I'm reading Neuromancer right now. It rocks.
Any other fans? Anything else by him thats good?

Big fan. Everything rocks. Short stories even more than novels. Read it all.

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jello.
aka aron.

Medium fan. Everything does not rock (*coughCountZerocough*), but Virtual Light does. Read it.

I've read many of Gibson's works, though not everything... but Neuromancer is still my favorite. I think its beginning and ending lines are perfect.

The short stories are great too.

"The sky above the port was the color of televion, tuned to a dead channel." Thats now one of my favorite opening lines. Ever.
I just finished Neuromancer. Love it. And I think its the reason we have so many leather-clad babes on TV and in the movies... so I can thank it doubly.

Neuromancer is my all-time favorite novel. Yep, even more than any of Neil's stuff. Heh, I have three copies of Neuro, and I used to have four, wore one out from reading it so much.

But the first line of Neuro hurts the mood. You have to remember that Gibson wrote Neuro way back in 1984, on a typewriter no less. TVs don't show that flat, gray thing for dead channels anymore, now it's that snowy stuff, and that just kinda breaks the spell a little.

Loved Neuromancer, greatly enjoyed Count Zero (although it's by far not as fascinating as Neuromancer, I think it makes for a thrilling read), thought that Mona Lisa Overdrive was rather boring and came close to destroying Molly as an interesting character. Thought that Idoru was so-so, as was its sequel. They're okay books, but I won't be reading them again in a hurry.

Mairsydoats and dosydoats and lidellamsydivy, a kidilee divy too, wouldn't you?

It *is* interesting how the writing in Neuromancer has aged as the technology changes. I still like the first line: Gibson doesn't specify the sky’s color, but you know it's a dead color and that there's a technology connection, so it sets the tone for what's to come.

Neuromancer seems to distill all Gibson’s themes/obsessions/whatever into their purest form. Many of his other works feel diluted to me. I like that he wrote Neuromancer on a typewriter; seems to speak volumes about the powers of the imagination.

"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."

Yeah, it's still powerfully evocative, sure. But it reminds me of "olden times" when diskettes were five inches long and Betamax still ruled.

The master is back. Gibson's newest novel, "Pattern Recognition" is due to hit shelves on Feb. 3rd. And he's got an Official Website up that looks remarkably like Neil's at least in it's features. Coincidentally, the only review plastered on the main web page is one from Neil. Here's what Neil has to say about it:

quote:

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"PATTERN RECOGNITION is William Gibson's best book since he rewrote all the rules in NEUROMANCER. Gibson casts a master extrapolator's eye on our present, and shows it to us as if for the first time."

--Neil Gaiman,
author of AMERICIAN GODS

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Gibson started a Blog on Monday and he's posted a new one everyday this week. There's also a UBB Forum similar to this one that looks like it was launched around the same time.

Damnit, now I've got a new forum to check out. I don't know if I have the online time for three forums.

Can't wait to read the newest book.

"If you're not Outraged, you're not paying Attention!"

Reading Pattern right now, So far it's great. I even think Gibson's style is even more entcing. Can't wait to finish it and give a spoiler free report.. As it stands read it, modern day in your face look at pop culture what can be better.

I've managed to find Virtual Light and Idoru, parts 1 and 2 of what's called the Bridge trilogy. It's less cyberpunk, more realistic near-future than the Sprawl books, but damn, the evocative language is even better.

I'm about 250 pages into Pattern Recognition and loving every paragraph.

This from someone who appreciated the groundbreaking nature of Neuromancer but otherwise really disliked it.

I haven't read any of his books between the two, but it seems like his style has clarified and intensified itself in a very alluring way.

Please tell me that the ending is good.

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Circus' Mask: a journal of sorts
"Indeed, the Khazar jar serves to this day, although it has long since ceased to exist." --Milorad Pavic, Dictionary of the Khazars

Oh, just finish it. If you want to discuss the book afterward, I'm up for it.

There are those who feel that gibson has gotten worse with time, and those who feel that he has gotten better. Generally speaking, the former also spend a great deal of time talking about Molly, and who should play Molly in the movie, and why doesn't he write more about Molly, while the latter tend to talk about, well, the books.

Finished it.

Still chewing on the ending.

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Circus' Mask: a journal of sorts
"Indeed, the Khazar jar serves to this day, although it has long since ceased to exist." --Milorad Pavic, Dictionary of the Khazars

I think this board could so totally take the William Gibson board. Why does a fantasy writer have a better board than a cyberpunk writer?

I have to say, I’m a confirmed lover of Gibson's early work, the trilogy was great all round IMO, but The Difference Engine [with Bruce Sterling] just left me flat, and All Tomorrow's Parties & Virtual Light failed to impress. I liked Idoru though.

I haven't read everything, but not for lack of trying. Read it all! With the possible exception of "The Difference Engine," which I disliked. I even bought an issue of Wired for the Gibson article inside.

There's a special category of books where you read the first page, and you're hooked, you're gone, no way in hell you're not buying this. I read Neuro, but I noticed that in discussions of cyberpunk, it's always "William Gibson's Neuromancer," never "William Gibson's cyberpunk novels" or William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy."

So I figured Gibson was a one-hit wonder, Neuro was the central text and the rest were afterthoughts. Then I read the first page of Count Zero.

Before we go any further, read this excerpt

http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/books/zero.asp#excerpt

"The sky above the port was the color of television"? Bah. If you cracked my skull open, you'd find the opening line of Count Zero burned into my brain. After reading that first page, I literally stood up and walked away, it was overload, too much creamy goodness all at once.

I can reconstruct most of that opening sequence like a stream-of-consciousness memory, no cheating. Because unlike Gaiman, Gibson creates mood by citing specific examples. Pheromones and the color of his hair. Brown legs and pedicab tires. The Khush-Oil Hotel. Palam International. A vat in a support shed.

New England. Conan Doyle by the light of a lamp with clipper ships on it. Wheaties. Clean sheets and cheerleaders.

Dang, now you've got me all nostalgic, I'll have to reread my Gibson books.

quote:

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Originally posted by ZoneSeek:
I noticed that in discussions of cyberpunk, it's always "William Gibson's _Neuromancer,_" never "William Gibson's cyberpunk novels" or William Gibson's Sprawl trilogy."

So I figured Gibson was a one-hit wonder, Neuro was the central text and the rest were afterthoughts. Then I read the first page of Count Zero.

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Personally I suspect in most cases that attitude is held those who’ve not read them. Just about every one I’ve talked to face to face either has and likes them all - or at lest two of the three, or 3 & 1/4 [Johnny Mnemonic from Burning Chrome is also part of the same continuity] or hasn't and hold the one hit wonder theory. Living on Assumptions I guess.

It’s fuelled probably by the fact that he didn’t put anything out for a long time there, and the hype machine was so focused on Neuromancer.

I’ve a short list of books I’d love to adapt to graphic novel form, the crap attempts made in the past not withstanding, Gibson's work makes up half the list. His stuff is so visual and visceral; I’m amazed it’s been handled so badly so far.

Reading Gibson makes me want to draw. That's something, considering I can't draw for shit.

So obviously the deviantart ZoneSeek isn't me. *grumblegrumble*