/lit/ - Literature★

It's in the niche of aged science fiction about the future that it isn't old enough to be historically interesting, but already is too outdated in its assumptions to have any relevance to this day. Might as well read it, as it's not long. And if you are into nounpunks, reading it could help you to stop being a faggot.

Well worth reading, as has been pointed out it's not exactly cutting edge and much of the description of the world has since fallen into genre rote and loses some of its punch. I disagree that its depiction of the future has zero relevance though. The focus with cyberpunk is typically aesthetic and while Gibson has plenty of that, most of Molly's character being a decent example, the book is more about systems of control and surveillance and how enormous and impenetrable these are when juxtaposed with individuals. I don't want to spoil anything but an essay won't convey these ideas as viscerally as the book, which indeed isn't very long.

Yeah, give it a try. Like that guy above said, it is mostly famous for aesthetics. If you like them, you'l like anything he wrote.

Even if Neuromancer makes you roll your eyes, you might like "Virtual Light" and the short stories in "Burning Chrome". I think by the time he wrote Virtual Light he was past his horny teenager phase but still had some talent left.

As for deconstruction…Gibson said that even though the book was set in the future, he based the society on the one in which he lived at the time (the Reagan years). You will notice that, in contrast to other dystopian worlds, the Sprawl is a corporate-ruled wasteland and not a government-ruled wasteland. It will resonate more with you if you grew up in the '80s.

>>14171 (OP)

It is very difficult to follow the line of the plot, I think intentionally so. The disorientation felt by the reader gives an impression of the chaos of life in Gibson's 21st century.

>>14198

This, tbh. After he left Chiba I had no idea of wtf was happening.