Art's review
Virtual Light by William Gibson
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, etc. etc. etc. This one has been the least futuristic, yet it still riffs on familiar Gibson themes of government=bad, rich people=bad, hackers, regular people, etc. The book is good, don't get me wrong.
