Rating: 
Summary: enjoyable, but waning
Review: while i enjoyed this, i couldn't help but be a bit disappointed. reusing all his characters from earlier novels felt less like a sequel to his work and more like a retread of the familiar. still, he revels in the details and characterization and it's always interesting to see how he parallels the cast off nature of electronics to that of the socioeconomic class system. i couldn't help but want and idea somewhat larger in scope to present itself, as the idea of the nodal points seemed in the end like a missed opportunity to reach for something epic.overall it was good, but not as relevant as, say cryptonomicon, as gibson's vision of the future has started to arrive. cellphones and the internet are no longer fancy futuristic things to be in awe of.
Rating: 
Summary: not why I read William Gibson
Review: The thing I crave about Gibson's books is the density of description, the way so much information is packed into one paragraph, that if you tried to explain it to someone else, it'd take you two pages. Even his titles rock: "Burning Chrome," "Count Zero," and they're even better after you read the book. That was not so much in evidence in "Idoru," and it's completely missing in "All Tomorrow's Parties." His prose style has shifted to plain, normal writing. I guess the intent of his "compressed" style was to replicate the density of information in the world he describes, and that density just isn't there in this story. Sure, there are still the cool technologies and weapons (a low-tek disposable gun that shoots hunks of chain, from one of the former Soviet republics, giant blimps haul water from Alaska to LA) and the vision of the future world is as convincing as ever. I suppose it's a good introduction to Gibson, but if you've come from his earlier work, you'll probably be a little disappointed. Another reviewer said that the book needed more explication. To me, there's too much explanation, too much laying out of what's going on. Part of what gives Gibson's books their gritty immediacy is that the characters know, kind of, what's going on, but they know they can't control or even fully understand their world, the best they can do is try to stay alive in it. I don't know, to me it's a little like the Eric Clapton from Derik and the Dominoes and Blind Faith recording "Willie and the Hand Jive."
Rating:
Summary: needs a little more explication
Review: The last few Gibson books have been unmemorable to me and somewhat of a chore to read. This one was actually fun. The prose was zippy and stylistic and the cross-cutting of scenes did not adversely affect the buildup of excitement. But I see I'm not the only who's left kind of wondering what all actually happened! Gibson has apparently edited out a little too much in his desire to be sparse and enigmatic. Who exactly was Konrad? What happened to Laney? Why was Creedmore even in the story? How did Rei Toei assemble something out of nothing? (Assumedly you need an actual object at one end of the "teleporter" to provide instructions to the other end!)The whole effect was too "tantalizing" and not explained well enough for a blockheaded hard science fiction type like myself. Like "The Difference Engine!" Style with the substance edited out. Can anybody explain in 50 words or less what actually occurred in that novel? One good thing here, an improvement, is that the author finally shows some evidence, previously not to be found, of having read some of the work that was spawned by his birthing of the cyberpunk genre those many years ago. If he keeps that up his future writings will be much more interesting.
Rating: 
Summary: Not This Time
Review: I'm sorry to slash this because I'm a big fan of Gibson; I gaveseveral copies of Idoru away as gifts (a five star effort). But thislacks all the ingredients we've come to expect. There is really very little action in the book--too many folks sitting around in rooms waiting for things to happen. The bad guys are plastic characters and are so easily removed they hardly matter. Worse yet is the bland cyberspace hunt where Laney does nothing and all doors simply open for him. No intrigue whatsoever. The story's intent is to build to a great dramatic change, but it never delivers. The ending is lethargic with yet another bad guy just walking off stage. There are a few nice moments, of course, but I was left really disappointed. I'm sorry, William, since I'm a fan and look forward to your next effort to take us deeper into human character and futuristic technology's involvement with our lives...
Rating: 
Summary: Fantastic prose, great story, VERY STRANGE
Review: Gibson is a great writer, and this is a fine book. Complex, interesting, beautiful. A VERY worth-while read. I've read all of Gibson's book and so far this is my favorite, and that says alot of this book. Read it!
Rating:
Summary: If this is a party, do we really want to come?
Review: OK, so this is not the best of William Gibson's work, so what? He is still unique in his ability to bring to life the near future in its commercial, pop culture, and base aspects. His familiar cast of characters, amended with the addition of an idiot savant watch/clock enthusiast and a collection of good-guy/bad-guy types with attitude (and character) make this an arresting story. The eye for detail that Gibson casts over the 'ordinary' world that allows him to extrabpolate into the future so convincingly also allows him to create a story that is fast paced and believable. Just his vision of the replacement of 7/11 in the future is worth the trip - not to mention the great climax on the Golden Gate Bridge. Come on, folks. If you like what Gibson has served up before, how can you not appreciate this story of (almost) ordinary folks caught up in a conflict they can hardly understand? This is really good writing and great (and intelligent) entertainment.
Rating:
Summary: Frustrating and dense--and not in the good way
Review: I found this book to be incredibly frustrating to read and ultimately unsatisfying. Gibson's writing style, hallmarked by inserting long paragraphs in the middle of a character's spoken dialogue, kept me from connecting to the characters. The plot, such as it is, is so thin and pointless that the book would be a pamphlet but for the long descriptions about the mundanity of Gibson's futuristic world. As a fan of science fiction, and particularly this genre of books, I cannot recommend this book to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Gibson...which is a good thing
Review: All Tomorrow's Parties will not surprise many Gibson fans. It's not a radical departure from his normal style and it carries the same moral weight of his previous works. The third tale in the trilogy which began with Virtual Light and was continued in Idoru, this novel is laden with many familiar characters and plenty of action, gadgets and villans. Gibson proves once again to be a good story teller with an interesting insight into what makes people and societies tick.
Rating:
Summary: Gibson still has what it takes
Review: Brilliant characterization (the person who said Gibson's characters are 'bland' is out of his mind), writing that is excellent without being showy, a future that is both weird and believable, and a plot with plenty of action, characterize this book. In my opinion ATP returns to the humor and excitement of Virtual Light, and is notably better than Idoru. The book's major flaw is that the impending "end of the world" is never clearly described, and seems to fizzle at the end -- on some level, the plot lacks seriousness. Still, I enjoyed it tremendously.
Rating: 
Summary: The One Gibson Book to Skip
Review: As a true Gibson fan I was disappointed. The author feels compelled to introduce most characters from previous (good) books, make them meet in San Francisco, where they then save the world without knowing that they just saved the world from a unknown and unexplained danger. To spice it up, the author throws in a lot of guns, several hit men, a multitude of near escapes for the old characters. There is also a super villain in the background, a kind of a Bill Gates guy - just as boring - who actually figures out that seeing and adapting to change produces wealth and power. I felt there was no story, no new cool ideas and what was truly annoying to me was the author's urge to explain what the characters did in previous books. Read Gibson's earlier books. This book was probably not even written by him, half the stuff is repeat from his older books.
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