Zero History

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Zero History is a 2010 novel by William Gibson. Published by G. P. Putnam's Sons in the United States and Viking in the United Kingdom, it concludes the Blue Ant sequence begun with Pattern Recognition (2003) and continued in Spook Country (2007). Although the books share characters and concerns, Gibson did not plan them in advance as a trilogy. The novel follows former singer Hollis Henry and recovering drug addict Milgrim, both of whom work for advertising executive Hubertus Bigend. Hollis searches for the designer behind Gabriel Hounds, a secretive clothing label that has gained a following without conventional marketing. Milgrim investigates military garment design as Bigend attempts to enter the military contracting business. Their assignments become entangled with corporate surveillance, a rival contractor, and the kidnapping of a researcher whose work could give Bigend an advantage in financial markets. Like the preceding Blue Ant novels, Zero History is set in the recognizable contemporary world rather than an imagined future. Critics have described its close treatment of existing technology as a form of science-fictional estrangement in which digital networks, surveillance, and virtuality have become embedded in ordinary life. The novel also examines the relationship among military design, streetwear, branding, and cultural exclusivity, while Milgrim's recovery develops its concerns with personal agency, memory, and the reconstruction of identity. Contemporary reviews were broadly favorable. Critics frequently praised Gibson's prose, cultural observation, and depiction of technology and material objects, while disagreeing over the novel's plotting, characterization, accessibility, and conclusion. Milgrim received particular praise for his movement from dependency toward greater independence. Zero History was a finalist for the 2011 John W. Campbell Memorial Award and placed fifth in the science-fiction novel category of the 2011 Locus Awards reader poll.