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Type of bind: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 813
EAN num: 9780553383447
ISBN number: 0553383442
Label: Spectra
Manufacturer: Spectra
Quantity: 1
Page Count: 448
Printing Date: May 31, 2005
Publishing house: Spectra
Release Date: May 31, 2005
Sale Popularity Level: 58646
Studio: Spectra
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Product Description:
From his triumphant debut with Snow Crash to the stunning sucess 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.
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Rated by buyers -
It is the eve of the very first US war with Iraq. Tensions are mounting, but the US still supports Saddam Hussein.
In a sleepy Midwestern town, a foreign student is murdered. Something about the case bothers Deputy Sheriff Clyde Banks, whose best weapon is not his nightstick Excalibur, but his brain and the fact that too few people realize that he really does know how to use it.
In Washington, Betsey, a 5 year veteran of the CIA discovers that Saddam is not using the money the US sent him to buy food to purchase food. She suspects Iraq is massing weapons. Unfortunately, she's working outside of her scope and manages to anger a NSC advisor with a stake in keeping the status quo.
The plot moves on with smart paced efficiency, spinning webs of deceit on the part of the Iraqis as the US government tries to 'cobweb' those trying to expose their plots.
"The Cobweb" is a very well done thriller, but the deeper message is the treatise on how governments operate. Stephenson's Orwellian descriptions of re-writing history and cobwebbing are spot on from my personal experience.
The characters are engaging and real. Multiple points of view don't confuse the issues here, but round out the descriptions of the players involved.
The plot is strong enough to stick you to your chair til the book's done. There's very little waste in this 415 page book.
Descriptions take you there. I could almost smell the fireworks on the very ironic July 4 that was celebrated in this book.
Rated by buyers 
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Stephenson's current day story is very thought provoking under current global circumstances. I enjoyed every page and delighted in every irony and found myself glued to the book for hours at a time.
Rated by buyers -
The book is good as a lightweight mystery novel, shows much of Stephenson's excellent writing style, but I wouldn't put it in the same class as the Baroque Trilogy or Cryptonomicon
Rated by buyers -
Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon (2002) propelled him to fame with a fast-paced techno-thriller. Cobweb, written jointly with J. Frederick George is set before that book and also written before and now published. However, Cobweb is a fine work, a real page-turner which segues between scenes in a much smoother and more purposeful way than Cryptonomicon. The main characters are credible, the plot redolent of conspiracy, cover-ups and as usual with Stephenson, a healthy contempt for bureaucracy. Cobweb is a precursor to Interface, another fine work, both best described as being in the techno-thriller genre but they can stand alone without detriment, one to the other. I highly recommend Cobweb and suggest readers cut their teeth on this book before proceeding to Stephenson's later works.
Rated by buyers -
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.
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