book data
1518 ratings, 3.70 average rating, 58 reviews
(more data...)
edit
published
February 4th 2003
(first published 1999)
by Berkley
binding
Paperback, 352 pages
isbn
0425190447
(isbn13: 9780425190449)
description
Although Colin Laney (from Gibson's earlier novel Idoru) lives in a cardboard box, he has the power to change the world. Thanks to an experimen...more
Sign in to Goodreads to see your friends' reviews of this book.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet. Be the first to start one »
friend reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.
other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1900)
Read in November, 2008
recommends it for:
People who enjoy cyberpunk novels.
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in January, 2000
Colin, sensitive to patterns of information like no one else on Earth, lives in a cardboard box. He knows something is about to happen in San Francisco.
Rydell has no pressing reason not to go to San Francisco. In fact, his current employer has just given strong indication that he is free to go by ordering him off the premises.
Chevette isn't running toward Rydell, though of all of her ex-boyfriends he's the only one she might want to run toward. She's actually running from the most recent...more
Rydell has no pressing reason not to go to San Francisco. In fact, his current employer has just given strong indication that he is free to go by ordering him off the premises.
Chevette isn't running toward Rydell, though of all of her ex-boyfriends he's the only one she might want to run toward. She's actually running from the most recent...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2008
A follow-up from "Idoru", but with an undetermined time in between them, this book carries alot of the same concepts, characters, and landscapes over.
However, while Laney plays a major role, he's not the focus of the book, and neither is Tokyo... the focus is mostly on Rydell, and mostly in San Francisco.
I won't pontificate very much on this one, since my review of ...more
However, while Laney plays a major role, he's not the focus of the book, and neither is Tokyo... the focus is mostly on Rydell, and mostly in San Francisco.
I won't pontificate very much on this one, since my review of ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Has a copy to sell/swap
—
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
Gibson Fans
This book falls squarely between Gibson's cyberpunk period and his post-cyberpunk contemporary work. Moving away somewhat from the cyberpunk theme that wars can be fought over snippets information, now instead information is something to be acquired, manipulated, and then distorted into whatever one needs it to be.
Whereas in previous books, the villains often run a trans-national pharmaceutical company hiding the existence of a cure for an epidemic they make far more money treating, this ...more
Whereas in previous books, the villains often run a trans-national pharmaceutical company hiding the existence of a cure for an epidemic they make far more money treating, this ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
This is a Gibson story that has slipped through the cracks of my bookshelf for far too long. However now that I've read it, I'll put it back in those cracks. It's a story set in the same universe as "Idoru" and "Virtual Light" (maybe more?), with character crossovers and clever little tie-ins between books. And certainly Gibson excels at creating the world of tomorrow, building on the grungy future of Blade Runner (to name a prominent example) with things like a makeshift ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in September, 2007
I... I've got something to admit. I love Law & Order, the long-running TV show. It's pretty much the same show over and over, but it's got guts and grit, archetype characters and grubby scenescapes. The pattern is familiar, but endlessly entertaining. Upon repeated viewings, characters deepen, the well-worn grooves become familiar, making the viewer all the more aware of differences. In many ways, it's like the best of serial comic fiction. The comfort of the canon, the excitement of the ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
recommends it for:
gibson fans; people who enjoy reading prose as much as a story
Gibson always writes really good prose, but the storylines aren't always the greatest. This book followed that trend exactly.
Reading the book was very enjoyable, simply because of his descriptive, colorful style. The characters were interesting, and well drawn. But the story never really saw itself through. The ending was abrupt and left me fairly unsatisfied.
That said, I read Gibson because of his style, and if you like his other work, you will like this as well. One note is that some ...more
Reading the book was very enjoyable, simply because of his descriptive, colorful style. The characters were interesting, and well drawn. But the story never really saw itself through. The ending was abrupt and left me fairly unsatisfied.
