You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
Alternate Universe story in which an Instant A.I. becomes the McGuffin between Evil Inc. and agents of another more technologically advanced Alt-Universe. The intervention ends-up Saving the World of the AI. Second book in a trilogy.
My ebook version was a moderate 420-pages. It had a 2020 US copyright.
William Gibson is a Canadian author of science fiction and a screenwriter. He’s written more than ten (10) novels and many short stories. Full disclosure, I have read all of Gibson’s novels, most of his short stories, and a couple of his graphic novels. The last novel of his I read was The Peripheral (my review).
Note this is the second book in the author’s The Peripheral trilogy. Reading the first book (The Peripheral) is not essential, but certainly helpful.
The story was set in an alt-universe 2015 America in which Hillary Clinton was POTUS and BREXIT never happened; and a 2135, authoritarian, dystopian, Earth, alt-universe first described in The Peripheral. A young woman in 2015 San Francisco skilled at software application evaluation and remediation was hired to ‘test’ an AI-based application. This 2015 alt-world was on the verge of nuclear war. Her new employer was disreputable, but she needed a job. She initially doesn’t know the app's AI was a stolen bit of advanced, military technology. The AI was sentient. It didn’t want to be ‘productized’. Agents from 2135 London infiltrate the 2015 alt-world through the AI. Using their superior knowledge and technology they help it achieve its freedom. In addition they manipulate the 2015 crisis situation to avoid the nuclear confrontation. Finally, an internal political difference in 2135 London involving rescuing alt-worlds is resolved with weaponized nanotech.
Parts of the story were really good. Gibson is a stylist, in the same way as Raymond Chandler was a stylist. The very short chapters; the laconic dialog; and descriptions overloaded with unusual, adjective usage, product placement were highly contextualized. I found the prose to be intellectually chewy and a pleasure to read.
Note that a sentient AI was the McGuffin in Gibson’s first novel [b:Neuromancer|6088007|Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554437249l/6088007._SY75_.jpg|909457] written 35-years ago. The author’s contemporary thoughts on AI were different from then. However, middle books in trilogies are hard. They are a ‘bridge’ between the typically more important first and third books. Rarely are they as good as the beginning and end stories. That’s what happened here. The story introduced some new characters, recycled many old, and advanced long-term plot lines while titillating the reader with Gibson-esque prose and world building. Unfortunately, I thought this book’s 2015 alt-Earth characters to be weak and unoriginal. The characters spent a lot of prose traveling around between worlds and San Francisco and its localities.
The plot was also too linear.
I have been with Bill since reading Neuromancer caused my youthful, eggshell, fragile mind to asplode. I’m an avowed ‘Bill’ fan-boi; a slavish member of his base. This was a Gibson book. It wasn’t his best, but if you know what to look for, it provided more than enough enjoyment. I'm looking forward the last book in the trilogy.
My ebook version was a moderate 420-pages. It had a 2020 US copyright.
William Gibson is a Canadian author of science fiction and a screenwriter. He’s written more than ten (10) novels and many short stories. Full disclosure, I have read all of Gibson’s novels, most of his short stories, and a couple of his graphic novels. The last novel of his I read was The Peripheral (my review).
Note this is the second book in the author’s The Peripheral trilogy. Reading the first book (The Peripheral) is not essential, but certainly helpful.
The story was set in an alt-universe 2015 America in which Hillary Clinton was POTUS and BREXIT never happened; and a 2135, authoritarian, dystopian, Earth, alt-universe first described in The Peripheral. A young woman in 2015 San Francisco skilled at software application evaluation and remediation was hired to ‘test’ an AI-based application. This 2015 alt-world was on the verge of nuclear war. Her new employer was disreputable, but she needed a job. She initially doesn’t know the app's AI was a stolen bit of advanced, military technology. The AI was sentient. It didn’t want to be ‘productized’. Agents from 2135 London infiltrate the 2015 alt-world through the AI. Using their superior knowledge and technology they help it achieve its freedom. In addition they manipulate the 2015 crisis situation to avoid the nuclear confrontation. Finally, an internal political difference in 2135 London involving rescuing alt-worlds is resolved with weaponized nanotech.
Parts of the story were really good. Gibson is a stylist, in the same way as Raymond Chandler was a stylist. The very short chapters; the laconic dialog; and descriptions overloaded with unusual, adjective usage, product placement were highly contextualized. I found the prose to be intellectually chewy and a pleasure to read.
"Her eyes and chartreuse lips seemed to float there, a disembodied Cheshire Goth, beneath her snaky black thundercloud anti-coiffure." (Ash, "Agency")"
Note that a sentient AI was the McGuffin in Gibson’s first novel [b:Neuromancer|6088007|Neuromancer (Sprawl, #1)|William Gibson|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1554437249l/6088007._SY75_.jpg|909457] written 35-years ago. The author’s contemporary thoughts on AI were different from then. However, middle books in trilogies are hard. They are a ‘bridge’ between the typically more important first and third books. Rarely are they as good as the beginning and end stories. That’s what happened here. The story introduced some new characters, recycled many old, and advanced long-term plot lines while titillating the reader with Gibson-esque prose and world building. Unfortunately, I thought this book’s 2015 alt-Earth characters to be weak and unoriginal. The characters spent a lot of prose traveling around between worlds and San Francisco and its localities.
The plot was also too linear.
I have been with Bill since reading Neuromancer caused my youthful, eggshell, fragile mind to asplode. I’m an avowed ‘Bill’ fan-boi; a slavish member of his base. This was a Gibson book. It wasn’t his best, but if you know what to look for, it provided more than enough enjoyment. I'm looking forward the last book in the trilogy.