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    Zero History
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    Zero History
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    Zero History
    Audiobook13 hours

    Zero History

    Written by William Gibson

    Narrated by Robertson Dean

    4/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    The iconic visionary returns with his first new novel since the New York Times bestseller Spook Country.

    Whatever you do, because you are an artist, will bring you to the next thing of your own...

    When she sang for The Curfew, Hollis Henry's face was known worldwide. She still runs into people who remember the poster. Unfortunately, in the post-crash economy, cult memorabilia doesn't pay the rent, and right now she's a journalist in need of a job. The last person she wants to work for is Hubertus Bigend, twisted genius of global marketing; but there's no way to tell an entity like Bigend that you want nothing more to do with him. That simply brings you more firmly to his attention.

    Milgrim is clean, drug-free for the first time in a decade. It took eight months in a clinic in Basel. Fifteen complete changes of his blood. Bigend paid for all that. Milgrim's idiomatic Russian is superb, and he notices things. Meanwhile no one notices Milgrim. That makes him worth every penny, though it cost Bigend more than his cartel-grade custom-armored truck.

    The culture of the military has trickled down to the street- Bigend knows that, and he'll find a way to take a cut. What surprises him though is that someone else seems to be on top of that situation in a way that Bigend associates only with himself. Bigend loves staring into the abyss of the global market; he's just not used to it staring back.

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    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherPenguin Random House Audio
    Release dateSep 7, 2010
    ISBN9781101436769
    Unavailable
    Zero History
    Author

    William Gibson

    William Gibson’s first novel, Neuromancer, won the Hugo Award, the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award, and the Nebula Award in 1984. He is credited with having coined the term “cyberspace,” and having envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before either existed. His other novels include All Tomorrow’s Parties, Idoru, Virtual Light, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and Count Zero. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia with his wife and two children.

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    Reviews for Zero History