That said, I read Gibson because of his style, and if you like his other work, you will like this as well. One note is that some ...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2007
Interesting enough as a citizen of San Francisco. The scenes of the Bay Bridge are worth the quick read. Otherwise, lacking somewhat on other fronts. I don't want to write spoilers, so I'll leave it at that.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in October, 2007
recommends it for:
Gibons fans
A decent light-dystopian spec fic novel, set in Gibson's usual highly networked near future. A little pretentious at times, with slick-sounding but empty metaphors in the dialogue and descriptions, but intelligent and fraught with a dark humor. Gibson is great at anticipating the details of a future extrapolated from today's technological trends, particularly the small and commercialized - e.g. the networked monitor system of the Lucky Dragon store chain. The main problem with the book is tha...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I was listening to The Velvet Underground waaaay too much while reading this. Fabulous plot and characters.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in July, 2008
A sequel to Idoru...incredibly vivid, as is always the case with Gibson, but also a little confusing in terms of plot points. The bridge, a homeless colony that has grown up on an unused link between SF and Oakland, is a fascinating world, as before and some of the minor characters -- the "suit" a former Japanese salaryman gone homeless, who keeps his clothing immaculate by painting his shirt with white-out and paints black ankle socks on his legs, but can be smelled from far away, in...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in August, 2008
Pretty decent book, engaging enough, but much like Pattern Recognition i felt like there was some underlying story that i just wasn't comprehending -- as if there was an assumption of a knowledge set that was barely touched on by the contents of this book. The main characters were definitely interesting, but during the entire book i felt like i was missing some crucial explanation that would have illuminated the whole thing for me -- but it jsut wasn't there. Maybe it's just a burroughs t...more
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Not one of Gibson's best efforts, but as always with his books the setting is realistic and well done and that in and of itself is enough. There is a complex plot with many characters that slowly builds toward a modestly suspenseful climax and that along with the setting keeps the book interesting. However, the book's conclusion is disappointing. Nothing much is answered, nothing profound occurs and in the end one is only left with the setting itself as a source of ideas.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Gibson's writing is deceptive. His sentence structure is not particularly complicated, which makes it easy to skim through a paragraph -- and then do a double take as you realize how densely he's packed in certain details. This is classic Gibson, and one of my favorite books in a while. Part of the reason I like it so much may be that I really like the Bridge, around which Gibson weaves so much detail that it almost becomes a character in itself.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in January, 2001
recommends it for:
Gibson fans
And here I quote my review for "Pattern Recognition":
" Gibson basically writes the same book over and over. A strung-out, perceptive hero chases clues that are the leavings of the art/plot of an insane genius. "Pattern Recognition" is "Neuromancer" is "Mona Lisa Overdrive" etc. etc.
The problem is that it's a great book, this one, and Gibson knows really well how to make it seem new every time. "
Q.E.D.
" Gibson basically writes the same book over and over. A strung-out, perceptive hero chases clues that are the leavings of the art/plot of an insane genius. "Pattern Recognition" is "Neuromancer" is "Mona Lisa Overdrive" etc. etc.
The problem is that it's a great book, this one, and Gibson knows really well how to make it seem new every time. "
Q.E.D.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
I read Neuromancer years ago. I think I was on psilocybin mushrooms at the time. And whiskey. It made a lot of sense.
This effort has a certain logic to it, too, although it's never quite clear why anybody's doing anything.
The description of the convenience store of the not-too-distant future is worth the 50 cents I paid at the thrift shop, though.
This effort has a certain logic to it, too, although it's never quite clear why anybody's doing anything.
The description of the convenience store of the not-too-distant future is worth the 50 cents I paid at the thrift shop, though.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
Read in November, 2008
recommended to Brea by:
zanerecommends it for: sci fi fans who like things future-y
this is the third (i think) book in this william gibson series. it's an amazing series and you should start from the beginning.
like most of his books, it's slow going at first and there are a lot of character. but it all wraps up neatly in the end.
also - very cool sci fi inventions through out - glasses that control floating cameras, anyone?
like most of his books, it's slow going at first and there are a lot of character. but it all wraps up neatly in the end.
also - very cool sci fi inventions through out - glasses that control floating cameras, anyone?
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
this book was a bit of a challenge for me to read, it took me a long time to develop a connection with the story and the characters and to understand what was even going on with the story but once I got into it I couldn't be pursuaded to put the book down. Luckily for me I didn't have to as I was on a cross country trip via minivan with my family.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
The capper to Gibson's second trilogy - the "Nanite" trilogy... starting with Virtual Light, and then Idoru.
It's easy to overlook the thematic super-structures that Gibson has in place... the connections between the novels are so intangible. But if you can read all three together, this final chapter brings a shockingly satisfying closure.
It's easy to overlook the thematic super-structures that Gibson has in place... the connections between the novels are so intangible. But if you can read all three together, this final chapter brings a shockingly satisfying closure.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
This is supposedly the last book of the bridge trilogy, but I actually read it first without getting lost. In my opinion it's the best of the three, because it focuses a little more on the characters, particularly bridge residents, and a little less on the plot, which Gibson lays out in the first book and then doesn't do much with.
Like this review?
yes
add a comment
to-read
(on 39 people's shelves)
currently-reading (on 16 people's shelves)
sci-fi (on 12 people's shelves)
science-fiction (on 10 people's shelves)
fiction (on 4 people's shelves)
cyberpunk (on 4 people's shelves)
own (on 4 people's shelves)
william-gibson (on 2 people's shelves)
cyber-punk (on 2 people's shelves)
fantasy (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
currently-reading (on 16 people's shelves)
sci-fi (on 12 people's shelves)
science-fiction (on 10 people's shelves)
fiction (on 4 people's shelves)
cyberpunk (on 4 people's shelves)
own (on 4 people's shelves)
william-gibson (on 2 people's shelves)
cyber-punk (on 2 people's shelves)
fantasy (on 1 person's shelf)
More shelves...
groups with this book
