Pattern Recognition

novel by Gibson

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The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 19, 2026

Quick Summary

Pattern Recognition is a 2003 novel by William Gibson, a leading figure in the cyberpunk movement. The story centers on a marketing consultant hired to investigate the origins of a mysterious video that has appeared on the internet. The novel explores themes of data, technology, and the search for meaning in a digitally interconnected world, reflecting Gibson's earlier explorations of cyberspace and virtual reality. While the term "pattern recognition" in computer science refers to identifying patterns in data, Gibson's novel uses this concept as a narrative device to explore how information and its sources are perceived and understood in the modern age.12

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William Gibson
Pattern Recognition (2003) follows a marketing consultant who is hired to track down the origins of a mysterious Internet video. In Spook Country (2007), characters navigate a world filled with spies, ghosts, and other nefarious unseen agents. Zero History (2010), which completed a trilogy that…
Read More
Pattern Recognition (2003) follows a marketing consultant who is hired to track down the origins of a mysterious Internet video. In Spook Country (2007), characters navigate a world filled with spies, ghosts, and other nefarious unseen agents. Zero History (2010), which completed a trilogy that…
Read More