get a handle on how characters speak, and the slang they use.A great book to read, though maybe not as high a point as the first book.

Reading this book is like living an unbelievably dangerous yet fascinating life in some future that contains every past. And your senses are, every one of them, turned to 11 on a scale of 10. Sure there’s tech—the metaverse, you know—but what dominates is every detail of the many, diverse lives, all entangled, as in a vast web, made to move by a wannabe all-powerful entity seeking transcendence from a chaos of cells to an infinity of charge. Remember to breathe!

I'm reading the Sprawl Trilogy from a writer's perspective--I'm trying to figure out Gibson's style. I've finished book 2 "Count Zero" and I think I can better analyze it now. . .Imagine Hemingway writing SF. That might be a decent approximation to what Gibson is doing. Minimalist. Hemingway could write the bare minimum describing a cloudless sky in a hot desert in a way that would make you imagine a hawk screeching overhead without him actually writing it. That is a mastery of the art. The problem is when you try to do that with science fiction you leave the reader high and dry. We KNOW about skies, deserts, and the hawk not written about but we've never ventured into Gibson's "matrix" or his imagined world of internet voodoo gods so. . .how the hell is a reader supposed to fill in the blanks Hemingway-style?My take is that science fiction, more than just about any other genera, demands description especially when the writer takes you on a ride to completely uncharted territories--which is exactly the case when you're writing about cyberspace. Gibson at once leaves too much to the imagination but demands that you remember the most inconsequential detail barely mentioned 60 pages earlier for the impending plot twist to make sense. Contrast this style with somebody from the opposite end of the spectrum, like Dan Simmons.While Gibson leaves nearly the entire burgeoning internet to your imagination Simmons spends tens of pages describing the worlds of "Hyperion" that you've never been to and have never seen. I prefer Simmons' style to Gibson in the realm of science fiction. I come here to see things I've never seen before, not to be told "go figure it out for yourself." Heck, I was doing that anyway before I picked up the Sprawl Trilogy.So Count Zero is a good read even though it is not my style. Maybe it's yours. You decide.Bobby Newmark, a.k.a. Count Zero comes off appropriately like a teenage little puke. His character arc is. . .developed, I suppose. He's hired for his hacking "cowboy" expertise and his big scene amounts almost to just being in the right place at the right time (again with the minimalist approach). I was hoping for a little more action.Turner is a good bad ass--a real bounty hunter/rogue Special Forces/007 type. He kicks ass when required and ends the book as just a tiny bit of a softie. SPOILER ALERT! He's a daddy and you're supposed to remember waaaaaay back 120 pages earlier he had a one night stand (you figure his character has had many, but this isn't that kind of book) with a third tier character who steps on the stage, fools around, and then leaves. Then at the end of the book in the epilogue he’s a daddy. The End. Huh? Yeah. Good night.I mean the plot is decent, the characters aren't exactly cardboard cutouts. They live and breathe somewhat. And the story travels along. I suppose Gibson's greatness is in his ability to make you anticipate. . .something. The internet is apparently crawling with voodoo gods from the union of Neuromancer and Wintermute from the previous book but you barely see them. In fact, they're really only hinted at. As a reader, wouldn't you really want to get into what the hell these internet voodoo gods are? How they act? Get under their skin? I was hoping to at least meet them man-to-cybergod. Well, you won't get much of that here.Gibson is all anticipation and not so much satisfaction. All tease and really little pay off.You'll like Gibson if you like to be teased but without much fulfillment. He's a master at that. So, yeah, he has a following. And massive awards.But I'm looking for a different style.