William Gibson began writing far-sighted Science Fiction within the Cyberpunk sub genre in the early 1980’s with Neuromancer, coining the phrase “cyberspace” and envisaging something close to the present day internet when the concept was very much in its infancy.
As technology has progressed towards Gibson’s vision of the future his novels have become more grounded in reality, with his recent work being essentially sci-fi set in the present day. Spook country paints a picture of concrete skylines and urban sprawl populated with characters who understand that data is the most important commodity of all. Hustlers, businessmen, ex-rock stars and CIA men trade this commodity for reasons of national security and profit. Gibson drives the novel along with punchy, noir-ish dialogue and sharp observation of the potential of cutting edge technology.
As satisfying to fans of spy fiction as it is to fans of science fiction it neatly merges the two genres in what Gibson himself calls the “the intersection of paranoia and technology”.