Count Zero

Classic of cyberpunk

It's been 20 years since I last read Count Zero and honestly, I had forgotten much of it. But this rereading was highly enjoyable. It was better than I remembered.

The book starts slow and it took me about 50% before I started getting into it. But then it just gets better and better. So stick with it early on. Gibson's writing always feels a little hectic and schizophrenic so it takes longer to get into the flow of it. Some people will find it a bit frustrating, but it's worth it for the way this book ends.

As a side note, the prominent mention of brands is curious and interesting. Many things are given explicit brands in CZ. The Honda helicopter. The Braun cyberspace deck (followed by the Hosaka and the ever-so-elite Ono-Sendai). Hosaka and Maas are big corporations that lawlessly kill to protect or steal talent. I don't know why this seemed to stick out so much more on this reading, but it did. And I found it interesting. I remember sitting and thinking about Braun and where that company was in 1985 that would make Gibson mention it as he did. There was definitely a Germany vs Japan future clash that was a low smoldering element throughout the book.

I think I actually prefer CZ over Neuromancer, at least at this point.