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Distrust That Particular Flavor [Hardcover]

William Gibson
3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)

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Book Description

January 3, 2012

William Gibson is known primarily as a novelist, with his work ranging from his groundbreaking first novel, Neuromancer, to his more recent contemporary bestsellers Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, and Zero History. During those nearly thirty years, though, Gibson has been sought out by widely varying publications for his insights into contemporary culture. Wired magazine sent him to Singapore to report on one of the world's most buttoned-up states. The New York Times Magazine asked him to describe what was wrong with the Internet. Rolling Stone published his essay on the ways our lives are all "soundtracked" by the music and the culture around us. And in a speech at the 2010 Book Expo, he memorably described the interactive relationship between writer and reader.

These essays and articles have never been collected-until now. Some have never appeared in print at all. In addition, Distrust That Particular Flavor includes journalism from small publishers, online sources, and magazines no longer in existence. This volume will be essential reading for any lover of William Gibson's novels. Distrust That Particular Flavor offers readers a privileged view into the mind of a writer whose thinking has shaped not only a generation of writers but our entire culture.


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Editorial Reviews

From Bookforum

Grandly called a collection of essays, the book actually gathers Gibson's occasional journalism, much from the late-twentieth century, almost none of it worth rereading today. Certainly, Gibson's voice is engaging, conversational, winning, But Distrust That Particular Flavor needs less journalism, better writing, and more thinking. —Michael Dirda

Review

"A provocative, surprising look at the lesser-known parts of a sci-fi superstar's writing career." ---Kirkus
--This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 272 pages
  • Publisher: Putnam Adult; 1 edition (January 3, 2012)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 039915843X
  • ISBN-13: 978-0399158438
  • Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 1.2 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (31 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,478 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

William Gibson was born in the United States in 1948. In 1972 he moved to Vancouver, Canada, after four years spent in Toronto. He is married with two children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews
99 of 107 people found the following review helpful
3.0 out of 5 stars Good if You are a Gibson Fan January 7, 2012
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
I really like William Gibson's books; I only know of one I haven't read. I have often wondered how he came to see things the way he does since I am about the same age, work in electronics, and I did not see so much of today's changes coming. I can't say I have an answer to that question after reading "Distrust That Particular Flavor". I did find this collection of essays interesting reading. This is not the book of the year, as one reviewer wrote. It is a collection of book introductions, talks, and magazine articles with afterwords comments added by Mr. Gibson where he gives his thoughts looking back at his works. It shows that Mr. Gibson, like the rest of us, is no clairvoyant. For the Gibson fan, buy it. For those who are trying to write the next big Sci-Fi novel and hoping to find Gibson's muse, move on. William Gibson appears to write things the old fashion way; hard work and a lot of typing.
Note on Amazon Kindle version: One chapter refers to pictures that do not appear. The Kindle version gets a "D". Amazon needs to get it's act together.
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39 of 40 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars The artist behind the art January 7, 2012
Format:Hardcover
I've been a fan of William Gibson's fiction for a long time, and have marveled at his ability to portray modern life as it almost is. He always seems a step ahead of what is current, in one way or another, and is able to communicate his ideas in a starkly written style that always manages to seem slightly ambiguous. However, with the release of this collection of non-fiction, I realized I never gave much thought to Gibson himself....until now. Through reading these pieces, I've gained a new and deeper appreciation for Gibson's fiction.

For the most part, these articles, essays, and lectures are written in the first person, which was a revelatory experience for me. I'd never read any of the pieces in this collection, so it was like seeing something familiar with brand-new eyes. The insight contained within is invaluable; not only did I learn much about Gibson's mind and what makes him tick, I also unearthed a lot of background data for the events in his fiction. In that way, reading this book was much like listening to a director's commentary of a dearly loved film - I gained new perspective that emphasizes and deepens.

It's abundantly clear that Gibson is deeply intrigued by modern culture, whether it's technology, psychology, fashion, behavior, eBay, or YouTube, and reading his meticulous picking apart of trends is just as fascinating as experiencing his fiction. Gibson's sense of excitement and wonder are infectious, his attention to detail is razor keen, and his open-mindedness is inspiring. I was a fan of Gibson's work before Distrust That Particular Flavor, but I am now a fan of Gibson the man.

This is essential reading, not just for Gibson fans, but for anyone fascinated by the bizarrely intricate roller-coaster world we are living in.
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26 of 28 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An amazing body of work. January 5, 2012
Format:Hardcover
Gibson's ability to distill the essence of post modernity is frighteningly precise and frankly fills me with jealousy! I loved this work when it was first printed in various periodicals and I'm delighted to have it in a bound collection. Reading Gibson's non-fiction is like buying tire chains for your mind, a great collection of ideas, concepts and language that give you some traction in our slippery, dangerous, post-capitalist, deadly Disneyland of a world.

And I'm still waiting for the garage Kubrick to emerge.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars Engaging non-fiction collection that's worth checking out
I've only read Pattern Recognition (which I thoroughly enjoyed). I saw this book on a shelf at a bookstore and read the first chapter (short article) and decided to pick it up. Read more
Published 23 days ago by Z. Freeman
3.0 out of 5 stars strangely underwhelming for a huge fan of his fiction
I LOVE Gibson's fiction. I started, of course, with the Sprawl trilogy, back in the time of Sony cassette Walkmen. Read more
Published 27 days ago by cinephiliagal
4.0 out of 5 stars If the world's smallest William Gibson fan can enjoy listening to this...
Mike and I listened to this audiobook while we were trying to learn to knit. The knitting didn't have anything to do with this book--and as it turns out it didn't have much to do... Read more
Published 1 month ago by Mary Lavers
5.0 out of 5 stars Rare Gibson
A great collection of short writings by one of my favourite authors, most of which I had never read or even heard of before.
Published 2 months ago by A.P.
4.0 out of 5 stars Spend a little time inside the head of one of our most notable...
William Gibson thinks a lot about the future, not so much in a predictive sense, but in terms of the impact of technological change--on culture in general and on individual human... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Fred L. Warren
1.0 out of 5 stars Stopped halfway
I never really understood what this book was about. Personal thoughts or just random rambling. I don't hink I'll pick it up again.
Published 4 months ago by Rodolfo
5.0 out of 5 stars Haunting, odd, absorbing
An all-over-the-place collection that is very hard to stop reading. I still think about perfect mud balls at least once a day.
Published 5 months ago by Helen Husher
2.0 out of 5 stars Short of the Mark
I am a great admirier of Wiliam gibson's books, and I felt this fell short. Maybe it's me, but I don't think so lol.
Published 6 months ago by Allen R. Bromberger
5.0 out of 5 stars For William Gibson fans who want to better understand his thought...
A great book that gives context to many of his fiction writings. A collection of short non-fiction essays with new comments by Gibson. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Christopher Seaver
3.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
This may be the most palatable bunch of Gibson's writing - short, quick hits that are focused and well done. Read more
Published 7 months ago by Jon Kruithof
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