gelatinousdessert's review
2.0
The shaky premise that "something big is going to change the world soon" holds this book's disparate plots together. When that something finally does come, it doesn't make this tedious novel worthwhile. Gibson's talent for esoteric detail and complex characters remains solid, but without a strong plot to keep things moving, they can't carry the book by themselves.
jrobles76's review
4.0
Love this book! William Gibson writes some beautiful prose. The world he creates is utterly realistic. The book takes place in a near future world with technology that is easily recognizable. What I've always loved about Gibson is that his future worlds aren't crazy departures from reality, but, rather, take reality and go to logical evolutions. This book was written over a decade ago, and still seems like a vision of the future.
The tech that exists in this book, but not in reality, are things that could still be possible. For instance, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty are two examples of people meeting up in virtual worlds to interact. Facebook is a another, though not as graphically rich a world it is still a virtual space. However, we don't put on glasses to access those worlds, we still use computers. We're still working on fully articulated worlds that you can just step into, and with tech like the Wii and Project Natal, we're getting closer.
I bought this book in 1999 and don't know what took me so long to read it. Do yourself a favor and read the series.
The tech that exists in this book, but not in reality, are things that could still be possible. For instance, World of Warcraft and Call of Duty are two examples of people meeting up in virtual worlds to interact. Facebook is a another, though not as graphically rich a world it is still a virtual space. However, we don't put on glasses to access those worlds, we still use computers. We're still working on fully articulated worlds that you can just step into, and with tech like the Wii and Project Natal, we're getting closer.
I bought this book in 1999 and don't know what took me so long to read it. Do yourself a favor and read the series.
pbobrit's review
4.0
This was a fun William Gibson read. You can definitely see that "the Bridge" series is a transition from the pure cyberpunk of his earlier work to the more alternative reality based writing of his more recent books. The book carries many of his hallmark touches, a large cast, the story bouncing around between then till it comes together at the end. The characters are colourful and engaging driving the story at a good pace. Definitely recommend for Gibson fans and fans of well written science-fiction.
shawcrit's review
4.0
Slow to start and too quick to finish - the conclusion could have used some more development and clarity. The characters, as usual for Gibson, are really well drawn and make this worthy of four stars. What is most interesting here is the setting - the focus on the "interstitial" bridge area and its symbolic connection to post-industrial society and the effects of advanced capitalism and neo-liberalism on specific groups of the population.
ovidusnaso's review
5.0
I can't read Gibson beecause he'd be like "Everyone who lived here was constantly taping everyone else, except Iain, and Iain wore a motion-capture suit, even slept in it, and was recording every move he ever made." and I'm like "AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH"
storylizard's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0