- Paperback: 400 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Books Ltd (30 April 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 014027183X
- ISBN-13: 978-0140271836
- Product Dimensions: 17.6 x 10.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 1,634,012 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Product Description
A political thriller that delves into the underworld of politics and US Middle Eastern relations with Iraq and Iran.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
On the verge of believeability, but also spot on. And while it was well worth reading when it came out years ago, the post-September 11th world puts the story in a stronger light still.
Before WTC I always thought of it as a well written and entertaining story, strongly related to the better - conspiracyfilled - moments of The X-Files, but now...?
Read it!
Before WTC I always thought of it as a well written and entertaining story, strongly related to the better - conspiracyfilled - moments of The X-Files, but now...?
Read it!
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Stephen Bury (actually Neal Stephenson & J Frederick George) writes engagingly, constantly challenging stereotypes and showing us intelligent Americans for a change. Really cool. Couldn't put it down.
Most Helpful Customer Reviews on Amazon.com (beta)
Amazon.com:
14 reviews
14 of 14 people found the following review helpful
More like Ross Thomas than Neal Stephenson
29 Feb 2000
Format:Paperback
As with "Interface," the question here is, how much is this like Neal Stephenson?
There are occasional touches of Stephenson, but on the whole, "The Cobweb" is much less like Stephenson's work than "Interface" was. Although there are some nerdy characters -- a Stephenson staple -- there is much less emphasis on science than in his own works, or even "Interface." That is, unless you count political science.
In that regard, "The Cobweb" seems more like the fiction of Ross Thomas and his political thrillers than Neal Stephenson's works.
On its own, "The Cobweb" is a fine read. It is essentially a revisionist tale of the Gulf War. While the book begins in early 1990 before the war, and ends in February 1991, before the end of the war, the war takes on tremendous significance. What if Iraqi terrorists were creating biological weapons at U.S. universities? On the whole, this is a more successful revision of history than "American Hero" (the basis for "Wag the Dog") was.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
The Cobweb by Stephen bury
19 Sep 1996
Format:Paperback
Don't let the pen name fool you. Bury is really crack
sf writer Neal Stephenson and his uncle writing together.
They have crafted an incredible thriller here. The book
focuses on a small town in Iowa and how it and its'
inhabitants play a crucial role in Desert Storm. It seems
that Eastern Iowa State may conceal a biological weapons
factory for Saddam Hussein. Deputy sherrif Clyde Banks
begins to discover this as his wife is called up in the
Army reserves. He becomes entwined with the CIA, FBI,
foreign graduate students/spies/freedom fighters and more.
sf writer Neal Stephenson and his uncle writing together.
They have crafted an incredible thriller here. The book
focuses on a small town in Iowa and how it and its'
inhabitants play a crucial role in Desert Storm. It seems
that Eastern Iowa State may conceal a biological weapons
factory for Saddam Hussein. Deputy sherrif Clyde Banks
begins to discover this as his wife is called up in the
Army reserves. He becomes entwined with the CIA, FBI,
foreign graduate students/spies/freedom fighters and more.
The narrative builds momentum until every page DEMANDS to be turned.
I decided to read a few pages before bed and now I'm looking at the sunrise.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Thoroughly Enjoyable Read
26 Feb 2003
Format:Paperback
This book unfolds in typical Neal Stephenson style, with alternating chapters about seemingly unrelated characters whose lives increasingly interact with each other in unexpected ways. In this book, the characters are immensely likeable (to this reviewer, anyway) and their actions and feelings ring true--details that are funny and heart-warming, never too-clever or superfluous. Unlike the typical Neal Stephenson style, however, the book does NOT start out strong and progressively get weaker. Rather, the plot unfolds steadily and in a most pleasing manner from start to finish. Even if the underlying premise is a bit tough to swallow, there are no annoying holes in the plot. This reviewer has read all of Neal Stephenson's books, and considers this book and "Snow Crash" his two best.
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