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

Many say William Gibson birthed cyber-punk. This imaginative, far ranging Part2 of a groundbreaking Trilogy has deeply human (and some semi-human) heroes & villains. Read it now; read it again in 37 years, like I did. Really worth it. Both times.As an aside, it's really interesting this time around, to see which of his almost psychic predictions came true, and which didn't .

As the sequel to Gibson's seminal Neuromancer I knew what I was getting in to when I began this book but I have to admit the first third of the book almost lost me as it was introducing a set of almost entirely new characters and premises. However, about halfway through the story opens up and makes a huge connection to Neuromancer and boy was I glad I made it through. Once this story hits it's strange Voodoo infected, cyberspace running stride you won't want to put it down until all the mysteries have been solved and everyone's fates sealed.Highlights- people so rich they have tranceded humanity, the titular Count Zero is an excellent everyman kind of character that makes the story easy to follow - for the first half of the book he's as confused as I was and it works perfectlyVoodoo in my cyberpunk? Yes, pleaseLowlights-It's heady and dense and honestly I already know I have to read it again to truly sus out the finer plot detailsThere's a weird few moments of lust from and older man to a 17 year old- but it's pretty easy to ignore

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’s been 20 years since I last read Count Zero and honestly, I had forgotten much of it. But this rereading was highly enjoyable. It was better than I remembered.The book starts slow and it took me about 50% before I started getting into it. But then it just gets better and better. So stick with it early on. Gibson’s writing always feels a little hectic and schizophrenic so it takes longer to get into the flow of it. Some people will find it a bit frustrating, but it’s worth it for the way this book ends.As a side note, the prominent mention of brands is curious and interesting. Many things are given explicit brands in CZ. The Honda helicopter. The Braun cyberspace deck (followed by the Hosaka and the ever-so-elite Ono-Sendai). Hosaka and Maas are big corporations that lawlessly kill to protect or steal talent. I don’t know why this seemed to stick out so much more on this reading, but it did. And I found it interesting. I remember sitting and thinking about Braun and where that company was in 1985 that would make Gibson mention it as he did. There was definitely a Germany vs Japan future clash that was a low smoldering element throughout the book.I think I actually prefer CZ over Neuromancer, at least at this point.

Great book

Good book, delivered on time

… cyberspace, artificial intelligence, zaibatusus battling each other.That moment one realises the connection to Neuromancer is cool.I read it twice already and will again.

If you are familiar with William Gibson's work you will be right at home, it's an easy read, with complicated language, interesting characters and situations.

Mille excuses! Bien reçu!JLB