William Gibson's Neuromancer is a book that has been on our home shelves for a long time. I know that my husband owned it for a few years even before he got his copy signed by Gibson in 2003. I finally picked it up last month for both the 2013 Science Fiction Experience and the 1001 Books to Read Before You Die list. It was written in 1984 and is a bonafide science-fiction classic. I don't know why I never read it before now but I definitely feel like a more well-rounded reader after having experienced this quintessential cyberpunk adventure.
Case was an "interface cowboy", a hacker who could access and navigate a second world that had built up inside the computer matrix. But after dipping his fingers into the pocket of his employer, he was poisoned in a way that removed his ability to access the matrix. He then drifted aimlessly in Japan, becoming addicted to drugs and acting as a middle man in some shady deals, until he was approached by the mysterious Armitage and his cybernetically-enhanced muscle, Molly. Armitage offered Case something he had been unable to find on his own--a cure for the nervous system damage done by the poison--if he would just use that ability to perform one big hack job. Case can't resist and the adventure begins.
I had mixed feelings while reading this novel. It took me a while to get into the story and I never really connected emotionally with any of the characters -- though admittedly Case and Molly started growing on me by the end. I was also uncomfortable with the excessive drug use throughout the book and there were a couple of scenes that came close to my threshold for violence. But, at the same time, I could see how influential the novel was on both literature and pop culture and, by the end of the story, I was drawn into the plot and wanted to know how everything resolved. There were parts that reminded me of Haruki Murakami's Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World but I have to admit that I prefer Murakami's blend of science fiction and fantasy to this pure sci-fi. I think I will take my husband's advice on which (if any) other Gibson novels I will read. I'm definitely curious about the Johnny Mnemonic short story now. And I suppose I need to try Neal Stephenson too. All of his books are on our shelves as well.
Slowly becoming a sci-fi reader,
K
I, too, have had this book on my shelf for a very long time. Unread, unlike you. :) I'm not a terribly big science fiction fan, and yet I feel that I ought to read such a 'famous' book to become the well-rounded reader I want to be. Thanks for a great, and inspiring review.
ReplyDeleteYou're welcome! I hope that you have a good experience with it. It was really interesting to read in a genre that was so far from my regular reading.
DeleteI read this a couple of years ago, and my feelings were similarly mixed. I enjoyed the world-building very much, but the characters never pulled me in, and I have no particular desire to read more of Gibson's work. I liked Stephenson's Snow Crash a little better, I think, but I hear his Cryptonomicon is terrific.
ReplyDeleteI do want to read more Gibson only because this was his first novel. I would love to see how his style and stories develop later because this one was a bit harsh and raw. My husband says some of his later stuff is a lot different. And I think it might be the same with Stephenson. I guess I'll have to find out!
DeleteNeuromancer is one of those sci-fi classics waiting for me to read. Good to see that you liked it, even though it didn't grab you from the beginning. Hm, I'm not a fan of Hard-Boiled Wonderland, in my opinion it was one of the weaker books that Murakami wrote.
ReplyDeleteI wish my bf had all these classics on the shelves, but alas, it's up to me to collect them first. Would love to hear your opinion on Neal Stephenson!
Hard-Boiled was only my second Murakami after Wind-Up Bird. I liked it better though. I guess I will need to keep reading through his works as well. :) And I'll hopefully get to Stephenson sooner than later.
DeleteI'm with you on wanting to get through the sci-fi classics - but I'm not sure when I'll take the time to actually read them. You seem to be doing a good job through the challenge... maybe I should try that method. My goal this year is to read YA sci-fi... next year could be adult sci-fi? *le sigh* I feel that some of these 'goals' will be lifelong ones.
ReplyDeleteIt's tough to get through "classics" of any genre. I can't see myself sitting down and reading back-to-back sci-fi novels. I do want to get through more of them though so I'm going to have to be better about fitting them in every once in a while!
DeleteI'm going to attempt Redame soon (I might have typed that wrong). Good sci-fi can be amazing … but you gotta know what to read and what to leave.
ReplyDeleteHave you read other Stephenson books? My husband has Reamde but hasn't read it yet. He got bogged down in the big fat trilogy before that and kind of lost interest. I hear Reamde is a much easier read though. And you're absolutely right. Sci-fi is a genre that has a very wide range of quality. But then again, what genre doesn't? But I feel like other genres are more widely read so you can easily get more opinions on those books.
DeleteI read this one and Snow Crash as part of a PostModern course in grad school. Ok, so technically I didn't read Snow Crash until years later but it was assigned at the time... ;) I did really like Snow Crash.
ReplyDeleteI had troubles with this one but I would love to re-read it again. It is amazing how revolutionary these authors were and it's interesting reading given our current knowledge.
Oh, that sounds like it would be an interesting class. It would be quite a bit out of my reading comfort zone! And I totally had to ask my husband at one point while reading this one about the timing of a certain technology because I wasn't sure if Gibson was being cutting edge or if he actually thought of something first!
DeleteAnd I'll probably try and get to Snow Crash in the next year or so.
Sci-fi is often a bit of a struggle for me - I tell myself I "should" read the classic novels, but can never quite will up the courage to pick one up. Maybe someday...
ReplyDeleteCourage is a good word for it. I'm always worried that I won't "get" books like these or that I'll end up DNFing them. I think that challenges really help. I wouldn't have picked it up yet if it wasn't for the Sci Fi Experience.
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