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raygersh's review against another edition
4.0
Neuromancer is a pillar of science fiction. The world of the Sprawl has become so intertwined with our modern understanding of the internet and AI in pop culture that it could never possibly be disentangled. William Gibson's dystopian high-tech world populated with marginalized hackers and other embodiments of scum and villainy effectively created the cyberpunk genre. It serves as the inspiration for The Matrix and precedes a lot of ideas held within Ghost in the Shell, Ready Player One, and any other iteration of cyberspace you can think of. You can't read or watch any of these works without saying, "that reminds me of..."
Just because it was among the first, does that make it the best? No. But Neuromancer has so much more going for it than just appearing at the beginning of a burgeoning new genre. Gibson's writing is beautifully crafted and evocative. When you open the novel's pages, instantly the lighting of the room you're holed up in gets dimmer, the edges of each corner a little sharper. The novel is insanely descriptive but holds no pretense of flowery language. Gibson's world is bleak and he is not writing to give his readers any semblance of hope in the future.
In a sense, this is the most brilliantly crafted sci-fi I have ever read. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what was happening 60% of the time. We're plunged into this gritty, chaotic, and ugly world and asked to pick up its nuances as we go. What I find fascinating is the way that this novel has aged. In his introduction, Gibson discusses the idea of futuristic science fiction and prediction of technology. At times, the novel's prescience is spot-on, predicting technological advancements the world wouldn't see for thirty years, while at other times, the novel feels like it wholly belongs to the 80s. This conflict should by all means create an anachronistic and disjointed reading experience, but what truly amazes me is the way that sense of being in both the future and the past only serves to further immerse into the story. There were moments it felt like drinking from a firehose, but I appreciate Gibson's take-no-prisoners attitude. It aligns with his rugged world and steely characters.
Overall: I genuinely loved this novel and think it is worthy of all of its accolades but I was not wholly satisfied with its ending. 4.5 stars
Just because it was among the first, does that make it the best? No. But Neuromancer has so much more going for it than just appearing at the beginning of a burgeoning new genre. Gibson's writing is beautifully crafted and evocative. When you open the novel's pages, instantly the lighting of the room you're holed up in gets dimmer, the edges of each corner a little sharper. The novel is insanely descriptive but holds no pretense of flowery language. Gibson's world is bleak and he is not writing to give his readers any semblance of hope in the future.
In a sense, this is the most brilliantly crafted sci-fi I have ever read. But in a much more real sense, I had no idea what was happening 60% of the time. We're plunged into this gritty, chaotic, and ugly world and asked to pick up its nuances as we go. What I find fascinating is the way that this novel has aged. In his introduction, Gibson discusses the idea of futuristic science fiction and prediction of technology. At times, the novel's prescience is spot-on, predicting technological advancements the world wouldn't see for thirty years, while at other times, the novel feels like it wholly belongs to the 80s. This conflict should by all means create an anachronistic and disjointed reading experience, but what truly amazes me is the way that sense of being in both the future and the past only serves to further immerse into the story. There were moments it felt like drinking from a firehose, but I appreciate Gibson's take-no-prisoners attitude. It aligns with his rugged world and steely characters.
Overall: I genuinely loved this novel and think it is worthy of all of its accolades but I was not wholly satisfied with its ending. 4.5 stars
jerricrocko's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
ismynamegeoff's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
xover's review against another edition
4.0
Neuromancer (1984) holds up surprisingly well in 2021.
Almost four decades of technological progress and there are still no glaring holes. Gibson's exceedingly strong writing obfuscates the racial and cultural stereotypes, and the lack of strong female characters doesn't stand out because the same can mostly be said for other secondary characters. Its biggest flaw in this sense is that the intervening decades has raised the bar for plotting: readers are now wise to a plot and secondary characters that trip over themselves to accommodate the (anti)hero-protagonist. Gibson's characterisation is masterful, if not particularly subtle, but his characters are mere props.
The overall shape of the story fundamentally views the "Matrix" as something external, a parallel world one accesses through specialized equipment and requiring advanced adaptations and skill to use, rather than the ubiquitous connectivity of the smartphone era. But the smartphone era is just slightly over a decade old, and up until about 2010 or so the hyper-connected society existed mainly in geek dreams, overeager technology-sector marketing, and… science fiction. Neuromancer's assumptions held up for a quarter century, and even now the disconnectedness is not egregious.
When I dock Gibson one star here it's because of the weak plotting. It's particularly glaring since the writing and characterization is masterful, but the plotting feels nearly juvenile. There is nothing and nobody opposing the protagonist's progress along the plot's track, merely a long series of exciting incidents along the way. Even those forces who have every incentive to oppose him merely roll over, or downright bend over backwards to accommodate him.
But the bottom line is still that it was an immensely enjoyable read.
PS. Props to [a:Robertson Dean|567407|Robertson Dean|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1547618758p2/567407.jpg] who narrated the audiobook. His performance was masterful and perfectly suited to this work.
Almost four decades of technological progress and there are still no glaring holes. Gibson's exceedingly strong writing obfuscates the racial and cultural stereotypes, and the lack of strong female characters doesn't stand out because the same can mostly be said for other secondary characters. Its biggest flaw in this sense is that the intervening decades has raised the bar for plotting: readers are now wise to a plot and secondary characters that trip over themselves to accommodate the (anti)hero-protagonist. Gibson's characterisation is masterful, if not particularly subtle, but his characters are mere props.
The overall shape of the story fundamentally views the "Matrix" as something external, a parallel world one accesses through specialized equipment and requiring advanced adaptations and skill to use, rather than the ubiquitous connectivity of the smartphone era. But the smartphone era is just slightly over a decade old, and up until about 2010 or so the hyper-connected society existed mainly in geek dreams, overeager technology-sector marketing, and… science fiction. Neuromancer's assumptions held up for a quarter century, and even now the disconnectedness is not egregious.
When I dock Gibson one star here it's because of the weak plotting. It's particularly glaring since the writing and characterization is masterful, but the plotting feels nearly juvenile. There is nothing and nobody opposing the protagonist's progress along the plot's track, merely a long series of exciting incidents along the way. Even those forces who have every incentive to oppose him merely roll over, or downright bend over backwards to accommodate him.
But the bottom line is still that it was an immensely enjoyable read.
PS. Props to [a:Robertson Dean|567407|Robertson Dean|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1547618758p2/567407.jpg] who narrated the audiobook. His performance was masterful and perfectly suited to this work.
acanthae's review against another edition
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.0
mborer23's review against another edition
4.0
The worst thing about the "Matrix" trilogy—and there's plenty to dislike about those films—is that it put an end to cyberpunk nerds' hopes for a Neuromancer movie.
Sure, some of the ideas here are wildly outdated now, but Gibson's writing is still vibrant many years later. An absolute must for any cyberpunk fan.
Sure, some of the ideas here are wildly outdated now, but Gibson's writing is still vibrant many years later. An absolute must for any cyberpunk fan.
baileycb's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
willand90's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
juller's review against another edition
1.0
I thought one thing about this book was interesting - it made me wonder if this was the book that inspired Matrix and other such stories/movies. Otherwise it fell flat. There was a lot of jargon to wade through, but that feature was not why I gave up on the book. The story line didn't appeal to me.
b1ueb0y's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25