Burning Chrome by William Gibson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Burning Chrome
Book Review: A turning point
Summary: 4 Stars
Gibson's writing marks a turning point in the mood and themes of contemporary Sci-fi (see "The Gernsback Continuum"). Some very interesting, and very dark, stories. A great, quick read.Book Review: An SF stylist in his element
Summary: 5 Stars
When William Gibson burst onto the SF scene with Neuromancer in 1984, he immediately established himself as arguably the finest prose stylist in his genre since Roger Zelazny. Pioneering "cyberpunk," he channeled Raymond Chandler's zeitgeist and transposed it to a dystopian near-future. Thus began his "Sprawl" trilogy chronicling the goings-on in his dyspeptic vision of the new millenium. This collection of short stories is best suited for readers who've already digested Neuromancer (at the least) and are interested in fleshing out Gibson's world. And Gibson, stylist that he is, excels in this format, changing mood, setting and voice while exploring various aspects of his genre. The title story steals the show, with the classic elements of a tragedy and the setting of Neuromancer, but "New Rose Hotel" and "Dogfight" both represent gripping short stories set arguably outside his Sprawl. Elsewhere in this collection, the reader is presented with whimsical (Gernsback Continuum, The Belonging Kind), more Sprawl stories ("Johnny Mnemonic," far more interesting and intelligent than the eponymous film) and "classic" stories ("Red Star, Winter Orbit"), all sparsely written and distinct in tone. Finally, it includes "The Winter Market," where Gibson adds an interesting character study and a tale that borders on the Gothic.
As others have said, one doesn't read Gibson for his deft characterizations or finely plotted stories. Rather, one reads Gibson for the mood and vision that he supplies. Just as the best of noir detective stories entertain with tales of dark doings, so too does Gibson.
Book Review: Better than darkest chocolate.
Summary: 5 Stars
From the very first word from the book I whispered, this story slowly takes a grip on you inward, then gently rocks you back and forth between the present and the past. The author, the story, sway and immerse you into the imagination that is beyond any other I have exprienced. Then, the climax is thrusted upon the reader with the utmost awesome sensation. Leaving you to a decision to reopen the pages again and again to take another peek to reread the story over and over.
Book Review: Burning Chrome Shines Bright
Summary: 5 Stars
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If the novel is a sojourn in a foreign land, short stories are trips to the municipal park. Much of their provinciality is a function of length. Long-form fiction has the space to luxuriate in detail, dwelling on tertiary characters, describing each bit of their surroundings and spawning hydra-headed plots that wriggle every which way. But while the novel remains the champion of the marketplace, it can seem downright clumsy when compared with the elegance of a well-written short. This is doubly true when it comes to the pieces collected in William Gibson's Burning Chrome.
If Gibson's first novel had a flaw, it was that the overgrowth of its imaginative setting choked out plot and character development. Burning Chrome pares back the speculative material, and the results are cleaner, better-ordered, even when they share the same world. The best-known of the bunch is "Johnny Mnemonic," a man-on-the-run tale that reads like a genre recombination of techno-thriller, hardboiled and dystopia. (Unfortunately, most of its fame is due to being made into an execrable movie starring Keanu Reeves.) "New Rose Hotel" takes a noir-ish turn, with a mercenary specializing in corporate defections narrating the final moments of his life, sweaty hands clasped around a cheap Chinese .22. The title story comes across as an early iteration of Neuromancer, all the archetypes of data thief and cybernetic heavy and unattainable beauty in play.
The remainder veer into different territory. In one, humanity comes in contact with a superior spacefaring species, the grim result being not exactly the stuff of Star Trek ("Hinterlands"). Another has a shy linguistics professor discovering a race of chameleon-like humanoids who can blend in with any social setting ("The Belonging Kind"). "Dogfight" and "The Winter Market" pivot on the idea of hamartia, the "fatal flaw" of classical tragedy. The former features a grifter desperate to win a championship in an underground gambling ring, the latter a wasted woman determined to become an artist in dreams before disease claims her life.
Yes, some of the stories have aged poorly ("Red Star, Winter Orbit") or feel more like ideas than proper narratives ("Fragments of a Hologram Rose"). But those intimidated by the breadth and density of Gibson's Nebula-, Philip K. Dick- and Hugo-winning work should try his stories. Don't judge them by their modest lengths. Chrome shines bright.
Book Review: Classic SF Short Stories
Summary: 4 Stars
Burning Chrome is a collection of ten short stories by cyber-punk innovator William Gibson, three of which are collaborations with other authors. It's an eclectic ride as a whole. There is no overriding theme that ties all of the stories together - they range from cyberpunk to surreal. Gibson's prose can be very poetic and he does an excellent job of setting the mood in each story. Even when his characters aren't very likeable, you can still identify with their emotions. "Johnny Mnemonic", "New Rose Hotel" and "Burning Chrome" are written in the same "Sprawl" setting as many of Gibson's novels. They are sharp and explosive cyberpunk stories that grab your attention and run. "The Gernsback Continuum" and "The Belonging Kind" are trips through what could be present day America with surreal twists. "Red Star, Winter Orbit", written with Bruce Sterling, is the poignant tale of an aging Russian cosmonaut on an equally aging space station. "Hinterlands" is an eerie view of how far humans will go to satisfy the need for progress and exploration. "Fragments of a Hologram Rose", "The Winter Market" and "Dogfight" are powerful studies of emotion, need, and what it means to be human.
Overall, I enjoyed Burning Chrome. Gibson's writing style is fun to read - he can establish mood and atmosphere in a few short sentences. I also like that he uses technology as a means not an end - the focus in the stories is how people interact with each other and technology intstead of showcasing what a cool idea a particular future technology would be. His stories tend to deal with the grittier side of human nature, and are not always comfortable to read, but they make you think.