The Cobweb

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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.
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.