Neuromancer by William Gibson Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Neuromancer
Book Review: Dry-swallow the pill
Summary: 4 Stars
I used to read Omni.
(well, that dates me)
I first read William Gibson's work in that fine failed magazine.
I bought Neuromancer when it came out - gee, my Grafton '86 copy's still rocking along - and frankly, I don't own another book that can evoke a time and place, a paperback madeleine, as well as this.
I inhaled it.
I swam in it.
It didn't just float my boat, it bolted a pair of grey-import Hyundai SRMs on to it, messily plastered the hull with radar-absorbing carbon epoxy, and lit off on column of noise and steam.
If you want an insight into how one possible future might have looked from the perspective of the early 80s, you could do far worse. Like any novel, it has its problems, but it broke a mould that many couldn't even see. It was sharp, glittering, and refracted a story of improbable characters into a mere 317 pages.
Smile at the 3Mb of hot RAM, sure, go on. Chuckle at the absence of cell phones, but *do* ride Case's destructive pathway, the convolutions that Wintermute goes through - shrug - don't take it too seriously, it's just a book. But the view it gives is a memorable one.
Book Review: Fast paced, dark sci-fi
Summary: 5 Stars
Neuromancer is THE archetypal cyber-punk sci-fi. Fast paced, sometimes funny, sometimes (very) dark - not always clear but nevertheless - one cannot put it down. A true immersing experience in the genre.Book Review: Forced my way through half of it then gave up
Summary: 1 Stars
I think I am a pretty intelligent and well read guy. I am a fan of a variety of different types of SF, but this book simply didn't work for me. I've seen people who are obvious fans of this book lambaste the one-star reviewer in the comments section saying they must be semi-literate, inbred NASCAR fans if they didn't like this book. To you people I say, "Grow up." I'll stack my IQ up against yours any day.
Like many other one star reviews, I point to the heavy usage of unexplained jargon. More importantly, however, is that the book is so disjointed that it is difficult to determine precisely what is taking place at any given time. Is there a plot? I couldn't figure this out and after forcing myself to read half the book I decided that life was too short and set it aside.
Peter Hamilton is an SF writer who does a good job of creating futuristic technologies and presenting them in a way that the reader gets it and becomes immersed in the world he creates. I simply could not get into Gibson's world. I'm not sure I would want to.
I understand this book launched the Cyberpunk movement. Excuse me my ignorance, but I guess I don't really understand what Cyberpunk is. If this is it, then I'll happily steer clear. Give me a good John Varley book any day.
If you want to read an excellent SF story that shows a fantastical future with bizarre implications of powerful AI, then check out Varley's Steel Beach. I cannot recommend it enough.
Book Review: Get it?
Summary: 5 Stars
Neuromancer is one that folks either get or don't get - and in my experience it's always been that way. A lot of people had a strong reaction - both good and bad - to this book in "dinner conversation" back when it was released. In my experience those are always the books that are most worth looking into. They offer a good chance to be inspired, instructed, or perhaps just enlivened.
I'm inspired and instructed by Neuromancer, even today. William Gibson wove together a tapestry of the digital future that we're racing headlong toward and that still isn't showing it's age. If anything it's become more clear as parts of it are realized, often horrifically. There is an energy and eagerness to the writing that set the tone of the whole of the sub-genre; and there is a sort of desperation that when applied to the grim future he is visualizing infuses the story with an durable sense of ominous foresight. This book paired with Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero, and the compilation Burning Chrome offer a clear vision of an all too real future.
You either get it or you don't.
Book Review: Glaring Typo in New Foreword!
Summary: 1 Stars
There's a new foreword in this edition by the author which, sadly, has a rather glaring typo. Considering this is the 20th anniversary edition, I had expected a little bit more from the editors than this, especially considering they were only adding what, 3 pages of content at the beginning for the foreword? How can you not at least get those few pages right? The editor that handled this should be ashamed of himself/herself and fired on the spot. This tainted my entire experience because I found a hideous typo before I even got into the book. I hate typos and in an anniversary edition of the book, it is a true shame.
Lousy editing on this edition, no doubt about it. Can't believe this wasn't caught and I hope someone lost their job over it.
EDIT: For those that have an issue with me giving 1 star because of horrific editing, grow up and respect that others have differing opinions from your own. It's my review, not yours.