florisw's review against another edition
2.0
I think I wanted to like this book a lot more than I did. The cool aesthetic and certain elements of the worldbuilding are definitely its strongest suit, and I certainly can appreciate how Neuromancer inspired a lot of subsequent sci-fi and cyberpunk (not least The Matrix). But reading this casually almost four decades later I can't look past the dated elements (a generous term). The early sex scene feels greasy and forced, the reference to a girl's "small hard breasts" is uncomfortable, and the description of Maelcum's "brown face" is really jarring for someone reading in the 2020s. But more than the occasional awkward passage, I found the entire narrative to be very inconsistently paced, resulting in a weird mixture of boring and confusing. 150 pages in and I still couldn't really tell if the main storyline had taken off yet. I didn't really feel invested in the characters, nor the plot, and I wasn't sure who to root for or be against. Near the end of the book I found myself doing double-takes on odd characters I couldn't remember the backstories of. This was exacerbated by perspective and time jumps in the middle of chapters which didn't make for a smooth reading experience. I'm sure many other readers will have had a blast with this book - just not me.
journeyman's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
mabersold's review against another edition
4.0
Pretty good, not an easy read if you're daunted by vocabulary and slang for things that don't exist yet. But very enjoyable.
lahendricks's review against another edition
4.0
Interestingly this book was being written a good 10 years before any of the technology discussed in the book was even a pipe dream, Neuromancer is a complicated story of what we now call a hacker named Case and his journey into cyberspace and the matrix. I have to admit much of the technological terms he created went over my head, but I found the futuristic world Gibson created to be plausible and exciting.
I'll probably have to have a second read to catch the subtle nuances, but I found the story solid and the descriptions vivid.
I'll probably have to have a second read to catch the subtle nuances, but I found the story solid and the descriptions vivid.
misty_kb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Sexual content
Moderate: Death
cephon's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
justiceofkalr's review against another edition
5.0
I keep trying to write a review for this book and I keep failing miserably. This is probably due to the fact that this is likely my favorite book and I'm afraid any review I write of it will turn into a messy explosion of fangirling and not do this book any justice. So. I'll just tell you to read it because I feel that nothing I can type will come close to doing it the honor that it deserves.
bleh47's review against another edition
challenging
reflective
tense
slow-paced
4.0
Loved this book, followed along with a cybernetic theory-fiction analysis, had to take this one at a slower pace to fully take in everything