Rating: 
Summary: A great book, if you like this kind of thing.....
Review: "Why can't you give zero stars?" I'm sorry that the person who said this feels that way, because to me everything that Gibson has written provides an enjoyable experiance. "Technology that isn't fully explained...don't know what it does or how it does it..." Gibsons ambiguity is what makes the books interesting. He gives skeletal details, and your imagination fills in the details. Techno-babble and an alternate future make for an interesting story despite, or maybe because of, the lackluster plot and un-inspired characters, but an interesting story it is, which means that it's a good book.
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful Writing, Thin Plot
Review: Let me preface this by saying that I love William Gibson. I think he is a phenomenal writer who is wonderfully intelligent and imaginative. In every one of his books, he spins fanciful, thought-provoking yarns that are utterly absorbing and linger long after the last page has been turned.So if this is true about Virtual Light (and it is), why three stars? Well, unfortunately VL felt to me like Gibson spent a lot more time worrying about some of the really neat ideas in the book (the homeless community on the Golden Gate Bridge, which was wonderfully described, the Costa Rican data havens, the TV Christian cult, etc.) than about the story. Several of the characters felt quite underdeveloped, a few even unnecessary. This is not uncommon in Sci-Fi, even in Gibson (though his characters are usually very good, and several here are, too), but here it felt like it detracted from the story significantly rather than being a minor nuisance. Additionally, the plot, though interesting, didn't actually go far until the end of the story. Things you might expect to happen in the first 100 pages weren't happening until 250, and the horribly deus ex machina ending occurred so quickly that I could hardly believe the book was over. Not that what Gibson did in the end was bad, necessarily (minus the "divine" intervention that allowed it to happen). It's just that he took 100 pages worth of plot and condensed them into about 10. Having said all that, though, the book wasn't that bad. I was very absorbed in it while I was reading, and almost all of the ideas in the story were very interesting. However, I'm glad this wasn't the first or even the third Gibson novel I read. I'd recommend you start with Neuromancer or his new one, Pattern Recognition, if you are new to Gibson's writing. If you aren't, this is still a worthwhile read, as long as you can forgive its flaws.
Rating:
Summary: More story, less technology
Review: William Gibson is an author that creates characters and situations that capture your imagination. When you put one of his books down your thoughts stay with the story. Gibson is a major player in the Sci-Fi genre. His visions of technology and the world to come have influenced many other visions from the TV shows like Dark Angel to films like the Matrix. Fans of Gibson's work love and hate Virtual Light. In one hand his writing style is still there but the high technology of Neuromancer has been replaced by a less advanced technological culture. Those readers expecting another high adrenaline rush through the matrix almost gave up on virtual light. One of the appeals of Gibson's work is the vision of technology. The world of Virtual light predates the world of Neuromancer by leaps. The Eye phones and goggles take the place of the nerve-splicing and micro bionics seen in his earlier work. The lesser technology almost seems childish in comparison but it does provide an intermediate step for those of us who hope and wish for a glimpse of the matrix as a reality. "Virtual Light" leans more to the characters and plot than earlier work and gives a rich smooth story some times humorous some times sad. The characters take on more than just three dimensions. You can feel them grow and develop as the story continues. Now, if your new to Gibson start with `Virtual Light' then read the sequels `Idoru' and `All Tomorrow's Parties' to get a feel of Gibson's style and technology. Then brace yourself and take the leap to `Neuromancer', `Count Zero', `Mona Lisa Overdrive' and finish up with the collection of short stories that is `Burning Chrome'. On the other hand if you've already read `Neuromancer' or its sequels then try to put aside the lack of technology and just enjoy the story.
Rating:
Summary: My favorite Gibson
Review: Maybe it's just because I was raised in Arkansas and I live in a trailer park that I love this one so much. Dunno, but I love how Gibson captures that strange, backward, what we down here call that 'redneck' or 'white trash' feel. The weird Jesus fanatics and the effect that television has on us down here is JUST LIKE THAT. Like at Lake Hamilton in Hot Springs where you can park your RV at a private, fenced-in campground where "Jesus Christ is Lord."
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