About this title: William Gibson's groundbreaking debut became an instant classic, sweeping for the first time all of science fiction's major awards (the Hugo, the Nebula, and the Philip K. Dick), coining the term "cyberspace," and effectively launching the cyberpunk subgenre in the mid-'80s. Having grown out of a subculture disillusioned with technology's ...
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Note: This is a general synopsis. Each listing is described below.
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Voyager
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780586066454ISBN:0586066454
Description: Good. * BOOKS DISPATCHED WITHIN 24 HOURS * SATISFACTION GUARANTEED * ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED PROMPTLY * SHIPPED FROM UK * USA DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS * SHIPPED FROM UK: USA & EUROPE SPECIALISTS DELIVERY IN 3-5 DAYS. read more
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Voyager
Date Published: 1986
ISBN-13:9780586066454ISBN:0586066454
Description: Good. Our aim is to create value for our customers through the provision of low cost, affordable products and an overall satisfying buying experience. read more
Description: Acceptable. Ships from the UK. Former Library book. Shows definite wear, and perhaps considerable marking on inside. Your purchase also supports literacy charities. read more
Edition: Edition Unstated
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780441569595ISBN:0441569595
Description: Very Good- As issued No Jacket. Slight spine lean, corner bumps, covers scratches, some handling creases to the front covers, and other light shopwear. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Ace Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780441569595ISBN:0441569595
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. corner crease; edgewear; Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 271 p. Remembering Tomorrow. Audience: General/trade. read more
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace
Date Published: 1984
ISBN-13:9780441569595ISBN:0441569595
Description: Acceptable. Overall below average used book. May have highlighting, underlining, notes, price sticker on cover, or be an ex-library book. read more
Description: Good. Ace, PB, 1995. Good reading copy with wear on cover, binding reasonably tight, no markings. Check my store for more than 1500 other sci-fi and fantasy titles. read more
Binding: Mass-market paperback
Publisher: Ace Books
Date Published: 2003
ISBN-13:9780441569595ISBN:0441569595
Description: Good. No dust jacket as issued. Mass market (rack) paperback. Glued binding. 271 p. Remembering Tomorrow. Audience: General/trade. read more
Description: Good. USEFUL Paperback book in the POCKETBOOK style. Some crease to the spine. A bit of shelf and edge wear. Surface rub to the covers. A fold mark to the covers. Some slight yellowing to the pages. This edition remains presentable! read more
Edition: Edition Unstated
Binding: Mass Market Paperback
Publisher: Ace Books, E Rutherford, New Jersey, U.S.A.
Date Published: 1995
ISBN-13:9780441569595ISBN:0441569595
Description: Very Good- As issued No Jacket. Slight spine lean, corner bumps, covers scratches and soiling, interior covers age toning, a couple of creases to the front cover, and other light shopwear. read more
"Neuromancer was written over 20 years ago and what was written as science fiction has become in many ways science fact. Gibson dreamed of a future that has come to pass. This book is a visionary marvel."
"I don't normally read Science Fiction books. I usually shy away from them because my scientific background tends to lead to skepticism in the presented ideas and methods and thus renders me nearly incapable of suspending disbelief. Oh science, how you've eaten away at my childhood imaginative capabilities.
I also tend to find writing in genres such as Sci-Fi and Adventure to be subpar and often times poetically lacking. They tend to be written in a much more straightforward style, casting to the side all of the subtle pleasantries of fine literature I've become accustomed to reading in my more snobby genres. Oh snobby books, how you've eaten away at my ability to read undemanding and simple stories.
Or have they?
Neuromancer shined through this trepidation and provided the goods. It's packed with creative ideas and a suprisingly clairvoyant (albeit dark) vision of the future. Gibson touches in the mid 1980s on concepts such as the Internet, Artificial Intelligence, cybernetics, genetic engineering, hacking, virtual reality, corporate consumption, etc...
Neuromancer also carries with it a certain, and poignant aesthetic. Gibson does a fine job describing the setting and setting the dark, futuristic mood by filling his world with lush descriptions which are balanced with large gaps in explanation, leaving much to the imagination. His world is filled with psychopaths, war generals, rogue hackers, prostitutes, drug dealers, dark back-alley fights, ninjas, assassins, Rastafarians, and dirty hideouts. Gibson does a fantastic job with his style: it yields a gritty, cyberpunk-filled vision of the future.
That said, Neuromancer is not flawless. I had to cringe at some of the cheesy dialogue and silly sex scenes. Often times Gibson's writing style is too choppy and disconnected. He drops too many names, locations, and undeveloped backstories. His characters often fall flat from a development standpoint. The focus tends to be on the environment and ideas, not on the dialogue or character development.
It would be hard for me to write this review without mentioning The Matrix, but I'm sure an army of literature has already attacked the link between these films and this book. I was alarmed at how much The Matrix yoinked from this book. The ideas and "feel" of Neuromancer is basically duplicated in The Matrix, making me wonder how different this book would have been for me to have read it prior to exposure to these films.
In short, this book has inspired me to pursue other "classics" of this genre and to recognize that, like music, each genre contains at least a few treasures.
"This is not a book to read for the writing or, even, dare I say, substance. This is a book to read for a complete immersion into an underground culture. All of the action occurs in the white space, and the characters are nothing more than stereotypes of computer-obsessed, cyber junkies - very hollow and predictable. The appeal lies in the cyberpunk culture that the story spawned, and, while it's hard to put aside everything you love about reading, there's nothing wrong with enjoying some straight-up science fiction that offers little more than a 200-and-some page experience."
"It was difficult to stay focused on this novel, it's story and it's characters. If I could, I would probably give this 2.5 stars rather than 3 stars, but I'll be lenient since was a triple award winner in the 80s.
However, it really hasn't stood the test of time well. If I had read this when published, which would have been my first year in college as an engineer/math/computer science college student, it would have been cutting edge, or more appropriately, bleeding edge.
But the character development was lost in the weird heist-like saga of these individuals thrown together by an immoral and immortal AI manipulating them and the world. It was sad that I couldn't care what happened to them or their acquaintances or their world. Some of the action was top notch, but much of their motivations were harsh, raw and confusing.
I can see where Hollywood has reworked this idea many times over the last two decades, most notably The Matrix and Johnny Mneumonic and a spattering of television episodes (a couple of X Files and a Lone Gunman one that I can remember off the top of my head)."
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