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z3r0n1n's review against another edition
4.0
I can absolutely see why this book is so seminal to the whole cyberpunk and, by extension, sci-fi genre. It provides very efficient visuals to a previously unexplored (and unseen) otherworld like “the matrix of the cyberspace”.
Narratively speaking the characters are interesting and well built, my only gripe with the whole structure is how spotty and intermittent it sometimes reads; everything seems a series of events and dialogues with no discernible narrative cohesiveness between them. It’s not chaotic, mind you, it just leaves a little bit too many blank spots between events, for my taste.
Story is simple enough but the rhythm is relatively good, even if the finale is a little rushed. Can’t wait to read Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. I’ll try to do it before the end of the year.
Narratively speaking the characters are interesting and well built, my only gripe with the whole structure is how spotty and intermittent it sometimes reads; everything seems a series of events and dialogues with no discernible narrative cohesiveness between them. It’s not chaotic, mind you, it just leaves a little bit too many blank spots between events, for my taste.
Story is simple enough but the rhythm is relatively good, even if the finale is a little rushed. Can’t wait to read Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. I’ll try to do it before the end of the year.
zimb0's review against another edition
4.0
A somewhat difficult read for me. Not entirely sure why but it could be the jargon that is used.
mazloum's review against another edition
5.0
This novel could quite possibly be the purest distillation of cyberpunk I've ever come across, which makes me wonder how I hadn't read it thus far. Gibson's prose is unbelievably poetic, which strangely works really well with the ideas and concepts presented in the novel. The characters are all interesting, futuristicly mysterious and enthralling, and the world is as much a hero as any of the involved characters.
But I find myself always drawn back to the impeccable prose of William Gibson, that really sells you on the 'there's something going on here, and perhaps you don't understand it, and that's all right, because neither does the protagonist. We'll get there at some point.'
Somewhere amongst the neon green skyscrapers of the cyberspace, I found myself falling in love with this novel, as I'm sure you will as well.
But I find myself always drawn back to the impeccable prose of William Gibson, that really sells you on the 'there's something going on here, and perhaps you don't understand it, and that's all right, because neither does the protagonist. We'll get there at some point.'
Somewhere amongst the neon green skyscrapers of the cyberspace, I found myself falling in love with this novel, as I'm sure you will as well.
wbfreema's review against another edition
5.0
this constantly battles Dune, Fight club, and Ender's Game as my all time favorite. i generally give this one the nod because of its cacophony of staccato machine gun fire pacing, its musical visionary language, and just the general idea. it's a caper, right. a neo noir heist. but the why. the why is the stuff my complicated movie paced sometimes first person, sometimes third raucous sci-fi dreams are made of. literally the kooky ideas swirling around my noggin during REM.
here's a fact: i read slowly. something like 30 pages an hour. i have to say every word outloud in my head. i've often wondered if neuromancer would make a good movie, and listening to it this time around, on time and a half, i'm convinced of it. my slow reading always got in the way of the MOVEMENT of the story. removing the processing part, and just listening, made the book much more fluid, adhering to the rapid pace the author intended. making it much more movielike. this is where gibson shines. his keen eye for detail is very well reflected in the mirror chrome of his scenery. his character's quirks offer breath and animate them off the page. Gibson is truly a master.
here's a fact: i read slowly. something like 30 pages an hour. i have to say every word outloud in my head. i've often wondered if neuromancer would make a good movie, and listening to it this time around, on time and a half, i'm convinced of it. my slow reading always got in the way of the MOVEMENT of the story. removing the processing part, and just listening, made the book much more fluid, adhering to the rapid pace the author intended. making it much more movielike. this is where gibson shines. his keen eye for detail is very well reflected in the mirror chrome of his scenery. his character's quirks offer breath and animate them off the page. Gibson is truly a master.
ebokhyllami's review against another edition
4.0
I'm impressed by Neuromancer, even today. This reprint of a 1984 classic shows that William Gibson's tale compares well with the cyberspace and nanotechnology revolution of the last decade or so as if the author had a crystal ball.
It's complex, entertaining and confusing and shouldn't be your first introduction to Sci-Fi, but if you enjoyed the movie "The Matrix" you might love this book!
It's complex, entertaining and confusing and shouldn't be your first introduction to Sci-Fi, but if you enjoyed the movie "The Matrix" you might love this book!
optimismprime's review against another edition
2.0
What the fuck?
Seriously, I'm more confused by this than "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".
The end.
Seriously, I'm more confused by this than "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?".
The end.
luverbyrd's review against another edition
2.0
Glad I read it for the sake of reading a classic. Did I super enjoy it? Not really.
In my opinion it was hard to follow, I wasn't really invested in the characters at all, half the time I didn't know the setting of a scene until later. Lots left to make up for yourself.
Overall "ehhh it was okay I guess"
Content Warnings: sexual scenes, drug use.
In my opinion it was hard to follow, I wasn't really invested in the characters at all, half the time I didn't know the setting of a scene until later. Lots left to make up for yourself.
Overall "ehhh it was okay I guess"
Content Warnings: sexual scenes, drug use.
benlundns's review against another edition
1.0
Confusing, illegible, disjointed and disappointing.
It starts out confusing and you keep reading thinking things will start to make sense and will start to come together...they don't.
You think that the plot will coalesce into a clear narrative... it doesn't
You think that you will find yourself rooting for a clear underdog... you won't.
Just this side of unreadable, I did finish it, but only by resisting the urge to throw it onto my too-bad-to-finish pile, because I had heard so much about it.
This book may have been groudbreaking when it was released and some of the ideas are impressive just for him coming up with them or predicting the direction we would be going, but as a work of enjoyable fiction it falls flat on it's face.
It starts out confusing and you keep reading thinking things will start to make sense and will start to come together...they don't.
You think that the plot will coalesce into a clear narrative... it doesn't
You think that you will find yourself rooting for a clear underdog... you won't.
Just this side of unreadable, I did finish it, but only by resisting the urge to throw it onto my too-bad-to-finish pile, because I had heard so much about it.
This book may have been groudbreaking when it was released and some of the ideas are impressive just for him coming up with them or predicting the direction we would be going, but as a work of enjoyable fiction it falls flat on it's face.