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William Gibson

HBinjection

HBinjection

New Member
I'm hooked. He's great.

Has anyone else read William Gibson?

He just released a new book last week called Pattern Recognition. I haven't picked up my copy yet.

I've read Neuromancer, Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties, all great.

I'd recommend Idoru or Neuromancer for a good first read.


Some say Gibson invented the internet. (In a manner of speaking)
 
I've read several of Gibson's books (Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and his editorial collaboration, Mirror Shades), though I haven't read any in a while. He is generally regarded as the founder of the Cyberpunk school.
If you haven't tried Neal Stephenson, check him out, too (Snow Crash and The Diamond Age).
 
I've read Idoru and enjoyed it. I look at Neuromancer every time I visit the bookstore but haven't yet picked it up. Since you recommended it, HB, maybe I'll finally give it a try.

funes, didn't Stephenson write Mirror of Her Dreams...or something like that? I reread that one recently. Which of the two novels you've listed would you recommend to read first?
 
I think that Mirror of Her Dreams was written by somebody else. At least, I don't recognize the title. Neal Stephenson is mainly known for Zodiac, Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon.
Snow Crash put him on the map, and is chock full of all kinds of wild, innovative ideas. The plot is (as it is with most cyber-punk) confusing and almost secondary.
The Diamond Age is a little more cohesive and polished all around. I don't know what exactly, but there is just something about it.
 
I almost picked up a Neal Stephenson book the other day, I'll give him a try funes.

Idoru was my favorite Gibson book so far, Dawn. Neuromancer is a lot richer, but the characters aren't as fun or interesting and it can be a choppy read. I don't know if that is because of stylistic choice or because Gibson was not yet as polished as he is now.

I will say this, Neuromancer feels much more gritty and vital. And it's chock full of amazing images and ideas.

Idoru is fun and pleasant, and has a lot of the same vision that Neuromancer does, but it feels almost like a different genre.

Neuromancer is dark and furious.

Idoru is light, (not silly or stupid, but pleasant, at least as pleasant as a book can be with a character who kills men by throwing a tomahawk!).

Perhaps warm is a better word. I liked our heroes in Idoru and I had a good time in that world.

But Neuromancer has more fire.
 
I just checked...Mirror of Her Dreams was written by Stephen R. Donaldson. Ha! Stephen Donaldson...Neal Stephenson. My dyslexia at work.

I read Idoru a while back and can't remember much about it, except that it was enjoyable. It may be worth a reread. I do remember being drawn to it by it's the cover artwork.
 
I also read and enjoy Gibson. I would add Burning Chrome to the list. Its a book of short stories, but the title story is a sort of prelude to the Neuromancer trilogy, and Johnny Mnemonic is the introduction of Molly/Sally.

His style is still choppy though, and sometimes it's hard to tell when the characters thoughts/emotions end and Gibsons narrative continues. I've come to accept that as his thing.

As for microsoft being inserted into your head - thats just too spooky...:-D
 
Gibson wrote a book with a guy named Bruce Sterling called The Difference Engine.

I haven't read it, but I visit Sterling's site from time to time.

He writes a lot of essays for different magazines and the site re-publishes them for fans. He wrote a great essay on Slipstream literature. I'll find the link and post it as a new thread.

For those of you who but prefer more mainstream fiction but enjoy the themes found in Gibson and other science fiction, this slipstream list is something to check out.

It's basically a new genre he's promoting. He took a bunch of post-post-modern novels and slapped a new label on them.

But I liked quite a few of the books on the list and appreciate the essay's humor and insight.
 
I keep meaning to get round to reading Gibson - is Neuromancer a good place to start or is there a better introductory book?
 
I say, dive straight into Neuromancer. It'll give you a good feel for Gibson's cyberpunk world and whether it's your cup o' tea. (Idoru is a 'kinder gentler' introduction.)
 
Thanks Ell, i'll be sure to check it out :) Ive read the first chapter on the net somewhere and i thought it was pretty cool so im sure i'll enjoy it!

Phil
 
Start with Pattern Recognition. Neuromancer has more of an exaggerated forced hipness which could be hard to swallow, possibly not the best starting point.
 
Serene, I understand what you mean by the exaggerated forced hipness.

I think it's because Gibson is such a fan of beat writers, that he tries to emulate their style.

Especially Burroughs,

Actually, I've come to really enjoy Gibson's prose. His writing is very good at times, although Neuromancer, I agree, felt a little choppy.

I've read virtual light, mona lisa overdrive and pattern recognition since my last post. I recommend all three, especially virtual light.

Pattern recognition has been my least favorite WG novel, but I still really liked it, and it stuck with me more than any of the other novels. I expect in a few years I will re-read it, and it will become one of my favorites.
 
Well i finally got round to reading Neuromancer - and its was rockin' :D May force me to go out and read all his other stuff now!! (Did someone mention a Neuromancer trilogy?? Which other books are part of that??)

Phil :)
 
If I remember correctly, the other two books in the "trilogy" are Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive. However, I am not sure that they are a "tight" trilogy. I remember (though I read them years ago) them being sort of loosely associated.
 
Neuromancer trilogy

I'm pretty sure you are right about the names of the three books, Funes, and also about them not really being a tight trilogy.

Case has a part in all three books and they share some of the same themes, but you could enjoy them independently.

I didn't read them in order and I liked them all.

You should also check out his so-called 'bridge trilogy' which concerns the derelict village that sprung up on the Golden Gate Bridge after it is deemed unsafe to drive across. It starts with Idoru, which is my personal favorite Gibson novel. It's got some gritty characters, and a lot of extreme violence but the tone is fun and light. *looks like I addressed that in a previous post. . .*

There is a good discussion forum on Gibson's official site, www.williamgibsonbooks.com. You might want to check it out. Gibson used to write a pretty good blog, but he hasn't updated for a long time. He's back to novel writing.
 
I agree Gibson is one groovy cat, man! There is one thing about his writing, though I love it, that irratates me a little. Must he name every brand? Nobody ever wears JUST a jacket in a Gibson novel. It has to be a rebook jacket or something lol Just a minor thing :)

And yeah, you can read the books in any order you wish or independently. They are only linked by theme. My personal favorite is "Virtual Light."

Regards
SillyWabbit
 
Wabbit,
You have hit one of my pet peeves right on the head. I really dislike it when an author names any product by brand, or mentions specific songs by title. It always seemed a little snobby to me.
 
I read my first Gibson novel in 1990, and haven't looked back. As they guy who basically invented the "cyberpunk" genre, he's a master.

My favorites are Burning Chrome and Virtual Light. His only book I didn't like was The Difference Engine, and I think I didn't like it because of the Bruce Sterling collaboration. I've read two other books by Sterling and they're just poorly written; the ideas are good, but the writing style and prose are derivative and hackneyed.

Has anyone else spent an evening pawing through the movie of Johnny Mnemonic, trying to catch all the connections to Gibson novels? Everything from the dolphin to the Golden Gate Bridge, the molly wire to the rich guy taking refuge on the Mir... there's a lot of Gibson allusions intertwined throughout the film.
 
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