Customer Reviews

The Cobweb

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

In recent years, Stephenson's work has become increasingly complicated. The Baroque cycle is a study in intricate plots, characters that seem to number in the thousands, and difficult material that is not readily accessible to the average novel reader. The Cryptonomicon met that description as well, but to a lesser degree. While I enjoyed those books precisely for their complexity, many readers probably found them to be frustrating to read and difficult to follow.

The Stephen Bury novels do not present this problem for the casual reader. They are stripped of most of the technical lingo, and they tend to follow more in the footsteps of modern thrillers. The difference between these novels and the average Tom Clancy clone is that they revolve around powerful critiques of modern political cultures and bureacracies.

The Cobweb is the better of these two novels. The central critique of the intelligence community is that competence without political acumen is tantamount to career suicide. The book tracks the months between Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait and the start of Gulf War I and poses a terrifying question: what if the greatest enemies to our national security are the egomaniacs at the top of the security apparatus? Given the events that have transpired in between the writing of this novel and today, the question raised by this novel seems prescient.

The one thing that is lacking from the Stephen Bury novels is the decadence of Stephenson's other works. Stephenson is a novelist who has spent pages discussing the Captain Crunch-eating ritual of one of his characters (Cryptonomicon), the making of watered steel blades (the Baroque Cycle), and other incidental but vastly entertaining subjects too numerous to mention. These passages exquisitely sideline the plots of his books for an exercise in pure intellectual indulgence. Sadly, you will not find any such passages in this novel or in Interface.

This book, despite its newer publication date, is a re-issue but is entertaining to read. Neal Stephenson and his uncle, George Jewsbury, under the name J. Frederick George, created a tale of intrigue set during the first Gulf War which is relatively fast-paced. Stephenson's talent for characters and entertaining narrative are evident. Like some of Stephenson's other books, especially Snow Crash, this book is easy to read and enjoyable. This book was originally published under the pseudonym Stephen Bury.

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.

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)

It is the eve of the 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.

I was concerned when I picked this up--having had bad experiences when a famous name is followed by "with....sub author." While it's true this doesn't contain the depth or breadth that I've come to expect from Stephenson, it was nice to have something lighter. Having lived through the Gulf War, it was interesting to read a piece focused on it and referring to characters who were extremely tangible to me. This would be a good introductory book for people starting on Stephenson.

Well, maybe I was reading a different book than some of the reviewers but I thought most of "The Cobweb" was roll-on-the-floor funny. It is the best tongue-in-cheek satire that I think I have ever read.

I loved the Dhont family, especially the family football game. I loved Clyde, the protaganist, dragging his baby daughter around. I loved Fazoul and the baby dedication for Khalid.

Yes, way too much of this book rang true and actually was prescient as far as following events showed. Some of it was scary. It raised questions and it made me think. What more could I want from a book?

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.

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.

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.