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Zero History (Blue Ant) Paperback – International Edition, October 2, 2012

by William Gibson (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,475 ratings
Goodreads Choice Award nominee
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Hollis Henry never intended to work for global marketing magnate Hubertus Bigend again. But now she’s broke, and Bigend has just the thing to get her back in the game...
 
Milgrim can disappear in almost any setting, and his Russian is perfectly idiomatic—so much so that he spoke it with his therapist in the secret Swiss clinic where Bigend paid for him to be cured of his addiction...
 
Garreth doesn't owe Bigend a thing. But he does have friends from whom he can call in the kinds of favors powerful people need when things go sideways...
 
They all have something Bigend wants as he finds himself outmaneuvered and adrift, after a Department of Defense contract for combat-wear turns out to be the gateway drug for arms dealers so shadowy they can out-Bigend Bigend himself.

“Zero History is [Gibson’s] best yet, a triumph of science fiction as social criticism and adventure.”—BoingBoing.net
Previous page
  1. Book 3 of 3
    Blue Ant
  2. Print length
    560 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Berkley
  5. Publication date
    October 2, 2012
  6. Dimensions
    4.3 x 1.2 x 7.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0425259455
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0425259450
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Gibson] weaves an unnerving tapestry of technology, violence and anxiety.”—The Daily Telegraph (London)

“Fascinating.”—The Seattle Times

“Uncanny.”—San Antonio Express-News

“Brilliant, entertaining, and bittersweet.”—io9 

“Zero History is another smartly scouted roadmap of alternate routes through today’s global culture, as powered by what a friend of mine used to call the military-industrial-greeting-card complex. It’s a world where cool is king, but also the key to power—and the future.”—Milwaukee Sentinel Journal

“What matters [about Zero History] are the highly textured, brilliantly evocative prose and the stunning insights Gibson offers into what we perceive as the present moment—the implication being, per the title, that’s all we have left. Unsettling and memorable.”—Kirkus Reviews
 

About the Author

William Gibson’s first novel, Neuromancer, won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Count Zero, Burning Chrome, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light, Idoru, All Tomorrow’s Parties, Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, Zero History, Distrust That Particular Flavor, and The Peripheral. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife.

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Berkley; Reprint edition (October 2, 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 560 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0425259455
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0425259450
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 12 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.3 x 1.2 x 7.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,475 ratings

About the author

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William Gibson

William Gibson

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William Gibson is the award-winning author of Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, The Difference Engine, with Bruce Sterling, Virtual Light, Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties and Pattern Recognition. William Gibson lives in Vancouver, Canada. His latest novel, published by Penguin, is Spook Country (2007).

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,475 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

R. Manning
5.0 out of 5 stars A delight, and delightfully weird
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2010
Verified Purchase
Gibson gets beneath the reader's surface. Reading his books becomes somehow personal. I think that's why so many of these reviewers are split, some loving it and some seeing it as only so-so. With Zero History, I'm in the former camp: I loved it. As for his more recent works, I loved Pattern Recognition but thought Spook Country was a muddled, dispirited mess. So it was with some trepidation that I began Zero History. Who wants to be disappointed twice by an author with such potential? Well, I wasn't disappointed.

Gibson's prose is dense and intricately woven, and when his writing is supported by good plotting the result is almost magical. In other words, you can simultaneously enjoy the writing and the story, something I find very rare. The one doesn't get in the way of the other. However, when the plot is confused and the characters seem to be aimlessly wandering around, it's a slog. For me, that was the problem with Spook Country.

Zero History suffers none of these ailments. The book is simply wonderful. I suppose it's natural to compare it to Pattern Recognition (arguably his best). Is Zero History better? Not in my opinion, but neither is it a lesser work. It's different enough to defy easy comparisons.

I would love to see more of Bigend, Hollis, Milgrim, Fiona and the rest, but I suspect Gibson is moving on. Wherever he goes, I'm sure it will be, as Bigend would say, "interesting."
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webhawk50
4.0 out of 5 stars Thoughts on Zero History by William Gibson
Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2014
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I've just finished reading Zero History by William Gibson for the third time. I've been giving it a lot of thought.I got hooked on William Gibson starting with Neuromancer all the way through his Bridge and Sprawl trilogies, and now what is loosely referred to as the Blue Ant Trilogy (which is sometimes referred to as the Bigend Trilogy) consisting of Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History. One of my favorite characters in all literature, Milgrim, was introduced in Spook Country and becomes a fascinating key character in Zero History as well, but I'm getting ahead of myself already.

