Neuromancer: The groundbreaking cyberpunk thriller

· Hachette UK
4.3
108 reviews
Ebook
352
Pages
Eligible

About this ebook

The book that defined the cyberpunk movement, inspiring everything from The Matrix to Cyberpunk 2077.

The sky above the port was the colour of television, tuned to a dead channel.


William Gibson revolutionised science fiction in his 1984 debut Neuromancer. The writer who gave us the matrix and coined the term 'cyberspace' produced a first novel that won the Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards, and lit the fuse on the Cyberpunk movement.

More than three decades later, Gibson's text is as stylish as ever, his noir narrative still glitters like chrome in the shadows and his depictions of the rise and abuse of corporate power look more prescient every day. Part thriller, part warning, Neuromancer is a timeless classic of modern SF and one of the 20th century's most potent and compelling visions of the future. His later work, The Peripheral, has been adapted into a series by Amazon Prime, starring Chloë Grace Moretz.

Readers are hooked on Neuromancer:

'Wow. This is a wild ride. If you liked Philip K. Dick's writing . . . if you liked Bladerunner, if you liked The Matrix . . . you will love Neuromancer' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Like nothing I have read before . . . Gibson's writing is poetry, not jargon . . . [it's] slick and jagged like a serrated knife . . . Yeah I am a big, big fan . . . a unique, important and truly amazing reading experience' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'Basically a futuristic crime caper. The main character is Case, a burnt-out hacker, a cyberthief . . . Challenging? Yes. But it's electrifying once you get it . . . Neuromancer is in me like a teabag, flavouring my life, and I can't imagine what it would be like if I hadn't pressed on' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

'For me it was a sci fi thriller, two of my favourite genres rolled into one. I was grabbed immediately by the characters of Cole and Molly - especially Molly with her attitude, her mirror eyes and the blades under her fingernails . . . This is a very visual book and it was easy to start choosing who would play the roles in a movie' Goodreads reviewer, ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐

Ratings and reviews

4.3
108 reviews
Jim Paine
December 10, 2020
Truly one of the greatest of all science fiction novels. Gibson convincingly visualizes a truly disturbing dystopian future which we now seem destined to create in reality. He gave us the language and landscape of 'cyberspace', in a clipped and driving prose that is a massive update and modernisation of Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlow. Highly recommended, I would track down a second hand hard copy rather than give Google the money - a small gesture of rebellion against the ever expanding machine, and then you can pass it on to a friend. They will thank you for it.
3 people found this review helpful
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Timothy Wootton
March 11, 2023
Fascinating premise, breath taking predictions which age well in 2023. Unfortunately too much undefined jargon and the pacing was misjudged.
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Rob Crowther
July 31, 2017
I have loved this book since I first read it in the 80s. It has influenced so much SF that came after it that it doesn't now have the impact on new readers it did back then, but if you care about SF as a genre you should read it at least once.
9 people found this review helpful
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About the author

William Gibson was born in South Carolina in 1948. Educated in the USA, he emigrated to Canada in 1968 and retains dual nationality. Gibson began writing in 1977 and burst upon the literary world with his acclaimed first novel, NEUROMANCER, the book that launched the cyberpunk generation, and the first novel to win the holy trinity of science fiction, the Hugo, Nebula and Philip K. Dick Awards. Although best known for his early cyberpunk novels, Gibson's work has continued to evolve over the ensuing years, always casting an astute critical eye on modern societal trends. In 1999 The Guardian praised him as 'probably the most important novelist of the past two decades'. His most recent books include ZERO HISTORY and THE PERIPHERAL.

William Gibson's website is www.williamgibsonbooks.com and you can follow him on Twitter at @greatdismal

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