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3.69 AVERAGE
3.69 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
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:
Yes
challenging
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a really difficult book to finish. I probably should have just DNFed it, but I was curious about how it was going to end and if the ending would make the rest of the book make sense, it did not . Sometimes when I read a classic, I can see where different tropes or references originated. This was not one of those times. The book was running more on vibes than plot or characters or setting and I just couldn't get into it or truly follow what was happening.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
I love science fiction! this book was a whirlwind of cyberspace and crime. I loved the poetic and honestly clueless narration style from Case's POV- a space cowboy who was quite frankly out of his depth in the vast expanse of the matrix and cryptic AI masterminds. It was refreshing to feel like I didn't need to "get it" all the time and could just be dragged along for the ride as Case was.
I read Neuromancer as someone familiar with the cyberpunk genre and the archetypes this book has influenced, but I imagine to a reader in the 80s, when technology was just beginning to influence everyday lives, this book would've had a greater impact. Having said that, reading this book in 2025, when the threat of AI is more real than ever, has some irony to it. I can't help but feel we are getting closer to the cyberpunk dystopia from the 80s than we care to think about.
I read Neuromancer as someone familiar with the cyberpunk genre and the archetypes this book has influenced, but I imagine to a reader in the 80s, when technology was just beginning to influence everyday lives, this book would've had a greater impact. Having said that, reading this book in 2025, when the threat of AI is more real than ever, has some irony to it. I can't help but feel we are getting closer to the cyberpunk dystopia from the 80s than we care to think about.
3.5 - I think I like the ideas more than the execution.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A disappointment, I had meant to read this for years but in the end I found it irritating, over complex and with some very thin characters.
Some of the writing was excellent : “The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel.”
The first third was interesting and compelling but increasingly it become messy and over complicated. It is one thing to create an alternate reality and another thing entirely to leave the reader puzzling through layers of meaning. There were so many times when I felt totally lost. I think I'll stick with PKD if I want dystopian futures.
Some of the writing was excellent : “The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel.”
The first third was interesting and compelling but increasingly it become messy and over complicated. It is one thing to create an alternate reality and another thing entirely to leave the reader puzzling through layers of meaning. There were so many times when I felt totally lost. I think I'll stick with PKD if I want dystopian futures.
Cyberpunk? More like gritty the book smeered under layers of shit stained cyber jargon.