c/d: 'pattern recognition'

also, worryingly in light of above concerns, the russian mob appear to be involved

I would stop reading now if I were you. I wanted so much like this one but I was really disappointed.

I would write more on why I think this book fails but I fear spoiling you reading experience.

ALSO, I think I recall in that Jameson essay he used Infinite Jest as a point of comparison, claiming something to the effect of literature moving beyond drugs as subjects matter, which I thought was crap.

I might be misremembering, but I liked that it DIDN'T turn into too much of a thriller. Kind of like Idoru, where there may indeed be gunfights and laser katanas and shit going on, but it's all off-page because the perspective is that of a quiet professional-type on the sidelines.

i finished this last night. the thriller biz makes it plenty readable, i guess. i did wonder to what extent gibson wanted to enforce "tarkovsky + bond" in it, i couldn't tell if that was meant to be any more relevant than e.g. the "Cayce Pollard Standard Time" tic

his 90s books have "laser katanas"? good, not going to get around to those anytime soon then

p.s. thanx

I was not a fan. The mysterious artwork sounds more like a perfume ad on TV starring Scarlett Johansen than something that people could obsess about for years (I suppose it is supposed to sound like a Chris Marker fillum or some such, but it is always hard for people to describe great works of art that they have completely made up - best to try and work around it somehow like Borges) and the whole schtick about Kaycee's branding powers is very annoying - like she wanks on for hours about her obscure japanese duffel coat and then has the cheek to mock other people for liking burberry or whatever (perhaps this is supposed to be irony but I don't think so, as William is relying on us going "hell yeah, Hilfigger is narsty and bland!" so we like Kaycee, and the evil PR girl is characterised solely as being a prada wearer (or something similar) ie it is only ok to wank on about brands if the nasty proles haven't heard of them. Also it is a bit rich asking us to hate a PR girl when Kaycee is a "coolhunter" - one of the most annoying and heinous professions ever devised.

I found it annoying and unrealistic that she meets that guy off the web message board and doesn't realise that he is straight and available - like that would happen. On boards like that you end up knowing a lot about your best net-friends personal lives, in my experience. Do more research pls Bill!

All these are really fairly minor irritations but they all add up and there is nothing particularly good about the book to counterbalance them (apart from the usual expensive hotel/travel porn). The final plot resolution about (SPOILER) Russian gangsters beautiful but mentally ill artist daughter just had me audibly scoffing at the lameness.

her coat possesses a mythic power of anonymity, - her clothes aren't ever meant to be "cool" as such - jameson gets this rlly wrong in his piece - also jameson doesn't mention the film much? which is odd bcz he has a big spiel on made up works of art in one of his books, i thought

her falling for the internet dweeb is a little lot mary sueish i think; gibson's composition of the board didn't bug me that much

i imagine i'll reread gibson when i'm doing pop fiction next semester, look forward to another thread revive yay whee

her relegation to spectatorship and being rescued at the end annoys me on at least two levels.

Anyone read the new one yet?

http://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/the-unsettling-mystery-of-the-creepiest-channel-on-youtube