Like his peers William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, bestselling author Bruce Sterling writes cutting-edge speculative fiction firmly rooted in today...
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reviews
Sep 14, 2011
Clynt
rated it: 
Brusce Sterling is preoccupied in this book with the transformations Cybersociety went through as a result of the September 11 terror attacks and of the dotcom and telecoms busts. To be honest the characters and events weren't quite as interesting to me as was the ambient commentary on events in technological development from 2000 to around 2007.
The confrontation between the main character as a cybersecurity worker and a government-recruited ex-hacker is informative and well-imagined, and More...
The confrontation between the main character as a cybersecurity worker and a government-recruited ex-hacker is informative and well-imagined, and More...
Apr 06, 2011
Leonardo
rated it:
Great story, loved the characters, falls down at the end. Right up to the final confrontation with the evil genius, the book was spot on. Once Van went all cyber warrior and deadly it got pretty loopy. I found the relationship between Van and his wife Dottie pretty damn weird, but I don’t know many hardcore computer geeks, so it is probably fairly realistic. Especially because emotionally they are both “damaged”.
An interesting theme I had not thought much about before; is the ego hi More...
An interesting theme I had not thought much about before; is the ego hi More...
Dec 11, 2009
Thomas
rated it: 
The Zenith Angle was disappointing. I ignored other reviews that said as much because I'm a fan of Bruce Sterling's work. Ah, well.
The ingredients of a good Sterling novel are here, but he over-seasoned the dish. Perhaps in an attempt at satire, he essentially turned his novel into a long rant on the state of security (specifically cyber-security) in the post-September 11th world. And it gets tiresome.
You follow his hero, Derek Vandeveer, on his odyssey from the world of More...
The ingredients of a good Sterling novel are here, but he over-seasoned the dish. Perhaps in an attempt at satire, he essentially turned his novel into a long rant on the state of security (specifically cyber-security) in the post-September 11th world. And it gets tiresome.
You follow his hero, Derek Vandeveer, on his odyssey from the world of More...
Mar 14, 2009
Mark
rated it: 
This book is a nerd-revenge fantasy. It's amoral: The protagonist kills his best friend for "treason" in a "cyberwar" where the hero isn't an agent of any government. This stupid book glorifies plain murder.
The book is overloaded with narrative and the characters are poorly sketched. The author can't help pontificating. Technology isn't illuminated in this book: it's name-dropped and bandied around.
The book reads like it wasn't ever edited.
More...
The book is overloaded with narrative and the characters are poorly sketched. The author can't help pontificating. Technology isn't illuminated in this book: it's name-dropped and bandied around.
The book reads like it wasn't ever edited.
More...
Nov 28, 2007
Daniel
rated it: 
Bruce Sterling is one of the few writers whose work I will buy, new, in hardcover when I see it on the shelves. I generally find his work fresh and interesting, and it is always intelligent and accessible. Sterling's name is usually mentioned in conjunction with William Gibson as the leading authors of the "cyber punk" genre. I prefer Sterling's style over Gibson's.
Sadly, I think this is one of Sterling's weakest books to date. The technology described was sound, as expecte More...
Sadly, I think this is one of Sterling's weakest books to date. The technology described was sound, as expecte More...
Jul 08, 2009
Lee
rated it:
The book is about a computer scientist that does a lot of angsty thinking about how his precious interwebs are all under attack from cyber terrorists - and only one "intruder" was mentioned after 200 pages. The story does pick up quite a bit towards the end, but the ending felt goofy - as if the author realized, "Oh dang...I need to make this story come together now."
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to feel unfulfilled after reading it. Or, to More...
I would recommend this book to anyone that wants to feel unfulfilled after reading it. Or, to More...
Aug 02, 2009
Lightreads
rated it:
A post 9/11 cyberterrorism something something satellites something national security something something techno thriller.
Full of enormous privileged white guy egos and annoying privileged white guy angst, with a gentle sprinkling of unconscious sexism. I hit a critical mass of bored irritation halfway through, skipped to the end, and rolled my eyes so hard I think I sprained something.
Saved from 1 star by the occasionally crisp dialogue, and a thin gloss of geeky-char More...
Full of enormous privileged white guy egos and annoying privileged white guy angst, with a gentle sprinkling of unconscious sexism. I hit a critical mass of bored irritation halfway through, skipped to the end, and rolled my eyes so hard I think I sprained something.
Saved from 1 star by the occasionally crisp dialogue, and a thin gloss of geeky-char More...
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Dec 01, 2008
Evan
rated it:
*spoilers*
Satire, people, satire. The main character shoots the villain with a titanium glue gun that looks like a Buck Rogers Death Ray. Anybody who doesn't find the humor in that isn't paying the right kind of attention to this book. Sterling is always having more fun than you realize.
