false 22321 14 Although Colin Laney (from Gibson's earlier novel <I>Idoru</I>) lives in a cardboard box, he has the power to change the world. Thanks to an experimental drug that he received during his youth, Colin can see "nodal points" in the vast streams of data that make up the worldwide computer network. Nodal points are rare but significant events in history that forever change society, even though they might not be recognizable as such when they occur. Colin isn't quite sure what's going to happen when society reaches this latest nodal point, but he knows it's going to be big. And he knows it's going to occur on the Bay Bridge in San Francisco, which has been home to a sort of SoHo-esque shantytown since an earthquake rendered it structurally unsound to carry traffic.<p> Colin sends Barry Rydell (last seen in Gibson's novel <I>Virtual Light</I>) to the bridge to find a mysterious killer who reveals himself only by his lack of presence on the Net. Barry is also entrusted with a strange package that seems to be the home of Rei Toi, the computer-generated "idol singer" who once tried to "marry" a human rock star (she's also from <I>Idoru</I>). Barry and Rei Toi are eventually joined by Barry's old girlfriend Chevette (from <I>Virtual Light</I>) and a young boy named Silencio who has an unnatural fascination with watches. Together this motley assortment of characters holds the key to stopping billionaire Cody Harwood from doing whatever it is that will make sure he still holds the reigns of power after the nodal point takes place.<p> Although <I>All Tomorrow's Parties</I> includes characters from two of Gibson's earlier novels, it's not a direct sequel to either. It's a stand-alone book that is possibly Gibson's best solo work since <I>Neuromancer</I>. In the past, Gibson has let his brilliant prose overwhelm what were often lackluster (or nonexistent) story lines, but this book has it all: a good story, electric writing, and a group of likable and believable characters who are out to save the world ... kind of. The ending is not quite as supercharged as the rest of the novel and so comes off a bit flat, but overall this is definitely a winner. <I>--Craig E. Engler</I> 513838 1999 All Tomorrow's Parties total:2231|5:410|4:885|3:790|2:137|1:9| 2231 8243 2873 77 3 0 false false Sat Jan 31 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 19 11:56:38 -0700 2009 Thu Mar 19 11:57:27 -0700 2009
Articles about William Gibson usually talk about his weird ability to predict the future. I’m going to stay true to that form here, because one of the joys of reading old science fiction – not that All Tomorrow’s Parties, publish...more...]]> 3 0 false true Sat Nov 22 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Sat Nov 22 23:14:36 -0800 2008 Sun Nov 23 00:43:30 -0800 2008 1
The conclusion of "The Bridge Trilogy" was bittersweet for me. I very much enjoyed watching Rydell, the down-on-his-luck failed cop cum security guard, stumble his way through Gibson's world and continue to land on his feet while playing pivotal r...more...]]> 5 0 false true Fri Nov 28 11:46:08 -0800 2008 Fri Dec 12 11:02:31 -0800 2008 more...]]> 2 0 false false Sun Aug 30 00:00:00 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 02 20:27:13 -0700 2009 Sun Aug 30 22:53:47 -0700 2009 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 05 18:14:01 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 08 15:00:40 -0800 2009 more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Dec 03 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 09 20:17:56 -0800 2008 Wed Feb 25 01:53:52 -0800 2009 Isaac Asimov’s Magazine of Science Fiction rants of the early 90s. To be sure, other authors have tried to go different directions as with the retro-subgenres known as “steampunk” and “dieselpunk.” Neither has reache...more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Sep 18 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Sep 15 16:45:18 -0700 2008 Thu Sep 18 18:41:16 -0700 2008 "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, ...more...]]> 4 0 true false Sat Jul 12 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Thu May 29 21:55:48 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 22 21:40:32 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 04 06:15:52 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 04 06:26:28 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Sun Sep 30 20:01:22 -0700 2007 Mon Oct 08 12:37:22 -0700 2007 more...]]> 4 0 false false Thu Jan 15 09:40:29 -0800 2009 Thu Jan 15 09:42:43 -0800 2009 2 more...]]> 2 0 false false Tue Feb 19 18:45:01 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 26 10:40:27 -0800 2009 The Difference Engine. It has all of the cliches of Gibson's writing -- scattershot multi-character POV, mysterious assassins, vaguely defined future setting, ambiguously menacing rich guy -- but it's never very compelling. T...more...]]> 3 0 false false Tue Dec 02 09:05:42 -0800 2008 Tue Dec 02 09:07:45 -0800 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Fri Aug 01 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Mon Feb 02 07:27:17 -0800 2009 Mon Feb 02 07:27:17 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Mon Jul 07 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 08:05:50 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 08 08:13:50 -0700 2008
Reading the book was very enjoyable, simply because of his descriptive, colorful style. The characters were interesting, and well drawn. But the story never reall...more...]]> 2 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Fri Nov 21 02:22:55 -0800 2008 Fri Nov 21 02:25:35 -0800 2008 3 0 false false Fri Oct 26 08:47:33 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 26 08:39:18 -0700 2007 Fri Oct 26 08:46:35 -0700 2007 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Sep 16 19:35:18 -0700 2009 Wed Sep 16 19:36:23 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Thu Mar 05 22:04:38 -0800 2009 Thu Mar 05 22:05:19 -0800 2009 Idoru, but still suffers from the same flaws as the rest of this trilogy.]]> 5 0 false false Mon Dec 29 12:35:43 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 12:35:43 -0800 2008