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ramsfan1963's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Neuromancer is the more famous book, but I think this is the better read. Taken together, it a view of a world of technological wonders, but also the ugly side of the abuse of technology, when it begins to blur what it means to be human.
guppyur's review against another edition
4.0
Superb.
This is a short story collection by William Gibson, the father of cyberpunk, most famous for his seminal novel Neuromancer. To read Gibson is to realize just how completely every other work in the genre has cribbed from him, right down to the slang he invented.
Not all of Gibson's work is up to the standard of Neuromancer. I'm happy to say that this one is. Burning Chrome collects ten short stories of varying lengths. I would prefer not to describe the stories; I believe a critical part of the experience is going in blind, allowing oneself to construct a mental image of the settings Gibson creates from the context he provides. Extrapolating his world from the little corner he renders is part of the journey. Instead, here's a list of the stories:
1. Johnny Mnemonic*
2. The Gernsback Continuum
3. Fragments of a Hologram Rose
4. The Belonging Kind
5. Hinterlands
6. Red Star, Winter Orbit
7. New Rose Hotel*
8. The Winter Market*
9. Dogfight
10. Burning Chrome*
I enjoyed all ten of them, but the starred stories were my favorites. As is Gibson's style, the stories are grimy and gritty as you'd expect a cyberpunk setting to be.
I love Gibson for his ideas and his settings, but several passages made me wish for a Kindle edition just so I could highlight. A lot of good turns of phrase in here.
This book is currently available only in physical format, and is not currently being printed, but copies are plentiful at the moment and are not hard to get hold of. My paperback edition features a preface by Bruce Sterling in defense of science fiction as a genre, which I enjoyed very much as well. I am sorry to say that the genre does seem to need sticking up for.
Very much worth reading.
This is a short story collection by William Gibson, the father of cyberpunk, most famous for his seminal novel Neuromancer. To read Gibson is to realize just how completely every other work in the genre has cribbed from him, right down to the slang he invented.
Not all of Gibson's work is up to the standard of Neuromancer. I'm happy to say that this one is. Burning Chrome collects ten short stories of varying lengths. I would prefer not to describe the stories; I believe a critical part of the experience is going in blind, allowing oneself to construct a mental image of the settings Gibson creates from the context he provides. Extrapolating his world from the little corner he renders is part of the journey. Instead, here's a list of the stories:
1. Johnny Mnemonic*
2. The Gernsback Continuum
3. Fragments of a Hologram Rose
4. The Belonging Kind
5. Hinterlands
6. Red Star, Winter Orbit
7. New Rose Hotel*
8. The Winter Market*
9. Dogfight
10. Burning Chrome*
I enjoyed all ten of them, but the starred stories were my favorites. As is Gibson's style, the stories are grimy and gritty as you'd expect a cyberpunk setting to be.
I love Gibson for his ideas and his settings, but several passages made me wish for a Kindle edition just so I could highlight. A lot of good turns of phrase in here.
This book is currently available only in physical format, and is not currently being printed, but copies are plentiful at the moment and are not hard to get hold of. My paperback edition features a preface by Bruce Sterling in defense of science fiction as a genre, which I enjoyed very much as well. I am sorry to say that the genre does seem to need sticking up for.
Very much worth reading.
lukerhine's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
jsdrown's review against another edition
5.0
Gibson is one of my favorite SF authors. His authorial voice is unlike anyone else in the genre. There have been imitators. But no one that comes close to mastering his specific niche he carved himself. This short story collection is a must read for fans of Neuromancer. Hinterland, The Belonging Kind, and Burning Chrome are my three favorite stories. In that order.
zissou87's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
kcrouth's review against another edition
5.0
a great collection of short stories by Gibson, one my favorite authors. Excellent imagination and writing.
red_ochre's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
andrew_corduroy's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
3.75
sean86's review against another edition
challenging
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
vayeate's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Right....well....uuughhhh....the most memorable stories were the Burning Chrome itself and Red Star, Winter Orbit. I am not saying there were good, I am saying that I still kind of remember them after finishing the book.
This book is not my cup of cyberpunk.
This book is not my cup of cyberpunk.