So let me address Zero History specifically. The entire Bigend series has been an extreme, and I would guess, very deliberate departure from the previous Gibson dystopian-based books such as Neutomancer and the Bridge and Sprawl Trilogies. Those were all great books to be sure. Zero History is, plot wise, a real puzzler for many Gibson fans. There is the sense by many that Gibson has "lost his way" and perhaps even grown "contemptuous" of his own readership; the very ones that made his name famous. I'm really not sure what his motivation has been in writing these books and quite frankly, I don't care. Gibson's writing skills are such that Zero History still represents the same brilliance as his previous works. I've watched a couple of interviews of Gibson and he rambles on in such a manner and at such length that it is hard to follow his reasoning as far as his own writing process goes. When Gibson speaks of his own writing style he seems to be saying that he doesn't really start off with any specific plot or work on any of that beforehand but he says he allows the narrative that takes place as he writes to move the story forward (if I understood him correctly). In any event, as for Zero History, he seems to be fascinated with exploring the common standard global practice of corporate espionage, innovative marketing techniques, etc., which are the very foundation of our current global infrastructure and capitalist societies.

Zero History proves again that Gibson is, as always, a master of the English language. He constructs some of the most interesting sentences I have ever read. In addition, his vocabulary is absolutely awe-inspiring. I have often said that I would hate to go up against Gibson in a Scrabble game (not that I'm necessarily any good at Scrabble in the first place.)The man is absolutely a walking dictionary and encyclopedia. He seems to know about more obscure trivia than anyone I have ever read. It may be a good idea for some to either read his books on an e-book or have a good dictionary and encyclopedia nearby when reading.

There is a common complaint about Zero History that keeps cropping up again and again: many have commented on on what I feel is an unfair and even ridiculous criticism of Zero History for it's use of popular product placements throughout the book. Apple products in particular seem to be a prime target of those criticisms. However, Apple is a perfect example of what this book is about in the first place. Just so you know: I have never owned an Apple product in my life. Anyway, like the Gabriel Hounds products that are the primary focus of Bigend's corporate espionage, Apple seems to act as a kind of literary corporate counterpoint to the whole obscure Gabriel Hounds jeans thing. Both products are highly desired products for those who can afford them and who are also among the "hip" and "in the know" kind of people who chase after the latest, greatest products. The desirability of these products increases proportionately to their higher cost and even better: their hard-to-find/get nature.

I initially had some problems with some of the characters in Zero History, but by the end of the book, I realized how brilliantly these characters were realized. As previously mentioned, Milgrim is my all-time favorite character in the Gibson pantheon. Milgrim is a kind of archetype of sorts. He is a man-child being reborn; initially a true enigma; a burnt out drug-addict with a serious panic/anxiety disorder. It is fascinating to observe Milgrim's rebirth and development under the control of Bigend, the man behind the scene. Milgrim IS the man with zero history being put back together--reconstituted/rebuilt--by Bigend just because Bigend has the money, power and curiosity to do so. Bigend is, in this particular guise, a kind of Dr. Frankenstein. Instead of putting together a human being from dead men's parts, however, he uses the dead soul of a drug addict (Milgrim) instead just to see what will become of it all.

While Milgrim is perhaps the most fascinating character in the lineup, the key protagonist actually Hollis Henry, a former singer with a band called the Curfew. She reluctantly becomes another one of Bigend's corporate agents--a corporatespy if you will on a very specific mission-- for Bigend. Bigend himself is the creepy, spoiled Belgian super wealthy corporate magnate who is constantly coming up with all of these what-if schemes to satisfy his own curiosity. Money, however, is not really Bigend's motivation: Bigend has so much wealth and apparently such a lot of time on his hands that all he has to do is find means of satisfying his own obsessive compulsions and curiosities about things that matter little to the vast majority of humankind. Hollis is really not a terribly strong character and falls in with Bigend once more simply on the basis of financial need (like most of us). The inability of Hollis to say "no" to Bigend renders her as little more than another one of his pawns in his game of corporate dominance. In fact, the bulk of the characters in Zero History are little more than the puppets of this Grand Puppetmaster, "Just Call Me Curious", Bigend. They seem to lack any real will of their own when they're in the presence of this master manipulator of their minds and wills. Bigend always finds a way to keep them hooked and interested in his missions.

