Neuromancer

This is definitely a foundational work in the genre and the descriptions are lush and amazing. I love reading older sci-fi for the kind of grimy analog futurism and no one does that like Gibson. However, the main character is kind of pathetic and weird, the women feel like props, and the characters of colour are embarrassing.

8/10

Esperaba que me gustase más pero las transiciones entre escenas me han parecido muy bruscas y las descripciones en ocasiones demasiado detalladas para no ser utilizadas

I honestly really wanted to like this, as a fan of the Cyberpunk genre, but I just couldn't. I truly found it to be well written, but sadly, it didn't do much to impress me nor make me want to keep reading. However, one positive of Neuromancer is that it reminds me heavily of Akira, which I mean, I'm sure it may have been inspired by this or vice versa. I liked the dialogue, and Gibson's writing style, yet the story felt very bland. I'm sure it was revolutionary back in the day, but now that we're in 2022, (Now this review is dated) I can't see what was so incredible about this. It was just boring with a bit of sprinkles and cherries. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend just for the historical relevance, and because I love cyberpunk.

I honestly really wanted to like this, as a fan of the Cyberpunk genre, but I just couldn't. I truly found it to be well written, but sadly, it didn't do much to impress me nor make me want to keep reading. However, one positive of Neuromancer is that it reminds me heavily of Akira, which I mean, I'm sure it may have been inspired by this or vice versa. I liked the dialogue, and Gibson's writing style, yet the story felt very bland. I'm sure it was revolutionary back in the day, but now that we're in 2022, (Now this review is dated) I can't see what was so incredible about this. It was just boring with a bit of sprinkles and cherries. Nevertheless, I'd still recommend just for the historical relevance, and because I love cyberpunk.

Neuromancer is one of my favorite books, which I have read and reread over the past two decades.

I really like the cyberpunk genre of Science Fiction, with Neuromancer being one of the fathers or founders of “the movement” (I can't leave Mirrorshades aside, nor other seminal Gibson tales that are there in Burning Chrome...).

Neuromancer has it all. A lot of younger people don't like or even don't understand the vision we had of the future in the 1980s. The Matrix and Cyberspace were just some of our fantasies of the future. It is “curious” that nowadays any child has access to this universe on a tablet, accessing the Matrix while sitting on the sofa in the living room.

Gibson's writing is incredibly vivid. The way he play with words has, in my opinion, its apex in Johnny Mnemonic, earlier work, but Neuromancer also contains these characteristics.

I also like the characters and how they live in this nihilistic madness so characteristic of cyberpunk. Call me nostalgic, but that's the truth.

For Science Fiction lovers, Neuromancer is a must-read. Gibson reset those old sci-fi standards. Contrary to what many can say, cyberpunk remains very relevant and far from dead. Long live the Neuromancer.

This is a book that is almost impossible to review.

It's full of imagination and good concepts, which is evident by how influential it has been, but there's just something about this book that didn't fully click for me. The narrative jumps back-and-forth between characters through the lead character jumping heads, so-to-speak. There are a lot of “tech” concepts in the book that Gibson sort of just made up.

I remember reading in an interview that he had zero understanding of the tech involved (because this was before commercial internet, some of this stuff still existed, though) and decided to wing it. Like most good science fiction, though, he was able to project what he thought humans in the future would create and... he wasn't entirely wrong, was he? My biggest holdup is that the lead character, Case, doesn't really have much going for him. Because you're jumping between himself, a construct of himself and Molly's consciousness, the reader ends up only getting to know most of the characters on the surface level.

While Case may have some connection with Linda, it's hard to visualize it since we see so little of it and get only a broad sense of how Case feels about her. He seems more engrossed in the mysterious Molly.

Essentially, this novel gets caught up in the concepts, imagery and how cool it is while making some sacrifices when it comes to narrative clarity and creating fleshed out characters.

Weird book, very hard to understand...only understood the plot by reading summaries after each chapter.
Plot is good, but the writing style is very difficult.
Hopefully a movie would some day translate it well.

