false 22328 0441569595 9780441569595 21494 890 http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1255932094m/22328.jpg http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22328.Neuromancer 9226 William Gibson 52957 3050 4 7 false Fri Jan 11 19:26:15 -0800 2008 Fri Jan 11 19:42:00 -0800 2008
The book's flaws are well documented. Case, the main character, is such an ass that by the end you almost hope something bad happens to him. Molly is interesting, but so very little is done with her as a person, she's kind of a sad waste. The rest of the cast of insane people, drug addicts, psychopaths, and strange AIs are similar. Interesting, but never really explored in any depth. Except for 3Jane, whose life is explored entirely too much. On rereading, it becomes very clear that the book's entire focus is on the 'visuals' - how it looks, the style of the story, the flash.

But what glorious flash it is. When Neuromancer came out, there was nothing like it. It was gritty before gritty was cool. It was harsh, in an era of harsh music and harsh reality. And it embraced the digital future that was exploding out all around us. It made most of the other science fiction of the day seem mired in the 1960s, both technologically and stylistically. It doesn't stand up as well now, as its best features have become cliched, its technology dated, and its stance so much a part of the real world that it's hard to see, which lets the flaws of the book show in sharper relief. But it was the first huge impact of cyberpunk, and it's worth reading for that alone.

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