Article: William Gibson skulks through the seductive world of spy novels: Lit life.

Byline: Julia Keller

Aug. 5--There are two kinds of spy stories: The kind in which you have no earthly idea what's going on, and the confusion and discombobulation leave you feeling anxious and slightly appalled; and the kind in which you know exactly what's going on, and the certainty and specificity leave you feeling anxious and slightly appalled.

William Gibson's novels are emphatically among the former. Reading them, you're instantly in a maze of menace and dread. You look around, wondering if anybody else is quite as lost as you are. But still, you're enjoying yourself.

In an era that has nervously welcomed a fresh crop of ...

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