Could be I'm just fond of this particular strand of science fiction but the setting and the atmosphere is pitch perfect and doesn't feel like it aged one bit.

w0w such hack, many matrix, much samurai wow

2.5 stars

I DNFd this book. If you'd like to find out why, check out my review here. https://youtu.be/r2Y3d7YJBjU

I read this for a book club and frankly, that's the only reason I struck through and completed it. It's far far out of my comfort zone, the world really made no sense to me and even all the technical words the author used confused me. I don't know what the point of the whole book was and what happened towards the end.

This is a Hugo/Nebula and many other awards winner, so it's obviously a me problem. But if you are a reader like me who loves fantasy and has just started to explore the sci-fi genre, I would not recommend this book.

What an amazing book! So ahead of its time that it still feels futuristic today, as well as prescient. Yes, it's dense and Gibson in no way holds your hand through the maze of lingo and concepts he invents, but you soon learn to glide over the parts you don't get and let the neon-lit tech-noir story wash over you. Thrilling, philosophical, and enigmatic, I'm really glad I read it. Wish I'd done so sooner, and will probably revisit it and other works by the author in the future. The actual plot is secondary to the characters and sometimes-throwaway ideas, and this is where it slightly falls short - it's just a complex heist story really. I wish that what Case and co. were up to had mattered more in the grand scheme of things. I want to see this team saving the world, or breaking it.

I quite enjoyed this read. I understand why many people read it multiple times now. As you read on you understand more of the world and some things aren't understood until the very end. Re-reading with this prior knowledge would (I imagine) be a very different experience.

It is a little difficult at times to follow, but with a little help from Google (and slowing down and re-reading passages) you'll be rewarded with a fairly rich story. The only reason I probably wouldn't give this a 5-star is because I don't like having to look up a lot of terms and definitions (and being confused by what paragraphs are referring to even when I do know each definition) when reading so I understand what's happening. A second read however could have the potential to earn that 5th star since I would have a better intrinsic knowledge of the text.

Unsure. I have to admit that reading this book I often felt a little lost as to what was happening and why, but just carried on to enjoy the ride.

Reading a book that so significantly influenced modern cinema such as The Matrix and the like, it's interesting to read the descriptions of movement in and out of the matrix (little-m).

I'm also not entirely sure how the book ended, and without the final chapter which tidied up a few things, I would have been rather lost and confused!!!

Good ride. Not sure I'm too bothered about the trilogy, but I would try another William Gibson book in future.

umm

You know she's trouble
shrouded eyes and sharpened claws
best to stay useful.

I did not particularly enjoy this book. It was too fractured for my taste. It was all over the place and hard to keep straight. I usually enjoy cyberpunk but not this one.

Holy cow that was a wild ride. This novel was fast-paced, but managed to be alarmingly introspective at the same time. Definitely a sci-fi staple.

Fantastic book, the seminal root of popular cyberspace fiction. There is a lot of terminology that you will have to pick up and the end of the book feels a little bit psychodelic, so I found it a more concentrated read than average. I wouldn't stop mid-book for too long either, otherwise you are liable to come back and wonder what the hell is going on. I loved it, but I could understand why it may not be everyone's cup of tea.

Yet another cyberpunk book that I didn't love. It's funny how much I love this genre in movie form, but can't stand it in book form. It's easy to appreciate this one though. Seeing how much this one parallels The Matrix was crazy.

Yet another cyberpunk book that I didn't love. It's funny how much I love this genre in movie form, but can't stand it in book form. It's easy to appreciate this one though. Seeing how much this one parallels The Matrix was crazy.

I am really not sure about this book. I came into it wanting to absolutely love it, but I left it with mixed emotions. I think William Gibson is an amazing wordsmith, but feel that the overall plot was just too dense and somewhat confusing at parts. This could have been due to listening to it in audiobook format...

I'd not read this since getting it out of the school library a thousand years ago and recently found it in a charity shop so had to pick it up and re-read.

As you would expect from a thirty year old speculative science fiction book, a lot of it is a little bit dated. References to laserdiscs, cassettes and computer storage measured in megabytes cause a few smug chuckles and in the 80s America expected that Japan would take over the world and that is very much reflected in this book (I imagine it would be China if written today). However the predictions about the world wide web, virtual reality and gadget obsession by the masses are very much spot on.

It's a dense, tough read in places – this is no airport shop fluff, but it is still a very enjoyable classic. It still earns its place on the cyberpunk classic shelf along with Bladerunner, Snatcher and Akira.