    4/5

    585 ratings54 reviews

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    • 4/5
      Gibson has a knack for drawing you in with scenes that reveal just enough to keep you interested, but do not divulge too much...all with intricate and beautifully-phrased sentences...[in progress]
    • 4/5
      A pretty good read, a thriller set in the present (or a slightly SF version of same). Gibson seems to be becoming ever-more-intrigued with brand names and the minutiae of collectors' obsession, to the detriment of his books I think. In his early novels this manifested in the makes and models of imaginary guns, then there was a foray into watch collecting, and now it's men's streetwear and the rarefied world of limited-edition underground jeans. Not on the face of it a promising foundation for a thriller plot. Also I noticed an awful lot of characters explaining the plot to each other so the reader can keep up.
    • 3/5
      A very strange urban fiction book (close but not quite sci-fi). Challenging to keep up with. Just when I think I'm getting a handle on the plot, it jumps again. Maddening, but couldn't abandon.
    • 1/5
      I had real trouble becoming engaged in this book. So far, I've made 2 attempts at reading it and quit before page 70. Maybe just not my type of gene?
    • 2/5
      Couldn't finish. Lost interest.
    • 3/5
      I dunno about this one. I never did figure out what they were doing or who all these people were. So much depended on remembering the two earlier books (which I didn't), and so much that was going on was ambiguous. Usually this is the kind of stuff I like but I couldn't wrap myself around it this time. Still, I read the whole thing, so there.
    • 3/5
      I listened to this book again after having read it years ago. Somewhat confusing plot but an enjoyable ride getting to the end.
    • 4/5
      Hollis Henry, whose financial security has eroded since Spook Country (the second book in the series) returns to do another job for the head of Blue Ant, a marketing company whose modus operandi is not unlike that of high level spy craft. In this story, Hollis needs to discover who is mimicking Blue Ant's unique marketing techniques and finds herself being shuttled between surreal hotels as she tries to unravel who is behind a secret brand of clothing. As mundane as the assignment sounds, this techno-thriller quickly escalates into a fast-paced action adventure tale. Gibson brings all the various threads together from the previous titles, updating the technology (iPhones are now in the picture!) and keeping the issues/themes relevant. A great finish to an otherwise somewhat-mediocre series.
    • 4/5
      Took a while but surprisingly good.
    • 2/5
      Mostly about women discussing fashion and men. None of the Blue Ant books have much in terms of plot but this one is homoeopathic in that regard. Too much fashion and house décor descriptions with just a smattering of corporate espionage (?) and a deus ex machina ending like last one. In spite of not being science fiction I find the action less plausible than any of the sprawl or bridge series.
    • 4/5
      Fast paced thriller
    • 3/5
      My third Gibson, long after "Necromancer". Set in the almost present and replete with Gibson's typically futurist ideas, I found this one more of a struggle. There is no plot in the traditional sense. I don't mind too much because Gibson writes interesting characters and lots of good action. And, yes, lots of weirdness and ideas to stimulate your brain. But while a lot happens, neither you, nor the characters really know what's going on around, or behind, them.
    • 2/5
      This is my second William Gibson book. Probably my last due to not liking either one. I "should" like it ... but I find the writing style and content not worth the effort. There are plenty of great books in the world ... I'll pass on these.
    • 5/5
      You know how some authors take special care with the opening line of their novel, making sure that it's catchy and well-crafted, giving it a 'hook'?
      Gibson's writing is like that all the way through. It's not just a veneer of style on top - nearly every single paragraph contains some adroit turn of phrase, some new and startlingly fresh way of looking at an ordinary detail, and/or a thought-provoking idea.
      I think Gibson could write about any topic at all and make it fascinating. I mean, if you'd asked me if I'd be thrilled to read a book about fashion marketing it's doubtful that I'd say yes. But this is a fantastic book. Like all of Gibson's books.
    • 1/5
      Hollis Henry, an ex-punk rockstar, is called in to do another job for Hubertus Bigend and his PR company Blue Ant. This time, he wants her find out who designs a particularly underground clothing label. Assisting her will be Milgrim, the ex-junkie who can translate Russian (this is seriously his only skill, but given that Hollis has no skills at all, it's a step up). They wander Europe on Blue Ant's obscenely expansive expense account asking people about the clothing label. This is literally the entirety of their plan: to walk up to other clothing designers and ask them if they know about this underground label. Over and over again. It doesn't result in much plot or dialog, but it does give Gibson an excuse to describe, ad nauseum, the outfit of every single character in every single scene. Around page 300 Gibson seems to recollect that books require plots, and randomly there's a kidnapping. Hollis and Milgrim are, as in everything, useless in getting their kidnapped colleague back. Somehow, Hollis's boyfriend turns up with a plan. Random coincidences occur, everyone speaks in clipped non-sequitors, and the kidnapped colleague gets free.

      I never knew what was happening or why I should care, nor did I like any of the characters*, no matter how cool their haircuts and boots (although apparently their hair and boots are very cool indeed. Gibson expends a great deal of effort and page space reminding us of this). It's a terrible, dull book. Gibson was known for his prescient views of the future, but given that every page is a list of brandnames, his current stories will seem dated very quickly. Skip this series.



      *Actually, I quite enjoyed Heidi, Hollis's former drummer and a physically fearless bad-ass.
    • 4/5
      Fun. The junkie becomes the most important character. Another Gibson tale in which the weedy guy gets the cool girl who can do the masculine things, e.g., kill people, ride a motorcycle. A more typical romance as well, which was a little off-putting in a Gibson novel.
    • 4/5
      Good read - a continuation of the new series by Gibson. Love the new tech and ideas he generates and Bigend is such a mad character.
    • 4/5
      I find this a rather hard book to talk about because not very much happens. This is certainly not a plot-driven book, ironic when you consider the closest genre for placement would probably be thriller. And I can't call a character-driven book. In fact, it took me a while to get into it as the rapid switching of viewpoint between the two main characters held them at arm's length for a while (although I eventually became quite heavily invested in them).I think I'd describe it as an idea-driven book, touching on cultural trends, memes and behaviors. When you look at Gibson's work as a whole, this isn't a departure. While his stories range from cyberpunk to steampunk to action, there's an underlying awareness and perspective on our culture that is very dominant.I think the best description of what it felt like to read this book is the blurb on the back from Time: "...writing about the present as if it were the future." That's exactly the sense I had. It felt like speculative fiction but, when I stopped to think about it, everything in the story could exist today.
    • 5/5
      Too soon to be more articulate than that I loved it and it tied the Blue Ant novels together in a way I didn't expect. Wonderful stuff.
    • 4/5
      While there is still a heavy dose of the off-beat cultural and technological references, this book seemed to spend a bit more time devoted to fleshing out the major characters and establishing what is making them tick. You can take this to apply to the case of a once monolithic inscrutable corporation which ends up being sent off along a new trajectory by the end of it all. The reader has to pay attention to what's going on or risk getting rather lost along the way, what with all the threads that are in play simultaneously.

