Neuromancer

Rating:
Summary: A gripping, edgy and tight narrative
Review: Gibson's tight prose reads like a surgical knife: clean and deliberate. Being completely immersive lends the text a believability completely lacking in other science fiction.

We feel, not see, Gibson's characters. In his constructed world of mega-corporations, ultra-high tech, megalopolises, and shadowy subcultures, human frailty, and strength, spring forth. The portrayal of the future here is both one to be feared and hoped for, one which may ultimately come to pass; a future populated with people whose reality is almost tangible.

Neuromancer wasn't written for the meek, the impatient, or the lazy. Gibson actively refuses to mollycoddle the reader, dropping him into a future which is at once bewildering, seductive, and contorted: both for reader and inhabitant.

Neuromancer is unquestionably one of the 5 finest science fiction novels of all time. It's vision is as appealing as it is frightening. The quality of Gibson's writing is unparalleled by any in his generation, possessing the vivacity of experience, in the clean prose that all modern authors strive towards.

Rating:
Summary: This book is overrated
Review: I tried to read this book with the thought in mind that it was the first "cyberpunk" novel. Perhaps I could then consider it to have merit based on the fact that it was a pioneering work in the genre. Unfortunately, I found it extremely difficult to muddle through, and it seemed that the plot would often go nowhere. It still gets two stars, though, because there were certain scenes where Gibson displayed his potential talent as a word artist. Just about any novel by Philip K. Dick is more entertaining than this, though.

Rating:
Summary: prerequisite flawed gaudy postmodern fun
Review: I read Neuromancer fifteen years ago, and again last month. It remains wild and alive, painful, immature, and beautiful, like punching out a car window. If you find this first novel too complex (sheeze...) or the flashy style is too much for your low capacity head, then the rest of the world is already moving too fast to pity you. Nuff said.

Rating:
Summary: An awsome look inot a not that far-fetched future!
Review: Gibson takes you on a wild ride into a world that seems all to real, right down to the use of drugs by the main character.... The way technology rules the world and how cyberspac e is as addictive as any drug is all to real and seems to be that way the world is heading now.... seeing as how the book and movie Jonny Neumonic are bassed on this book as well as the move The Matrix, and the RPG Shadowrun this book as sparked the imagination of many people and that alone earns it a 5 star rating in my eyes..... Gibson has, with this book, made a name for himself as and imaginative and very thought provoking writer who takes the reader so deep into his world, that the person can almost smell the streets and hear the sounds of the crowds... well...at least thats what I think...I cant account for anyone else, but Gibson is one of the best writers i ahve seen in a long time.

Rating:
Summary: How Can You Not Love This Book
Review: Well, the answer is quite simple...you're an unimaginative person who does not have the taste to appreciate true art when he sees it. I've seen plenty of people here saying that the characters are two dimensional, which is true, but they fail to see that in the context of the feel which Gibson so vibrantly creates the two dimensional characters, minimalist characters are necessary otherwise they would complicate the books Darwinistic feeling. A beautiful critique of our soulless urban society.

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Summary: Question regarding Neuromancer
Review: I recently saw a preview for the new Science Fiction movie "Matrix." Although I have yet to see this movie, the premise sounded similiar to the novel Neuromancer by William Gibson. I was wondering if anyone out there knew if the movie was based on Gibson's novel and whether or not he was credited for the idea. Please email me at [e-mail] if anyone has any information. Thank you.

Rating:
Summary: A still fascinating book after all these years.
Review: Neuromancer was one of the best sci-fi books I have ever read and the only one that has been able to hold my attention so thoroughly for in long time. His vision of cyberspace is gorgous and, while presenting a very exciting narrative, he is also able to raise some interesting questions about the nature of the internet and technology which are still applicable today (some more so than when he wrote it).

Rating:
Summary: Too difficult to follow
Review: I found this book hard to read. Struggled through 3 chapters, I finally gave up. Why can't the writer use easier to read English ?

Rating:
Summary: Only God knows how hard I tried to like this book
Review: I had read good things about this book many times in science fiction magazines, so I decided to give it a try. Besides, I knew most of the cyberspace buzzwords, since I had bought a collectible card game based on the cyberspace concept.

I quit reading after 2 chapters. The problem is that a lot of information is crammed in mostly every sentence, so reading becomes extremely tedious. Reminded me of law cases that I had to read for law school: tedious and pretentious writing, unnecessary to illustrate intellectual concepts. I had the book lingering by my bed for a few months, and I tried it a few times, but I just could not get into it.

Then I checked out from the library the unabridged audiotape. I tried to listen, but the narration was so boring that I had to quit listening.

What a disappointment...

Rating:
Summary: Definitely overrated
Review: An interesting book (barely), even though it's difficult to read. In my opinion, it's not worth the 4 and 5 stars I've been seeing in the reviews when compared to other sci-fi masterpieces! The characters were shallow and there wasn't anything to like in them. I almost trashed the book while half-way through it (like a friend of mine did), but I stuck with it to the end. If this is one of Gibson's best, I probably won't read anything from this author ever again.