|
| The Cobweb | 
 enlarge | Authors: Neal Stephenson, J. Frederick George
Publisher: Spectra
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $2.37
You Save: $12.63 (84%)
New (20) Used (26) from $2.37
Avg. Customer Rating:  12 reviews
Sales Rank: 18905
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 448
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.3 x 5.2 x 1
ISBN: 0553383442
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN: 9780553383447
ASIN: 0553383442
Publication Date: May 31, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Creased and torn covers. Mild water damage on the back cover. Heavily read pages. Decent reading copy in acceptable condition. Orders Shipped in One Business Day! Great Customer Service. Your Satisfaction is Guaranteed!
|
| Also Available In:
|
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning success of his latest novel, Quicksilver, Neal Stephenson has quickly become the voice of a generation. In this now-classic political thriller, he and fellow author J. Frederick George tell a savagely witty, chillingly topical tale set in the tense moments of the Gulf War.
When a foreign exchange student is found murdered at an Iowa University, Deputy Sheriff Clyde Banks finds that his investigation extends far beyond the small college town—all the way to the Middle East. Shady events at the school reveal that a powerful department is using federal grant money for highly dubious research. And what it’s producing is a very nasty bug.
Navigating a plot that leads from his own backyard to Washington, D.C., to the Gulf, where his Army Reservist wife has been called to duty, Banks realizes he may be the only person who can stop the wholesale slaughtering of thousands of Americans. It’s a lesson in foreign policy he’ll never forget.
Download Description
Neal Stephenson is the author of The System Of The World, The Confusion, Quicksilver, Cryptonomicon, The Diamond Age, Snow Crash, and other books and articles.
J. Frederick George is a historian and writer living in Paris.
From the Trade Paperback edition.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 7 more reviews...
Neal Stephenson lite October 14, 2005
94 out of 95 found this review helpful
In recent years, Stephenson's work has become increasingly complicated. The Baroque cycle is a study in intricate plots, characters that seem to number in the thousands, and difficult material that is not readily accessible to the average novel reader. The Cryptonomicon met that description as well, but to a lesser degree. While I enjoyed those books precisely for their complexity, many readers probably found them to be frustrating to read and difficult to follow.
The Stephen Bury novels do not present this problem for the casual reader. They are stripped of most of the technical lingo, and they tend to follow more in the footsteps of modern thrillers. The difference between these novels and the average Tom Clancy clone is that they revolve around powerful critiques of modern political cultures and bureacracies.
The Cobweb is the better of these two novels. The central critique of the intelligence community is that competence without political acumen is tantamount to career suicide. The book tracks the months between Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the start of Gulf War I and poses a terrifying question: what if the greatest enemies to our national security are the egomaniacs at the top of the security apparatus? Given the events that have transpired in between the writing of this novel and today, the question raised by this novel seems prescient.
The one thing that is lacking from the Stephen Bury novels is the decadence of Stephenson's other works. Stephenson is a novelist who has spent pages discussing the Captain Crunch-eating ritual of one of his characters (Cryptonomicon), the making of watered steel blades (the Baroque Cycle), and other incidental but vastly entertaining subjects too numerous to mention. These passages exquisitely sideline the plots of his books for an exercise in pure intellectual indulgence. Sadly, you will not find any such passages in this novel or in Interface.
A fun read. September 13, 2005
29 out of 29 found this review helpful
This book, despite its newer publication date, is a re-issue but is entertaining to read. Neal Stephenson and his uncle, George Jewsbury, under the name J. Frederick George, created a tale of intrigue set during the first Gulf War which is relatively fast-paced. Stephenson's talent for characters and entertaining narrative are evident. Like some of Stephenson's other books, especially Snow Crash, this book is easy to read and enjoyable. This book was originally published under the pseudonym Stephen Bury.
 Light reading that goes down wonderfully with no aftertaste April 30, 2006
17 out of 17 found this review helpful
I wasn't sure what to expect with this book. I'm a huge Neal Stephenson fan. His writing is wonderful. His characters are fascinating. This book, co-written with his uncle under the pen name Stephen Bury is, in my opinion, highly underrated.
First and foremost, if you've read Stephenson's recent work (Cryptonomicon, The Baroque Cycle) then you'll probably find The Cobweb to be somewhat light reading. On the other hand, if you like thrillers, this is a very easy and palatable read.
What I enjoyed most about The Cobweb were the indictments of Washington bureaucrats, and of the way the U.S. Government works (or doesn't, as is more likely). The book's characters are people are I can relate to, whether we're talking about simple speaking but intelligent deputy sheriff Clyde Banks or the cynical career CIA agent Hennessy. The family of wrestlers named Dhont and the (fictional) migratory Vakhan Turks added a lot to the tale.
Since I have spent five years on active duty in both the Marine Corps and the Army, I particularly enjoyed the critiques of bloated bureaucracy and the central theme of the book "being cobwebbed" by bureaucrats. The detailed descriptions of government bloat and inefficiency are spot on.
The Cobweb manages to mock politics, politicians, bureaucrats and bureaucray and I found that aspect of the novel highly refreshing. The only scene I found unrealistic or unbelievable in the entire novel was the shootout in downtown D.C. in which one of the characters survives a pistol battle only to ask, "What was that all about?" People who survive gun battles that take place inside a vehicle with the windows rolled up aren't going to be able to hear, but I can forgive the authors since they've probably never heard a gun fired inside a car with the windows rolled up. I'm pretty sure a lot of the botulism stuff was unrealistic too, but I'm not a scientist, and so my suspension of disbelief remained intact in regards to the Iraqi terrorist plot to use botulism against Israel and thereby break the coalition. I suspect that in the real world, though, such a scenario wouldn't work, because the truth of the matter is that every country but Britain could have pulled out of the first Gulf War and the result would still have been identical. Nevertheless, it's an interesting plot the kept my rapt attention throughout.
My favorite portion of The Cobweb is a long speech in which the jaded Hennessy explains that government does not solve problems it merely manages them. Bureaucrats don't actually fix anything, they find ways to drag out and prolong the problems, making them their own and passing them on to the next crop of bureaucrats, who continue the process of managing the problems.
The Cobweb is a wonderful yarn that highlights the best and worst in people and institutions and it's a wonderful romp through a fictional part of Iowa that I highly recommend. Guest starring two real historical characters - Tariq Aziz and George Herbert Walker Bush.
Great Ride July 15, 2005
15 out of 24 found this review helpful
In my youth, I enjoyed the Ken Follett and Tom Clancy stories. THis is an easier read (less technobablle) full of realistic and interesting characters. Quite a fun read with some good surprises. A great collaboration.
 A quick read November 4, 2005
14 out of 17 found this review helpful
I was concerned when I picked this up--having had bad experiences when a famous name is followed by "with....sub author." While it's true this doesn't contain the depth or breadth that I've come to expect from Stephenson, it was nice to have something lighter. Having lived through the Gulf War, it was interesting to read a piece focused on it and referring to characters who were extremely tangible to me. This would be a good introductory book for people starting on Stephenson.
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