      Is this third book in the Bigend series the last one? My hunch is that it will be, but I won't be upset if Gibson proves me wrong.
    • 3/5
      I'm not the greatest fan of William Gibson. His ability to write well crafted stories is really amazing. I think that is about the only thing I enjoyed in this story. Really wonderful writing. However, I neither liked, identified with, or even really cared about what happened with the characters. I understand the first two are not critical - but I think the last one probably is. I only found the plot or central conflict to be non-interesting, at best. The main central plot revolved around a kidnapping swap - but the setup for it was intensely long and filled with speculations about secret marketing techniques that either are not true, are true, and even if true, I couldn't care less about. Yawn. Great writing, though. So good it kept me moving along for the 400 pages of people I didn't care about and a plot that was a snooze.
    • 2/5
      For many of us, William Gibson set a new standard. We had never read anything like “Johnny Mnemonic” or Neuromancer, and we began devouring anything Gibson printed. While nothing quite equaled those first shots (what would?) the follow ups continued a tradition of excellence that kept us coming back for more.I don’t know if he is in a lull, if age has brought on less freshness of ideas, or time is catching up with his innnovations, but any of these could be a possible reason for the near miss that is this novel.As is usual with a Gibson novel, a plot synopsis is not particularly useful. There are syndicates involved and individuals who have found themselves part of those syndicates. In the case of Milgrim, he is, effectively, an experiment by Hubertus Bigend who wants to see what he can do with this person (Milgrim) after he dries him out. Milgrim is partnered with Hollis Henry who has worked for Bigend before, swearing never to again, but we all know how those swearings go.And what it is the big pursuit, why have these protagonists, antagonists, and culprits been brought together to help us spend our time reading this novel? Fashion.Now, Gibson has some interesting things to say in the area, and the pursuit of a secret brand drives the novel perfectly well...except…well, fashion?This is where the novel lost me completely. Fantastic writing, no doubt. Gibson draws interesting people and tells a compelling story. But…fashion?(I am reminded of the joke about Stephen King when he is trying to come up with an idea for a story. “Let’s see what’s on my desk. A lamp. Ooooo, a haunted lamp. Scary.”)But let’s skip that whole “fashion” issue. Another problem with this book is it feels dated. A lot of time is spent explaining Twitter and other social media tropes to Milgrim. In addition, a lot of time was spent explaining drones. Now, Milgrim has effectively lost much of his past, and that might explain why explanations are necessary. But, since the book was published in 2010, Gibson may have felt the need to provide the explanations for his readers.Which gets to another interesting point. Gibson is most successful when he explores a future that seems to be just around the corner, but will really take a little more technology than we know about right now. In this case, he may have shot for a future that wasn’t “future” enough. In fact, at times, I wasn’t sure if it was meant to be future or present day. It didn’t work as either.Again, excellent writing. And his eye for detail – explaining and describing situations and environments that we might never experience – continues to be unsurpassed. But the novel itself took forever to really move forward (part way through I was tempted to just give up, and if it hadn’t been for a long flight where I had no other alternatives, I might have actually done it) and once it does move, you still wonder why you are supposed to care.Definitely not a must read. And probably only read if you are a Gibson completest.
    • 4/5
      The series of novels by Gibson that started with "Pattern Recognition" seemed like a radical departure for Gibson at the time, and they are very different from earlier works like "Neuromancer" but Gibson's fascination with how societies are structured, how order emerges out of seeming chaos, and the hidden parts of culture and society remain. I really enjoyed this one, made me want to reread "Pattern Recognition" and "Spook Country" again.
    • 4/5
      Interesting: Despite having a lower Gooodreads rating than Pattern Recognition, I liked Zero History far better. Maybe Gibson's style finally grew on me, but I don't think it's just that. There's a bit more depth here, less empty hype (to me, at least).

