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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Okay I was all on board with this being a pulpy noir book in cyberpunk clothing for the first 50 or so pages but eventually I lost some threads and read a whole chapter where nothing made sense, what the characters did made no sense and how other characters reacted to what they did made even less sense. It was a beguiling experience because this was a pivotal chapter in the story.
Still not bad just kinda not worth it.
Still not bad just kinda not worth it.
A hodgepodge of blunted plot threads, the sex and lasers make up for most of the shortcomings. If you're the scifi or computer type, it's worth the read -- if only for the cyber techno vocabulary and the why-doesn't-this-reality-exist-yet setting. Seriously, when??
Heretical, perhaps, but I prefer this one to Neuromancer. Neuromancer is, don't get me wrong, fantastic. But this one just gets to me more.
Gibson has an amazing ability to write clear sentences that also very dense and phrased quite beautifully. He also writes a constant, engaging crescendo. Whether you like cyber punk or not, well worth reading for his talent as a writer.
Gibson is the only author I can think of who is capable of writing a book that has so many parts that make very little sense to me (or that I have to work so hard to follow) yet I'm inclined to keep going. I love reading his descriptions so much that I would probably read "William Gibson takes a trip to Safeway and Describes it in 100 pages". Not probably, I would definitely read that. Even after everything is all tied together, there's still some things I didn't get but the book still seems great.
I also love books that incorporate so much futuristic technology and still have things like pay phones and cassette tapes; they feel like little Easter Eggs. Now onto Mona Lisa Overdrive. :)
I also love books that incorporate so much futuristic technology and still have things like pay phones and cassette tapes; they feel like little Easter Eggs. Now onto Mona Lisa Overdrive. :)
Compared to Neuromancer, this one felt a little weak. It could be that it just suffered from the perennial weakness that many second books in trilogies have: being basically just exposition for the final book. It took almost 200 pages before the story actually felt like it really got going and was really only exciting for the last 50. Hopefully the third pays off.
Probably 2.5 stars. Both better and worse than Neuromancer. This book definitely does a better job exploring themes relating to wealth and power. It leans much more heavily on a kind of mystical view of advanced technology, which makes sense and works with the plot and the messages of the book. As others have noted, the plot is less linear and looser and not quite as satisfying a story. The main characters are very flat and not engaging, and they don't have a lot to them. Turner is the stereotypical no-nonsense badass mercenary, Bobby is the stereotypical nerd wannabe hacker, and Marly is the stereotypical saved-by-but-actually-in-danger-from-a-powerful-man quasi-damsel. All of them are just shells, pawns being manipulated by the insanely powerful people/AI/gods, which would be a more compelling story if they weren't just shells.
Nowhere near as engaging as neuromancer.
It picked up and got interesting occasionally, but couldn't maintain that momentum.
It picked up and got interesting occasionally, but couldn't maintain that momentum.
Awesome book! Great characters, exciting plot, and good pacing! Was initially surprised that no characters were continued from the first but but cool that it is in the same universe.