I enjoyed reading William Gibson’s latest, as I’ve enjoyed reading nearly everything he’s written, and as I anticipate enjoying seeing him and James Gleick speak tomorrow night.

However as I finished “The Peripheral” the overwhelming sensation I was left with was annoyed.

Below are spoilers.

There were a number of moments that bothered me, but in 3 quick bullets.

  1. The literature didn’t need another implacably evil bearded Arab villain. Even is he is half Swiss.
  2. The literature didn’t need another heroine whose happily-ever-after is signified by getting pregnant.
  3. It goes against everything I look for in a Gibson novel to basely indulge a maybe-the-future-will-take-pity-on-us-and-save-us fantasy. It left me with the sensation that the author is deeply scared, which while reasonable, isn’t what I expect from the typewriting steely eyed prophet of the future.

Lots of good moments, and interesting world building, again the near future work, especially the near future rural poverty in a cheap printing/fabbing future was interesting.