Neuromancer (Sprawl #1) in On Paths Unknown

Sep 23, 2017 Michael Finocchiaro rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, american-20th-c, classics, novels

William Gibson's Neuromancer is considered a classic in the cyberpunk genre and, indeed, as I read it, I could definitely feel the influence it had other iconic cultural landmarks such as the film The Matrix. The book itself is confusing to say the least: all the characters are jacked up on drugs most of the time and the language becomes confusing as a result. The descriptions of cyberspace are also complex and, of course, visionary - how Gibson could have foreseen some of the insidious ways tha William Gibson's Neuromancer is considered a classic in the cyberpunk genre and, indeed, as I read it, I could definitely feel the influence it had other iconic cultural landmarks such as the film The Matrix. The book itself is confusing to say the least: all the characters are jacked up on drugs most of the time and the language becomes confusing as a result. The descriptions of cyberspace are also complex and, of course, visionary - how Gibson could have foreseen some of the insidious ways that technology would ineluctably enmesh itself with our 21st century lives is truly amazing. The dystopian future that is described - a powerful, mob-ruled Japan, an ambiguous USA referred to as simply the Sprawl, decrepit Istanbul, and the Freeside space station (along with the entertaining rasta guys) - is one in which central power seems to have been passed to organized crime and a sort of cyber-anarchy reins. There do not seem to be any normal (un-modified, undrugged) people - at least none in the story. As for the plot, we follow Case through his Neo-like experiences surfing cyberspace and hacking alongside Flatline - a dead conscience with a redneck accent who lives in a circuit board - as he proceeds on a mission against the powerful (and perverse) Tellier-Ashpool family. He is also able to channel the feelings and experiences of his lover and ersatz altergo Molly while plugged into cyberspace. Overall, the book is mind-blowing in terms of the flipping between difference levels of cyber-reality as Case continues his fight. I have to say that I did not feel much affinity to Case - he is less charismatic than, say, Neo, but Molly was nearly as interesting and attractive as Trinity (although - spoiler alert - things between Case and Molly do not end as they did for Neo and Trinity.) Despite the confusing descriptions and the somewhat flatness of the protagonist, this is still a well-written and fascinating sci-fi book which was immensely influential. I just hope the world we are creating does not end up resembling the anarchic, criminally led world of Case and Molly.
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Oct 31, 2017 J.M. Hushour rated it liked it · review of another edition

Whenever you read one of those "genre-revolutionizing" books years after the fact, it's honestly unfair to the author. If I had read this in the early 80s when, like Gibson, I assume, I was goggle-eyed in awe in the wake of "Tron", "Blade Runner" and the nascent Commodore 64 (the classic if awkward "Debbie Does Dallas" of home-computing), I probably would've appreciated a lot more. That's not to say there isn't a lot to appreciate now in the book, but it's more in the sense of "Oh, wow, so many ...more

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Sep 23, 2016 Greg Hickey rated it really liked it

It's hard to put aside my familiarity with the contemporary world and modern technology and imagine myself reading this book when it was first published in 1984, but I can only assume it would have been a mind-blowing experience. Even now, it's hard to believe this book was written thirty-two years ago instead of two, because it so closely anticipates twenty-first-century developments in internet use, virtual reality, physical enhancement and more. Gibson's world-building is so complex that it's ...more

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