The Cobweb: A Novel by Neal Stephenson (Epub)

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.

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.

User’s Reviews

Review “Praise for Neal Stephenson: I have seldom felt such humble, intoxicated, euphoric and droolingly grateful awe as before Neal Stephenson’s … Baroque Cycle” — Christopher Brookmyre, * Glasgow Herald * “The Confusion Ideas about currency and calculus become thrilling because of the way Stephenson incorporates them into his story … Huge in scope … rich in detail … This weird, wonderful collision of scholarship and storytelling has no peer” * Time Out * “Quicksilver: A tour-de-force … Dense, witty, erudite and gripping, Quicksilver is … an indication that Stephenson’s Baroque Cycle is shaping up to be a far more impressive literary endeavour than most so-called “serious” fiction. No scholarly, and intellectually provocative, historical novel has been this much fun since The Name of the Rose” — Charles Shaar Murray * The Independent * “Cryptonomicon: The Gravity’s Rainbow of the information age … an astonishing, monumental performance; and if the rumours of a sequel are true, I can hardly wait” * The Independent * –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition. From the Inside Flap 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. –This text refers to an alternate kindle_edition edition.

Reviews from Amazon users, collected at the time the book is getting published on UniedVRG. It can be related to shiping or paper quality instead of the book content:

⭐ This was a great read; a standard thriller plot done with Stephenson’s gift for being wonderfully discursive. A staple theme of Stephenson’s work is an exploration of the power of an individual to change the world. Here a deputy county sheriff manages to do what many more powerful individuals could not. But what makes this a stand-out book is the humor–the author cannot resist the urge to comment on the absurdities of power politics and he is genuinely funny. And, if the 9/11 commission report is to be believed, Stephenson hit the nail on the head in his portrayal of our government’s intelligence apparatus.Yet, despite dysfunctional governmental agencies and the intrigue of shallow bureaucrats; it all boils down to protecting one’s own. In Stephenson’s world a quick thinking and honest individual will always prevail–that is a world in which I feel comfortable.Now, just a note: The ostensibly Mormon Vandeventers’ involvement with alcohol is about as likely as the Muslim characters roasting a pig on a spit. Nor would any BYU students be found in the only bar in Provo, Utah. Just isn’t done… Wouldn’t be prudent.

⭐ I enjoyed the book. It made me laugh, once I cried, it took me through various emotions. The characters were well developed and the plot was engaging. I liked it so much I just got “Interface” by the same authors. I liked much of Stephenson’s early work, but he lost me with the Baroque Cycle. I am looking forward to his new book.

⭐ Fans of Stephenson’s Snow Crash and The Big U will probably like this for the simple reason that the same sense of gross exaggeration and pinpoint satire is quite prevalent. Quite simply, Stephenson has some fun with this, from his character’s names (Desiree Dhont) to 400 pound wrestling freaks.But amongst all the fun there is a more serious bulwark that Stephenson attempts to pierce with this satire cum thriller, that of just how the American intelligence agencies really work (or don’t). Starting in 1990, the book covers the national and international events leading up to and through the beginning of the serious start of Gulf War I, with the major lynchpin of the plot revolving around just why there are so many Iraqi students working for their graduate degree at a small mid-west college.For a satire to be effective, there needs to be at least a small kernel of truth buried under all the barbs – and the portrait painted here of just how the CIA, FBI, NSA, and the rest of the alphabet soup really work is frightening because events that have occurred since this book was written (long before 9/11 and WMD intelligence made headlines) show that this portrait, rather than being a gross exaggeration generated by one (or two, in this case) fevered author’s mind, is painfully accurate. It is a sad commentary on our government agencies that shows that initiative and proper application of discerning, probing minds to the mass of raw data these agencies receive, rather than being appropriately acted upon and the initiator properly rewarded, is instead bound around by `study’ groups, stonewallers, credit grabbers, disavowed by everyone who stands to lose a smidgen of status because they were not the originators, denigrated, have their careers short-circuited, and in short are `cobwebbed’. There is also some sharp commentary on just how foreign policy is formed and implemented, and should be a wakeup reminder to people that the US supported Saddam’s regime for a long time merely to have a counterweight to Iran.As a story, this is a pretty good thriller, with a basic story line that is quite believable (as long as you can recognize when Stephenson is having another flight of grand exaggeration). The characterization of the deputy sheriff and the poor low-level GS-11 Washington analyst is good, and the situations they fall into actually proceed quite logically from one point to the next. Most of the rest of the characters are pretty thinly drawn, and in a few cases are mere stereotypes, but they perform their job of moving the plot along pretty well.Not as good as Snow Crash, but it comes close.—Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

⭐ Neal Stephenson always comes through. J. Fredrick George is new to me. Having said that, it seems that they collaborate well. If you enjoy political intrigue and twisting plots this is for you. Great characters.

⭐ If you really what to understand how government does (or much more often) does not work, this book sums it up very nicely. The title: “Cobweb” explains how good ideas and good people are treated. They’re “cobwebbed” so that they, and their ideas, can not move and comfort with the status quo reigns in the various empires that make up the place. As they say at the very beginning (and I’m paraphrasing) “problems are not solved, they’re managed, usually by building bureaucracies around them with the goal of keeping ones job until retirement.” An excellent book that probably would not be enjoyed (but would be understood) by most federal employees. The plot and action is also excellent, and the analysis of government and “cobwebbing” aside, it is an outstanding read.

⭐ I’m rereading Neal Stephenson’s work starting with Snow Crash. To me his earlier stuff seemed a learning experience and then he established himself as a generation’s leading light for speculative fiction writers along with William Gibson when Snow Crash came out. I’m at Cobweb now and realized it and Interface are my favorite early(pre-Cryptonomicon)Stephenson. To me Interface and Cobweb both rank with Cryptonomicon and Reamde and all four remain personal favorites. My feeling is J. Frederick George brought additional talents to the mix which made both authors strengths come out. Extremely readable,very lucid and very revealing of our times. Gems any author should be proud of. Thank you,guys.

⭐ 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.

⭐ Disturbingly cynical political satire. Although still true seen through the lens of history, it is unfortunately absolutely how the Washington world seems today.

⭐ I’m a big Neal Stephenson fan. “The Cobweb” has all the elements I’ve grown to expect: twist in the plot, enough history and science to keep it interesting without being tedious, diverse and engaging characters. The bonus this time around was the tone of the descriptive narrative – it’s generally lighter, more clever, and in some places really funny. For example, in one paragraph the writers describe a character viewing mortgage payments like his weekly church donation – something he will never see the rewards from in this lifetime. Overall, an interesting and fun read.

⭐ I’m pretty sure I’d read Neal Stephenson’s grocery list if he published it so I may be biased. With that said, this was still really entertaining and very difficult to put down.As with his other works, Stephenson introduces a lot of characters that are somehow connected and then brings them all together in the finale. This one, however, is a lot more Rob’t Ludlum/Tom Clancy-ish than his previous work.My guess is that if you like a good a good spy/intrigue novel, you’ll like this.If you like Neal Stephenson, you’ll definitely like this.

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