      I skipped Spook Country (Blue Ant #2) for the simple reason I didn't have it -- I got Pattern Recognition and Zero History not knowing they were a part of a trilogy. Zero History worked fine even without knowing what happened in Spook Country, even though many of the characters carried through from the previous book. Now I'm not sure whether or not I should read Spook Country.

      A good read.
    • 2/5
      Wow, the first William Gibson that I have been unable to finish. Stalled with 100 pages to go.

      I respect Gibson wanting to move beyond cyberpunk. But leaving behind the obsession with unique objects, while taking out all the interesting stuff, did not work for me. Unique hand-crafted cyberspace deck that a protagonist uses to live a life on the edge? Interesting. Uniquely strange diorama created by an AI in a satellite? Interesting. Unique underground brand of designer jeans? Uninteresting.
    • 3/5
      It's kind of like science fiction about the present. Lots of weird, painfully hip people in the most amazingly cool clothes. And it mentions the Burj Khalifa, the tallest building in the world, which is a recent obesession of mine. Look it up! It's so creepy!

      Still, it's kind of sterile, and you don't really connect with the characters.
    • 4/5
      Enjoyable and engaging.
    • 3/5
      I am a long-time Gibson fan but I think his style is finally wearing badly on me. I still enjoy the stories but he goes about telling this tale like the blind men describe an elephant, to use an aphorism. Another way of putting it is I felt like I was seated backward on a tour bus, getting information from the sides and behind as we drove by, never getting the forward view.He seems to take perverse delight in keeping our heads pointed away from the meat of the story. If we start getting close to the plot, well, then it must be time to describe the intricate pattern of a china tea cup. I never met a group of people so obsessed with the fashion details of everything around them. How do they get anything done? Oh right, they generally don't, lol.I like his bizarre characters and situations. Milgrim, Fiona, Bigend, Inchmale, Garreth, Ajay, Heidi etcetera are all so outrageous in different ways. He builds a lot of sympathy for Milgrim along the way. And he wraps things up quite nicely at the very end. His foreshadowing is done with an extremely light touch but still feels fair at the end.One aspect he does very badly are the "action" scenes. Holy murky fish tank Batman! His communicates such scenes by throwing a giant blanket over the scene and describing the outlines. Yeah, I'm being vague because I don't want to spoiler anything but that's the sense of it. Mr. Gibson, put on your big-boy author pants and write your action scenes more frickin' clearly. You won't have to work TOO hard because there are only two or three such scenes in your whole book. Don't be so afraid to cast a little light onto what is actually happening as it happens. Yeah, I am over-raging a little here but I was put out by the whole texture of the narrative.I like Gibson's take on trends, marketing, and such so... sigh... I am likely to read his next book as well.
    • 5/5
      Gibson's last three books have just got better and better. In 'Zero History' we are back with Hollis Henry, former lead singer with The Curfew; Milgrim, the damaged shady operative; and Hubertus Bigend, who is beginning to look ever more like someone bigger than just a media and marketing guru. Indeed, part-way through this novel, there is an incident which made me think "What IS a marketing guru doing with hardware like THIS?". By the end of the book, some of Bigend's motivation is coming clear, and the words "Bond villain" are attached to him, only partly in jest. And parts of it I found laugh-out-loud funny.Gibson has fallen in love with London, but he still sees it through the eyes of an outsider; speaking through Milgrim, he constantly expresses surprise at how London differs from daily life in the USA. And there is some sort of resolution for his characters; even, perhaps, some happy endings, not something you'd normally associate with Gibson.This is now a novel of Today; for one thing, since reading it, I've done a double-take whenever I've encountered a Toyota Hilux pickup on the road. My one question is this: where does Gibson go from here?
    • 4/5
      William Gibson is on fine form here. It is written in a slightly obtuse style which isn't so unsettling that you fall behind, but enough to make the ride interesting. There is no simple classification of the characters as heroes and villains - you have to watch as the events unfold and the allegiances sort themselves out.At the end he gives credit to the people who gave him ideas and I was surprised at how many weren't his. I hadn't read the previous books in the series and I didn't feel like I'd missed out, so you can jump in with this book. The setting is the near future so it will quickly become dated so I suggest catching it now while it's fresh.