As always, finely executed commercial fiction with the intellectual content of more serious stuff. I am hoping for a sequel about Van's adventures in Europe.
Satire, people, satire. The main character shoots the villain with a titanium glue gun that looks like a Buck Rogers Death Ray. Anybody who doesn't find the humor in that isn't paying the right kind of attention to this book. Sterling is always having more fun than you realize.
As always, finely executed commercial fiction with the intellectual content of more serious stuff. I am hoping for a sequel about Van's adventures in Europe.
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Nov 26, 2007
Michael
rated it:
I'm currently reading through Bruce Sterling's work, so obviously I like his stuff, sort of, no matter what. This book was fun reading until the cheesy - as another reviewer says - James Bond ending. But, giving Sterling the benefit of the doubt, I just chalked it up to him thinking one day: "man, I'd really like to write a sort James Bond meets The Hacker Crackdown mashup book." Of course, that was before the term "mashup," but hey, look over there, never mind that.
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Mar 15, 2009
Thomas
rated it:
Enjoyable, but slight. Interesting insights into technology wrapped in a James Bond Lite shell. Cool gadgets but ultimately unsatisfying. Tried to find the humor touted on the jacket, but I just didn't see any.
Nicely written anyway - I'll be looking for another Bruce Sterling as I see that his readers regard this as one of his lesser works.
Nicely written anyway - I'll be looking for another Bruce Sterling as I see that his readers regard this as one of his lesser works.
Dec 28, 2011
SL
rated it:
Not up to Bruce's best, but still a compulsive page-turner. Actually my favorite line is one that Bruce has one of the characters quote from Heinlein: "A human being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, design a building, write a sonnet, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, solve equations, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly. Specialization is for insects."
raht awn, raht awn, raht
raht awn, raht awn, raht
Dec 15, 2010
Adrian
rated it:
Bruce Sterling is a new author for me, but I'll definitely go in for his other works. The Zenith Angle was excellent; it was plot driven and action filled, technologically interesting, and had characters who were provided enough depth to feel real, but not so complex as to subvert the plot. It took turns between funny and scary (the book depicts a frankly realistic slide towards a dystopia in present day), and is thoroughly entertaining.
Sep 24, 2009
Fred
rated it:
It's not really a compact novel, it's a long, short story that badly needs some editing. I started it, but gave up about page 77. I haven't read anything else by Bruce Sterling, but this was not an interesting read.
Nov 03, 2011
James
rated it:
Not very good. Some of my least favorite characters in a Sterling novel yet. I'm going to file this under "his 9/11 novel" (since everyone seems to need to write one).
Aug 27, 2010
Rob & Liz
rated it:
Rob
Informative of security and computers as in information that is needed but can be hacked or gathered.
A tough read.,,
Informative of security and computers as in information that is needed but can be hacked or gathered.
A tough read.,,
Apr 18, 2008
Damian
rated it:
While The Zenith Angle isn't one of Sterling's best efforts it's still more readable than many books out there. There's something engaging about his characters and dialog that just draws you in, even when the story is lacking. The Zenith Angle describes Sterlings feelings about the US government, 9/11, the military-industrial complex and how programmers and scientists could save the world if they just had the political power and funding. If you want to read some Sterling, try Distraction
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Jun 26, 2007
David
rated it:
Feels like it wants to be some sort of "men's action adventure" book, but most of the action involves boring bureaucratic infighting, the hero is a computer geek who navigates acronym agencies with aplomb, and the romance is the hapless introspection of a married guy with borderline Aspergers Syndrome. Then, suddenly, in the last chapter, there's a ridiculous James Bond movie climax with huge laser space rays, dueling spies with eye-rolling dialogue, and ginormous assplosions.
Dec 19, 2010
Daniel
rated it:
Not one of Sterling's best but an interesting snapshot of high tech reaction to 9/11.
Apr 25, 2008
Emmanuel
rated it:
A little slow in the beginning, but really fast and gripping wrap-up in the final chapters. A bit weird to be reading this as sci-fi when it's set a few years in the past, but that's more my fault for reading this now rather than when it first came out.
Sep 18, 2010
Courtney
rated it:
This book has a few fundamental problems. The motivations of the main character are sometimes vague, and the results nonsensical. Plot points just happen with little explanation. It made it hard to get actually involved with the book.
Sep 13, 2008
Will
rated it:
One of the worst Sterling books I've read. There is no real point to the book; at some point he had a bunch of material and some interesting characters, but it never coheres into a plot.
May 08, 2008
Jack
rated it:
Sterling's post-9/11 novel is one of his better efforts, with improved plotting and characterization to go along with his always cutting-edge technological descriptions.
Feb 12, 2012
Jan 28, 2012
