Neuromancer

Neuromancer – William Gibson

The daddy novel of cyberpunk, this sci-fi classic should have been on my to-read list a long time ago, but I only read it recently (thanks Pharren). I wish I had been able to read it when it first came out, actually, considering it started a whole movement and introduced any number of very cool concepts that were then heavily borrowed throughout the following years, but considering I was, like, five at the time, I doubt that would have worked out. Still, cool to see where so many references originated.

The writing is very slick (and how I love to read words well turned), a sexy blend of smoky noir and gritty dystopian sci-fi rendered in streaming sentences and fragile little fragments. You have to be really damn good, in my mind, to get away with using the amount of newly invented slang and turns of phrases that he peppers liberally throughout the novel. Of course, so many of these Gibsonisms are now in common usage (the most obvious example being cyberspace) that it doesn’t matter. It’s the kind of writing that lingers in the back of my mind for days, that I just want to wash up on and roll around in, infectious like a song that gets stuck in my head.

The world is reminiscent of Blade Runner (and really, the writing has a similar feel to Dick); bleak, crumbling, top-heavy with the crushing weight of everything wrong and corrupt in humanity. They move around a lot, so you really get to explore what Gibson has done with the place. It ain’t pretty, but it makes for engrossing reading. I feel like a good world is one you want to dwell in long after the story is over, and while I’m not saying this is the future I’d like to live in or anything, I could read so much more in this universe of his.

So I dug the writing, liked the little details and ideas involved in the world building (in fact, I would love to read some short fiction that explores any of the compelling but minor elements he introduces), the story itself obviously captured me – but omg what about the characters? This book isn’t just about a bunch of cool shit, it’s actually about people that you can really sink your teeth into. (Literally! *bites Molly, breaks tooth – or not!). I certainly have my favorites, but the whole cast really is creatively and intelligently rendered.

Anyway, I know this book has been recommended here before and it’s so well known (especially for its famous opening lines), but we didn’t have a thread to talk about it, so. Here is a thread!