The Cobweb (novel)
The Cobweb is a 1996 novel written by Neal Stephenson with J. Frederick George, a pseudonym for Stephenson's uncle, historian George Jewsbury. It was originally published under the collective pseudonym "Stephen Bury", as was their earlier novel Interface (1994).
 First edition | |
| Author | Neal Stephenson |
|---|---|
| Cover artist | Walter Bibikow |
| Language | English |
| Genre | Science fiction novel |
| Publisher | Bantam Spectra (U.S.A.) |
Publication date | 1996 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover & Paperback) |
| Preceded by | The Diamond Age |
| Followed by | Cryptonomicon |
The novel is set in the fictional Iowa twin towns of Wapsipinicon-Nishnabotna, named for the Wapsipinicon and Nishnabotna rivers. In many important respects, this town resembles Ames, Iowa, where Stephenson attended Ames High School.
Plot
When Clyde Banks, an Iowan Deputy with a newborn baby and a wife in the first Gulf War, starts looking into odd events in his town, he discovers a plot involving a new Triangle Trade of terrorists, biological warfare, and training. Mixing the events staged in Washington, D.C. and those happening in the Gulf, a strange thread of deceit appears to be winding its way back to Iowa. Although fictional in its narrative, the story includes appearances by Tariq Aziz and George H. W. Bush.