Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Neuromancer

This is definitely a foundational work in the genre and the descriptions are lush and amazing. I love reading older sci-fi for the kind of grimy analog futurism and no one does that like Gibson. However, the main character is kind of pathetic and weird, the women feel like props, and the characters of colour are embarrassing.

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librarianmage's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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whoischels's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

I didn't really enjoy this until I got about halfway through. It felt pretty slow and the cyberpunk aesthetic didn't really pull me in in the way I had hoped. However, once the team goes to Freeside and the plot starts to get more intense, I ended up really enjoying this ride.

Spoiler

I feel like there's some sort of conclusion to draw from the ending, like an opinion I should have about what the point was of Wintermute joining with Neuromancer. I feel like I should have a take. At this point, I don't, and I feel like the take may just be that this was an AI's mission to fully have consciousness. Like the personality portion that Neuromancer had was necessary for Wintermute to be an actual being who experiences existence. That said, Wintermute seemed fully capable before. Additionally, the shadowy, unknown reason for this whole story could just be a shadowy, unknown reason. If an AI gained enough power to have goals, would we ever really understand them? Maybe that is the point.

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themysteriouserk's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.25

Gibson’s most famous novel isn’t his best; the tropes and stereotypes employed here range from old hat to offensive, and on the whole it feels more like a collection of stories artificially fitted together than a proper novel. Still, there’s a lot to love too, from the static sky and the setup for the rest of the Sprawl world to the memorable concepts and characters. A good read for Gibson fans and people really interested in the subject matter, but it doesn’t hold up as well or even really try to do as much as some of his newer novels (especially the Blue Ant trilogy), and feels dated both in its technological references and its lack of understanding about race and culture.

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surelyinthefountain's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The writing is arresting -- gorgeous descriptions of ugliness throughout. The first 40% to half feels like a very different book than the latter half of the novel. I really liked the second half, which starts to skew a bit existential and pulls out of the viewpoint of Case more, giving a bit more perspective; I'd say if you're having trouble with the first half, keep in mind that this was written in the 80s and there was a...shall we say "certain kind of audience" that was into sci-fi at that time, especially hard science fiction. Gibson is very deliberately trying to hook in that kind of reader before punching them in the gut in the second half, so if you're not in that target audience, the first half can feel a little alienating, but I promise the second half earns the cult status this book has. It has so much to say that's still really relevant in 2021 (when I'm writing this review), even if a bit of a sledgehammer with those ideas in places, and it's cool to see the roots of what we now view as cyberpunk staples in their original context. There's some dated stereotypes, but I think overall the book holds up well, even in spite of its flaws.

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peachani's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.75

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