Virtual Light
by William Gibson
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 1625)
Read in September, 2006
This is the first book in what came to be known as Gibson's Bridge Trilogy, along with 'Idoru' and 'All Tomorrow's Parties'. The settings for each of Gibson's trilogies moves closer to present time. While the Sprawl Trilogy took place in a future that seemed very unlike the time period it was published, these books are set in a time period that looks a little closer to ours. Gibson gives us Chevette Washington, the tough, female protagonist that he seems to love to use in most of his books. I al...more
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Read in May, 2008
This was an entertaining read and included an interesting version of the future (that crazy future three years ago). But the end was less than satisfying and there were certain things throughout that bothered me. I understand that technology and culture move faster and faster, but why, WHY, write a futuristic sci-fi book in the early 90s and have it set in 2005? There is no way things could have progressed as far as this book fictionally predicts, even if Y2K had pulverized our culture. Ther...more
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Read in January, 1995
recommends it for:
Gibson Fans, Cyberpunk Enthusiasts
While many others tout the Neuromancer based books (Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive), I must admit this novel is a strong beginning for his next trilogy (though better followups with Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties could have been better). The story is solid though the ending comes quickly and resolves on a flat note. However, the range of characters and the concepts presented make up for this to a large degree, from Barry, a down on his luck rent-a-cop, to his hypochondriac, hyper-allergenic p...more
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Read in October, 2007
An interesting take on SanFran vs. LA. It's written in the usual William Gibson style: take item of crucial importance, add in several regular-yet-special characters, and intertwine their lives around the object while the bad guys pursue them, and set everything in a dark, yet plausible near-future that resembles our present. A bike messenger gets groped by a drunk party-goer (also a courier), steals his item, a failed cop/rent-a-cop happens to get involved, Golden Gate bridge is now skid row...more
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Read in October, 2007
As a teenager, I remember I loved William Gibson. I loved Neuromancer. Now, after reading this book, I'm no longer sure. His writing skills are sound, but just couldn't get interested in a story about some lost VR glasses. I think that Gibson spent too much time creating a world for this story, in this very short book, that he left out what would make it an interesting story.
Eh, that's okay. A friend told me that Neuromancer was the only decent thing he wrote anyway.
Eh, that's okay. A friend told me that Neuromancer was the only decent thing he wrote anyway.
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Dear, dear, me,
whatever happened to the genius of William Gibson. His earlier books/collections I've marked as resounding 5***** phenomena. But I think the zenith of his writing career has been and gone. This 'boring pile of shit', I'd forgotten that I'd read it before. I was re-reading it going, I know this. But that didn't bring back good memories. The book sucks, deep. Sorry, I'm usually not so down on Gibson but his later works really are not up to scratch for the mesmerising dreamer that ...more
whatever happened to the genius of William Gibson. His earlier books/collections I've marked as resounding 5***** phenomena. But I think the zenith of his writing career has been and gone. This 'boring pile of shit', I'd forgotten that I'd read it before. I was re-reading it going, I know this. But that didn't bring back good memories. The book sucks, deep. Sorry, I'm usually not so down on Gibson but his later works really are not up to scratch for the mesmerising dreamer that ...more
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Read in April, 2008
recommends it for:
Geeks, nerds and high-tech / Sci-fi types
I really liked this book, more for Gibson's vision and imagination than for the actual story though. The plot was kind of canned, and the action had a strange pace, but there were some genuinely gripping parts. And as ever, the little details about this alternate/future reality that are peppered into the story are a reason in themselves to love Gibson.
And seriously, who wouldn't want to live on the Bay Bridge?
And seriously, who wouldn't want to live on the Bay Bridge?
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Read in February, 2008
about half way through the book i realized that in my youth i had read the short story skinner's room in an anthology of sci-fi. at the time it had an influence on my, and while i was reading the sections on the bridge it was resonating a feeling of déjà vu within me. this is another really good gibson novel, full of rich characters and loving descriptions of the smallest details.
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Read in August, 2007
This was my first Gibson book. I found it to be very well written (indeed, he is so fond of the word accrete I had to run to the dictionary while I was reading it), and the plot moves along nicely. It is not incredibly gripping, so it is easy to put down, but once you get 100 pages or so into it, you want to finish it. Easy to put down, easier to pick up.
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Read in July, 2008
William Gibson is a bad-ass writer. He has this method of switching different characters in different chapters and within the chapter flipping back and forth between the individuals present and past so by the time they finally meet up everything just clicks. I've just read this for the 4th or 5th time and I still fell right in. Excellent.
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What a great book! I first read this maybe about ten years ago. I just recently learned that Mr. Gibson has added two more books to this "series", so I wanted to reread this one before moving on to the next two. I had forgotten how much I enjoy his writing. I'm looking forward to the next one in the series!
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Read in October, 2007
I had some difficulty getting into this book, because I thought there were way too many characters introduced way too quickly, and not enough plot to keep it together. Once the plot finally asserted itself, I didn't have any problems turning the pages one after the other.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2008
A San Francisco bike punk and a talk show-celebrated rent-a-cop try to outrun an international data/military/technology company, with the help of a refugee of television evangelism and a Japanese documentarian. If that sounds intense, wait until you get to The Bridge...
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i would've given it two stars if it wasn't for the whole refugee squatter village on the bay bridge scenario. otherwise, a bunch of unfulfilled semi-interesting ideas.
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Has a copy to sell/swap
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Read in February, 2007
recommends it for:
fans of good modern sci-fi
My favorite Gibson novel, probably because he does not try too hard to be William Gibson. It is a fun story with some imaginative touches (a community of vagrants inhabiting the Golden Gate Bridge) and, de rigeur for all Gibson stories, Russian bad guys.
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Good stuff. I wasn't expecting to be blown away, but I really dig Gibson's 1991 vision of 2025. Not amazing, a little bit predictable towards the end, but fun. I'm interested to see where this trilogy goes.
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Read in January, 1997
I don't think this book is the reason I moved to San Francisco, although I just loved the tough female protagonist and the image of people creating a colony on the Bay Bridge. Think it could still happen?
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Read in January, 2007
San Francisco bike messengers in distopia, anarchists living on the abandoned Bay Bridge, what's not to like. Just note that Gibson "borrowed" much from messenger zine Mercury Rising.
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William Gibson. Songwriter of the long and silent paper type. Don't foget yer Gibson. Silent in the loud, resonating-your-cultural-antanea-into-a-migraine sort of way.
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Read in January, 2004
recommends it for:
Anyone
Another great cyberpunk story from William Gibson - his characters are intriguing, the plot is tricky and fast-moving, and the world in which it's set is fascinating.
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