Confessions of a Bibliophile

As much as I say I’m into sci-fi, I really haven’t been exposed to much of the classics of the genre. Admittedly, I do tend to go for either 20 Minutes into the Future, Steampunk, or dystopic; so I’ve missed a lot of cyberpunk and space opera. I’ve been slightly more exposed to cyberpunk (thank you, Wachowski brothers), so getting into Neuromancer was a bit easier for me adjust to.I like the setting and the world-building. A lot of the tech is very soft-tech, with more focus on the story, but I liked how it’s handled in universe. Sensations like jacking into cyberspace is described and how lost Case feels without that sensation. I wanted there to be more description of cyborgs, particularly those with exaggerated tech like Molly’s, but the little I did pick up on, I liked reading about. The technology is dated, but considering that this was high-tech for the time, it’s still pretty impressive that Gibson does talk about software and tech advancements that either are common-place or we’re still developing. The plot is interesting, and there are definitely twists, but I really wasn’t all that invested in it. There’s a certain emphasis on some plot points that ultimately play little role into the plot (such as Operation Screaming Fist), and some things that I had to reread a few times to make sure that I hadn’t just skimmed over a plot point. A lot of elements get pulled in and dropped just as quickly—I actually thought Linda was going to play a much larger role to the overall plot. She’s important, but it’s more on an emotional level for Case. It feels like Gibson was throwing several red herrings at me so that the ultimate endgame would be more of a surprise. I do like the set-up for the final confrontation, but I just wanted something explained to me along the way instead of the ending.I am not a fan of the characters. Perhaps it’s because I’ve never really liked the noir, bitter hero who’s lost everything, but there’s very little that I liked in Case. I do get where he’s coming from, I liked the reasons why he’s so embittered and strung out on nth number of narcotics, but I never really sympathized with him. It’s saying something when I like his AI partner, Dixie, better. Molly’s not much better—she comes off as a badass Street Samurai and she’s got the retractable claws and the creepy goggle implant. I should be all over this. She is a little more interesting than Case, but I just never really warmed up to her. (Further research reveals that I should read more of the Sprawl-verse, where she does appear more, specifically Johnny Mnemonic, but as an intro specifically in Neuromancer, ehh, not feeling it.) Also, the fact that Molly and Case regularly sleep together with no build-up got on my nerves too. Just…no.The plot structure and some of the prose is weak at times. There’s some great description throughout the book, the opening line being a prominent example, but as for overall, it wasn’t working much for me. Again, I’m not a huge fan of the noir style, but it does do work for the setting and plot.Overall, it’s an intriguing world, but the premise and characters don’t really work for me. I am interested in reading further into this world, so we’ll see with the next Gibson book whether or not to make a full commitment.