William Gibson - Spook Country

Book Review: William Gibson - Spook Country

I was pretty disappointed with the book. The near-future genre is only interesting if the technology/societal changes are interesting in some way. The helmet technology that superimposes itself over the real world was not really all that interesting as it was only presented as generic artwork. Augmented Reality is already here and already more provocative than the glimpse we saw in Spook Country.

The thriller plot itself was reasonable, but dry. Not knowing whats going on is integral to maintain tension, but this was taken too far. Nothing happened in the first 90% of the book as far as I was concerned. That may explain why it took me months and months to finish the book. It was just too easy to put down.

The characters were unique and interesting and the alternating flow of characters and threads was handled reasonably. There was just too much weak dialog and action for my tastes. A little more violence and debauchery would have gone a long way to loosen up the story. Too many characters were stone-faced and without any interesting character flaws.

Overall, Spook Country is a plain thriller with a slow start, little action, and an uninspiring vision of the "future".

F Paul Wilson - Implant

A political thriller of sorts. A mad doctor implants mind-altering drugs into a congressman who had ruined his life and ultimately caused his daughter to commit suicide. The science and politics is all quite realistic and the Washington D.C. setting is described in good detail.

The hero is a young female doctor, whose life the mad doctor had saved when she was very young. Her journey to discover who is killing/drugging the members of the Doctor Guidelines committee is done quite well. The addition of a romantic interest does well to flesh out her character in counterpoint to the less than cinematic action.

Interesting gimmick: The mad doctor and the hero trade comments using uncommon out of use words, like 'kakiocracy'. Handy to have an online dictionary to look up words so that reading wouldn't be interrupted.

The suspense heightens to the predictable conclusion with a satisfying pace. A satisfying read. Well written, with no deus-ex-machina-type surprises.

Very valuable description of how to create the perfect cup of coffee. Hint: don't use paper filters.

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest is the last book of the Millenium trilogy. It ties up all the loose ends without a make-believe Disney happy ending. The political complexities at the beginning of the novel seemed unnecessarily detailed and slowed the pace of the story. I found it difficult enough to keep track of street names and towns and regions without having to make sense of tangential political events.

The most satisfying aspect of the book was that Lisbeth Salander stayed true to character right up to the end. No cathartic breakdown at the end, nor a 'got my lifemate: now I'm happy/complete' type ending. She was the same person, flaws included, when she was at her lowest as when she finally wins. Its not pretty but it was satisfying.

Blomkvist, Erika Berger, and the supporting cast of characters, are well fleshed out and integrated into the story. The 'bad guys' are varied and interesting, but are not major characters in the story. They get their appropriate comeuppances but the issue is the political system and society in general that Larsson wants to be the focus of out disapprobation. As Blomkvist says near the end of the book, "When it comes down to it, this story is not primarily about spies and secret government agencies; it’s about violence against women, and the men who enable it."

In all, an excellent crime/thriller trilogy with interesting characters, an exotic (for me) location, and a compelling story.

The Girl Who Played with Fire

The Girl Who Played with Fire answers all the questions about Salander's past that we had in the first book of the Millenium trilogy. Of course we end up with more questions by the end of the book.

Mikael Blomkvist's next case takes him into the world of the sex trade. When a journalist and his girlfriend are assassinated and Salander is accused of the crime, Blomkvist must solve the murders to clear his friend. His sleuthing uncovers government corruption and the horrific history of Salander's treatment by the system.

Lisbeth Salander finally achieves some measure of independence, security, and contentment in her life. It all falls apart when she is implicated in the deaths of the Millenium journalists. Never a victim, Salander uses her unusual skills to track down the real killers and confront her past “when ‘All The Evil’ happened.”.

A well-crafted second book in a trilogy. The suspense and action was well balanced. When Lisbeth disappears after the murders she does not reappear in the story for quite some time. It was hard to put the book down when you didn't know if she was laying on a beach somewhere or tied up in a basement. The conclusion was satisfying in a bittersweet way and there were enough loose ends needing tying up to make a the last book a must-read.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson is the first book in the Millenium trilogy of books. Frank Rich's article in the New York Times describes the financial industry corruption and incompetence as a theme in the book and that resonates so much these days.

I found the book easy to put down at first. After reading a dozen or so fantasy/scifi books in a row I thought it was time to touch base with more mainstream fiction. The Millenium series seemed to show up on many best-seller lists so it seemed like a good candidate. By the time I has half way through I could not put the book down; and after staying up all night to finish the book I was cracking the next book while the birds outside were greeting the new day.

Financial journalist Mikael Blomkvist investigates an old missing person case that leads to uncovering a number of gruesome murders. He and his magazine, Millenium, provide insight into Swedish culture, politics, and economy. Blomkvist is a normal man put into an unusual situation. His partner is another matter.

Lisbeth Salander is a four foot eleven, 90 pound, misanthrope who truculently and sometimes violently deals with the obstacles set before her. She is hired by Blomkvist to do research for him and they soon settle into a friendship of sorts. Salander is not a the sort of character one warms up to. Her past is wrapped in mystery. She has been dealt a bad hand by life yet refuses to be a victim. A complex character, the reader is left wanting to know more about her.

Definitely worth reading.