Paperback, 480 pages
Published May 10, 2017 by Roca Editorial.
Depending on her veteran brother's benefits in a city where jobs outside the drug trade are rare, Flynne assists her brother's latest beta-test tech assignment only to uncover an elaborate murder scheme.
"William Gibson returns with his first novel since 2010's New York Times-bestselling Zero History. Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran's benefits, for neural damage he suffered from implants during his time in the USMC's elite Haptic Recon force. Then one night Burton has to go out, but there's a job he's supposed to do-a job Flynne didn't know he had. Beta-testing part of a new game, he tells her. The job seems to be simple: work a perimeter around the image of a tower building. Little buglike things turn up. He's supposed to get in their way, edge them back. That's all there is to …
Depending on her veteran brother's benefits in a city where jobs outside the drug trade are rare, Flynne assists her brother's latest beta-test tech assignment only to uncover an elaborate murder scheme.
"William Gibson returns with his first novel since 2010's New York Times-bestselling Zero History. Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran's benefits, for neural damage he suffered from implants during his time in the USMC's elite Haptic Recon force. Then one night Burton has to go out, but there's a job he's supposed to do-a job Flynne didn't know he had. Beta-testing part of a new game, he tells her. The job seems to be simple: work a perimeter around the image of a tower building. Little buglike things turn up. He's supposed to get in their way, edge them back. That's all there is to it. He's offering Flynne a good price to take over for him. What she sees, though, isn't what Burton told her to expect. It might be a game, but it might also be murder"--
"New novel from New York Times bestselling author William Gibson"--
A wonderful world to visit, a classic Gibson story that leaves you gasping "that escalated quickly"
The first time I picked this up, I was struck by two things. It feels like Gibson, and, what the hell is going on? I set it down 100 pages in with no clarity, and ended up rereading it from the start a few months later. This second start resulted in the momentum to finish, but now I feel like I've read a 600 page book. At least it is a standalone novel... whoops, now there's a sequel.
Chapters alternate between two different points of view, and later you find out those alternate between two different universes. There are some fantastic scene descriptions, and cool tech makes appearances. "Cyberspace" doesn't show up in this future, but a pocket universe does, and the tech behind that is completely unexplained. Nanobots also show up, in the form of "assemblers", but always under control somehow. And the plot? A very drawn out murder …
The first time I picked this up, I was struck by two things. It feels like Gibson, and, what the hell is going on? I set it down 100 pages in with no clarity, and ended up rereading it from the start a few months later. This second start resulted in the momentum to finish, but now I feel like I've read a 600 page book. At least it is a standalone novel... whoops, now there's a sequel.
Chapters alternate between two different points of view, and later you find out those alternate between two different universes. There are some fantastic scene descriptions, and cool tech makes appearances. "Cyberspace" doesn't show up in this future, but a pocket universe does, and the tech behind that is completely unexplained. Nanobots also show up, in the form of "assemblers", but always under control somehow. And the plot? A very drawn out murder mystery (of sorts) and also a struggle for power between two factions. Neither is particularly satisfying. 2½ stars.
