by William Gibson

isbn: 0441569595
subject: Fiction and Literature, SF
finished: 4/10/2003

Neuromancer is the book that got the cyberpunk movement going. It depicts an ugly future where corporations own the world and technology is so ubiquitous that street criminals can afford fancy computer implants. It's about Case, a software criminal turned small-time fence who gets sucked into a dodgy conspiracy involving an artificial intelligence.

It's an amazing book; the prose is evocative and painstakingly detailed. The imagery of cyberspace is intoxicating; the theme of mutation of the flesh is disturbing and plausible. A few plot holes and technical problems mar the experience slightly. Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive are also excellent; in them Gibson successfully juggles several loosely connected storylines. The more sophisticated style of the sequels makes up for their lack of originality.