There is no question that Zero History is different than his previous "cyber-punk" writings. The entire Bigend Trilogy is different and a distinct departure from his previous writings. I do not think that justifies dismissing Gibson simply because they are so different. Why lock writers or any artist into a rut? I enjoy it when artists spread their wings and explore different things. I especially do not understand those who claim that they simply stopped reading Zero History after 30 minutes or some such nonsense. I mean, to each his or her own, but in my opinion that invalidates their opinion entirely. That reminds me of those people who rave on about this or that movie who have never actually gone to see it but are reacting only to the opinions of others or some media hype. As I've said before, I loved all of the previous writings of Gibson, and I initially had some readjustments to do with this trilogy, but having thoroughly given it a fair examination, it has become another favorite of mine in my Gibson collection. I respect it's differences. I do not see it as some kind of cheap, sell-out product endorsement of Apple products or any other product. Again, that misses the point of the use of Apple products as a iconic type of product that Gibson is purposely using as an example from which to base his mysterious Gabriel Hounds products on. I get the fact that many of you don't seem to be interested in things corporate. But again, corporations are one of the key components of the fabric of our society and Gibson explores it brilliantly. Please read Zero History ALL the way through before judging it. Better yet, read the entire trilogy--Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, Zero History--before making your opinions known.

As for me, Zero History is a very fascinating read and now that I've read it for the third time, it will remain among my favorite books. It just keeps getting better with every new read. Highly recommended for those who simply enjoy great writing.
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Mark All
5.0 out of 5 stars William Gibson Again Demonstrates Genius in Zero History
Reviewed in the United States on November 26, 2010
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William Gibson has produced another classic for all time in Zero History. The publisher calls it "Bigend #3," and it does revolve around the mysterious man and his powerful marketing company Blue Ant, but as usual the protagonists are those he hires for enigmatic purposes. Returning from Spook Country are former rock singer Hollis Henry and the curious Milgram. And there's a surprise Easter Egg near the end for those who've read Pattern Recognition, the breakthrough first entry in this series.

I loved the characters and sorely miss them now that I've finished the book. Gibson has transformed from his cyber-punk trailblazing days and now operates on more refined levels, with astonishing takes on branding, consumerism, and how they drive society, as well as the hidden operatives of the corporate as well as intelligence worlds. If you're familiar with the term "darknet" you know the territory he investigates, and if you don't, you probably need to. As always, his language is most entertaining and rises to literary quality while conveying intriguing enough events for story lovers.
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Chris
5.0 out of 5 stars Appealing characters who I grew attached to
Reviewed in Canada on February 12, 2018
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Not what I was expecting from William Gibson in that it's not really SF material (although there is a smattering of tech here and there), but the story is really engaging and the characters are most appealing.
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Nura
4.0 out of 5 stars Bigend under siege
Reviewed in India on January 7, 2017
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Some plot holes/dead ends/unexplained things/hurried patchup, but the pace of the story is smooth and even throughout and the main premise itself is very interesting, plus the Gibsonian way of writing with its figures of speech and idiosyncratic phrasing and narrative is intact.
The novel is an excuse to present things he finds interesting and they are very intriguing indeed. And then there is Bigend, the semi-evil aristocrat of the information age, who finally meets his match, but wins because he plays in his home turf. The final matchup is a throwaway bone for the badass oldman/Gareth team from spook country because the author wants to make Bigend _human_ . Which he most assuredly is not.
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Dominik
5.0 out of 5 stars Ein weiteres hervorragendes Buch von William Gibson
Reviewed in Germany on July 3, 2015
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Bislang hat mich kein einziges Buch von William Gibson enttäuscht und auch "Zero History" erfüllt alle Erwartungen. Der Autor bleibt seinem gewohnten Stil treu und man kann das Buch beim Lesen kaum weglegen. Über den Inhalt möchte ich nichts verraten, eine Bewertung soll schliesslich kein Spoiler sein, aber wer die bisherigen Bücher von William Gibson mochte, wird auch dieses lieben. Ich lese (und empfehle) die Bücher ausschliesslich im Original, es muss jedoch gesagt werden, dass Gibsons Schreibstil nicht einfach ist und man über sehr gutes Englisch verfügen sollte, um die Qualität der Bücher geniessen zu können.
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fab
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in France on March 18, 2013
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Un vrai régal à lire : on sent que l'auteur se fait plaisir, avec un vrai travail de recherche sur les personnes et les lieux.
Encore une perle avant-gardiste de William Gibson !
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Peter
5.0 out of 5 stars Yes.
Reviewed in Australia on June 5, 2015
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As an avid reader of Gibson's Cyberpunk work, I was pleasantly surprised by this non-cyber novel. It still managed to work the punk element in, and made for a good read. Nice characters and trademark Gibson plot, with those skilful touches that set him apart from lesser mortals.
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