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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
dark
inspiring
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book will stick with me forever, and I read it soon after it was first published, more than 40 years ago.
"The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel." I was in Bakka, the SF bookstore in Toronto, and I'd just picked up this oddly named novel - What the heck is a neuromancer? - and opened it up. The first line of this groundbreaking novel wormed its way into my brain instantly. I knew that colour of sky-over-water; I'd seen it, but had never made that connection. And once made, I was hooked.
I bought the novel and read it in one sitting that day. And I've reread it perhaps a dozen times since, and it has never lost its grip on me.
Maybe because "cyberpunk" wasn't yet a thing, or maybe because it was my first exposure to the genre, or maybe I was just young (if you call mid-20s young) and impressionable, but no other SF has quite managed to impact me as profoundly as Gibson's novel.
The story focuses on Case, a hacker, and Molly, a cybernetically enhanced bodyguard, as they get wrapped up in the creation of an AI. For all their imperfections and poor judgements, I still wish I actually knew Case and Molly, I wish I could be their friend; as characters, they were that impressive.
The plot is brilliant, weaving you through all manner of social class in Gibson's richly detailed near-future, and an astounding array of imaginative technology, brilliant visions of truly, literally immersive global networks, and a stunning array of body modifications (genetic and otherwise).
But the tech isn't the point. What really matters here is the consistency of the world Gibson creates, and of how it follows so logically from how things are today (or at least how they were in the mid-1980s). If SF is about finishing the sentence "If this goes on..." for the sake of understanding the future consequences of our current actions, then Neuromancer is a definitive work.
The language of the novel is crisp and tight and made me think of Hemingway. No, really. The dialogue is perfect and each character has a distinct voice that you will quickly come to recognize.
And, of course, it's the first true cyberpunk novel.
Even though it's a bit dated now in some regards (Gibson himself admitted to having missed "the whole wireless thing"), Neuromancer is a fantastic yet absolutely believable journey through a tomorrow both familiar and alien in turn, guaranteed to make you think about your today in entirely new ways.
"The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel." I was in Bakka, the SF bookstore in Toronto, and I'd just picked up this oddly named novel - What the heck is a neuromancer? - and opened it up. The first line of this groundbreaking novel wormed its way into my brain instantly. I knew that colour of sky-over-water; I'd seen it, but had never made that connection. And once made, I was hooked.
I bought the novel and read it in one sitting that day. And I've reread it perhaps a dozen times since, and it has never lost its grip on me.
Maybe because "cyberpunk" wasn't yet a thing, or maybe because it was my first exposure to the genre, or maybe I was just young (if you call mid-20s young) and impressionable, but no other SF has quite managed to impact me as profoundly as Gibson's novel.
The story focuses on Case, a hacker, and Molly, a cybernetically enhanced bodyguard, as they get wrapped up in the creation of an AI. For all their imperfections and poor judgements, I still wish I actually knew Case and Molly, I wish I could be their friend; as characters, they were that impressive.
The plot is brilliant, weaving you through all manner of social class in Gibson's richly detailed near-future, and an astounding array of imaginative technology, brilliant visions of truly, literally immersive global networks, and a stunning array of body modifications (genetic and otherwise).
But the tech isn't the point. What really matters here is the consistency of the world Gibson creates, and of how it follows so logically from how things are today (or at least how they were in the mid-1980s). If SF is about finishing the sentence "If this goes on..." for the sake of understanding the future consequences of our current actions, then Neuromancer is a definitive work.
The language of the novel is crisp and tight and made me think of Hemingway. No, really. The dialogue is perfect and each character has a distinct voice that you will quickly come to recognize.
And, of course, it's the first true cyberpunk novel.
Even though it's a bit dated now in some regards (Gibson himself admitted to having missed "the whole wireless thing"), Neuromancer is a fantastic yet absolutely believable journey through a tomorrow both familiar and alien in turn, guaranteed to make you think about your today in entirely new ways.
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
challenging
dark
No idea what was happening 90% of the time. Suppose it was a heist, but I have no clue what any of the characters were doing and why?
Still, gotta appreciate how the world of Neuromancer inspired amazing storytellers in the following many decades.
Still, gotta appreciate how the world of Neuromancer inspired amazing storytellers in the following many decades.
adventurous
challenging
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
informative
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
did not finish. really did not enjoy. the writing is clunky and the pace is odd. not much background info provided (nightmare fuel for science fiction imo). i can see why this book was exciting when it was first published though. its just not written in a style that i find enjoyable in the slightest
The topic of the book was interesting and I thought it held a lot of potential to be creative and interesting, but the writing style didn't do anything for me.
Starting the book, you are thrown into the deep end and it feels as if you are expected to pick up what the author gives you and run with it. Usually, concepts are explained; characters are developed; and the setting, plot, and general story come together to form one big picture after you've had a chance to tread water and get acclimated to the temperature of the pool.
This is not the case with Neuromancer. I read only until page 50 because that's the chance I give books if I'm not feeling it completely, but I just felt that I was having a hard time following the concepts presented in the book: the plot was choppy; it was difficult to relate to the characters (as it felt as if there was very little character development in the 50 pages I read); and concepts were introduced cold with no introduction, no explanation, and no context.
I consistently felt throughout the pages I read that there was another book I should have read that would have provided the background knowledge needed to fully comprehend the concepts and ideas presented in the first portion of this book -- a feeling I don't think should be the case for the first book of a series. It just didn't do anything for me.
Starting the book, you are thrown into the deep end and it feels as if you are expected to pick up what the author gives you and run with it. Usually, concepts are explained; characters are developed; and the setting, plot, and general story come together to form one big picture after you've had a chance to tread water and get acclimated to the temperature of the pool.
This is not the case with Neuromancer. I read only until page 50 because that's the chance I give books if I'm not feeling it completely, but I just felt that I was having a hard time following the concepts presented in the book: the plot was choppy; it was difficult to relate to the characters (as it felt as if there was very little character development in the 50 pages I read); and concepts were introduced cold with no introduction, no explanation, and no context.
I consistently felt throughout the pages I read that there was another book I should have read that would have provided the background knowledge needed to fully comprehend the concepts and ideas presented in the first portion of this book -- a feeling I don't think should be the case for the first book of a series. It just didn't do anything for me.