"Compared to that further investigation of our alien present seems actually way more doable and it may be more fun to do because it shakes all sorts of people out of the woodwork that want to talk to me," [Gibson added].
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-11502715
Also, http://www.wired.com/underwire/2010/09/william-gibson-interv...
http://www.amazon.com/Pattern-Recognition-William-Gibson/dp/...
It's not the same dystopian future he envisioned in the 1990s. But his keen eye draws out the darker sides.
I agree that Pattern Recognition is very good. Although I will always have a soft spot for Neuromancer and his related books and stories.
As a long-time neuromancer and Gibson fan, I can say his writing has changed and approached the modern day just as it should. Neuromancer made sense at the time it was published - the net wasn't around, it was a far out concept - lots of room for imagination. If it were only released today, it would just seem like really bad sci-fi because the net exists, now, and it's not quite what Gibson wrote about.
I'd the pattern recognition/spook/zero set are not so much current day as very near-future. They're entirely plausible with current technology, with a few inventions along the way that don't currently exist, but probably could. PLus they're a good read.