Idoru by William Gibson Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
(Click here)
Book Reviews of Idoru
Book Review: Gibson's back!
Summary: 4 Stars
After giving the world of science fiction a swift kick in the pants with "Neuromancer," Gibson's novels dropped in quality like a brick into a black hole.But then "Idoru" comes along, redeeming the venerable creator of the cyberpunk subgenre. The characterization is "just enough," the imagery is stunning, and the story is quickly accessible and not at all frustrating as prior novels had been. And it's a clever story, too, with unique ideas.
I don't want to give them away, but pick it up. If you remained loyal to Gibson, you'll see some familiar faces along the way, too. And if you've never read a cyberpunk novel before, go ahead and start with "Idoru" ... "Neuromancer" will always be waiting.
Book Review: Gibson's crystal ball is unflawed
Summary: 5 Stars
William Gibson remains the best example of why "speculative fiction" should replace "science fiction" for the generic term "SF". His temporal reach carries today's people into logical extensions of
society into a world where the growth of today's technology is likely to confront them. Idoru
is a superior example of Gibson's talent in making the projections he's rightly noted for. Like
all his best work, technology here is present, but it's the characters, their outlook and dealing
with events, that chains the reader's attention. Don't expect dashing heroes, attendant ladies,
stygian villains performing in ways to divert you from reality. Gibson brings tomorrow's
realities to his pages, realities you may be facing in your lifetime.
The pivotal element is the desire of a rock star to marry a hologram. Idoru is an electronic
construct, the symbol of universal desires. She, too, is an entertainer, a "synthespian" in future
Hollywood jargon. The term is pure Gibson, projecting today's fascination with special effects
and animation supplemented films. Colin Laney, who bears special analysis skills has been
hired to search the data streams to determine the reasons for this unusual liaison. It's a
daunting task, and Gibson provides us many glimpses of our future while guiding Laney
through the corporate entertainment world.
Laney also carries a dark secret, the suicide of a woman whose data he was tracking. She had
perceived his observing her and he's concerned about who else might be detecting his surveys
of information. His talent had always enjoyed anonymity. If Alison Shires could detect his
intrusion, who else more powerful might also be watching? The idoru, whose visible
projection Laney assesses as the "tip of the iceberg of an Antarctica of information" evokes
fears of what powers may lie behind the projected image.
Most of the story takes place in New Tokyo, a rebuild of the city destroyed by the Great
'Quake which, have no doubt, is certain to come. Here, Gibson engages in subtle forecasts of
how today's technologies will unfold in many ways over the next few decades.
Buildings will result from enhanced forms of biotechnology enabling them to "grow" instead
of being constructed. Even something as mundane as sewage treatement receives his
attention in taking his characters through their world. Your world, tomorrow. Take note of
how Gibson forecasts it as the story unfolds. Any one of you might be tomorrow's Laney, Chia
or even a model for the Idoru. It bears thinking about, but only if you read Gibson's
captivating prose on what the future might hold for us all.
Book Review: Good ol' Bill Gibson
Summary: 3 Stars
This one I read twice. The third time I may actually get it. Like watching a tornado at night.Book Review: Good, but not masterful
Summary: 3 Stars
This was the first Gibson book I've ever read, and I have to say I was a bit disapointed. I still really enjoyed the book, but I expected it to blow me away. The book seemed a little bit too steeped in pop-culture. Too much focus on the "scene" of the future, and not enough focus on the technology behind it. But, you dont have to take my word for it...Book Review: Great cure for insomnia...
Summary: 2 Stars
William Gibson's Idoru is a great book for insomniacs. Gibson's obsessive attention to details begins as loose flowing intrigue but ends in a thick mud of mental constipation. Chia McKenzie is the most believable of Gibson's creations in Idoru. And though the world through which she ventures is rendered with such retro and random, post millenial decor, it is at times like her wonderland does not take her anywhere all that exciting. She is merely admiring the moss at the bottom of the rabbit hole. What can we learn about ourselves from the IDORU? That we are gullible to the falsity of the world we have created for ourselves. That our idols don't need to be more than a collection of pixels contained behind a computer screen, or stored in a computer chip. The IDORU seems to foresee a world of empty numbers and codes that only the trruly gifted "sifters" like Colin Laney can see through. But what Laney can see is about as exciting as the plot of the IDORU. Not only are the cities of this future constructed with these hollow bricks of information, but so are the celebrities. The one thing the IDORU has going for it is the occassional bits of unexpected details, like the bubble gummed cafe walls, or the DNA hair tester at the airport. But these eye opening details are so imbedded in rambling chaos that I would suggest you stick with Lewis Carroll and put your Gibson under the fantasy section of your bookshelf. Counting sheep fantasy that is.