Pattern Recognition

I loved Pattern Recognition. As someone who also has an aversion to logos and branding, I immediately connected with Case.

Pattern Recognition by William Gibson. Really, anything by Gibson is worth reading multiple times, simply for the great writing style. Pattern Recognition also does something special: have you really ever /thought/ about brands and advertising? Lots of commentary on culture, memetic fashion, and what it means. Recursion by Tony Ballantyne is a book that I didn't actually like all that much, but reread anyways. It covers a lot of topics I love (global AIs, Von Neumann Machines, tulpas, trusting trust, and a totalitarian utopia). The plot leaves a lot to be desired, but the concepts are worth it.

More than a year ago, I picked up William Gibson's "Pattern Recognition." I wasn't sure what I thought of it, at first, but it became increasingly interesting and I finished it. This year, I picked up the third novel in the series that "Pattern Recognition" started. It's a different world than that of "Neuromancer" et al., but I've come to find Gibson's portrayal of and thinking about it quite interesting. This year, I also helped someone out for a while who is considerably into fashions of some sorts (make up, running shoes and attire, other stuff more by just doing it than by talking about it). I'm finding Gibson's latest trilogy giving me new eyes on all this. And, in today's world of "image", it's not just and interesting but a valuable perspective. Treatise. Extrapolation... Not the most in your face of sci fi titles, but subtly compelling, for me. Perhaps partially sub-consciously. Just like the world he's describing.

Neuromancer - William Gibson REAMDE- Neal Stephenson Pattern Recognition / Zero History / Spook Country - William Gibson The Peripheral - William Gibson Not exactly the same thing, but I'll also throw in Glasshouse by Charles Stross. And since we're talking Charles Stross, also add Halting State to the list. Oh, and VALIS by Philip K. Dick. Definitely worth a read.

Zero History by William Gibson. Half way through. Pattern Recognition, the first of the trilogy, was my favorite.

What did you like about it? I'd suggest Tad Williams' Otherland, Neal Stephenson's Diamond Age & Snow Crash, and Gibson's Pattern Recognition purely based on subject matter (gamey-cyberpunk-ARG-AI), but none is quite as lighthearted in terms of nodding towards videogame culture.

I wouldn't class Ready Player One as the best book of 2012, but it was certainly enjoyable (when I read it in 2011). I prefer This Is Not A Game and Pattern Recognition in this genre; also worth checking out is Tad Williams' Otherland series.

If you enjoyed "Snow Crash" and "Diamond Age", I'd recommend "Islands in the Net" (if you can get hold of a copy) and "Holy Fire" by Bruce Sterling. Or for something newer, "the Zenith Angle" by same. I've also enjoyed all of Willam Gibsons books, including the latest trilogy "Pattern Recognition", "Spook Country" and "Zero History". If you bothered to read through "Cryptonomicon" you'll either love "the Code Book" by Simon Singh more than I did, or hate it :-) Assuming you've picket through the classics shelf, you might have missed out on Samuel Delany - "The Einstein Intersection" might be a good one to try on for size -- although I actually found "Neveryóna" to be maybe his most interesting book (of the ones I've been able to get hold of) [edit: After "Dhalgren", that is. But I think "Dhalgren" is a bit like Joyce's "Ulysses" -- a classic I haven't gotten around to yet. I spent the better part of ten (10!) years reading through "Dhalgren", picking it up on odd holidays - never loosing touch with the intricate unreality within, readily satisfied after reading a few pages or a chapter -- like nibbling on a choice ham that didn't spoil. It's rather more complex than any of the…

I thought Pattern Recognition (same author) was quite inspiring, though I don't know if it counts as most people's definition of science fiction.