Sci-Fi Group Book Club discussion

This is the discussion thread for the first book of the month, or group read, for September/October. Please remember to use the spoiler tags where necessary.

There are a handful of really standout books that have moved me or shaped my way of thinking over the years. Among these are political books such as Atlas Shrugged and 1984 and humorous books such as The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and the Discworld series. In the futuristic scifi category, Neuromancer stands as my number one. I'm really looking forward to rereading this one and discussing it with you all.

Didn't enjoy this as much as I thought I would. I think my appreciation and impression of the book would've been entirely different had I read it in the "correct era". Haha. Now it just feels anachronistic. It felt "derivative" and "cliche" which I think is an unfair description knowing that this started the whole Cyberpunk genre. But the Cyberpunks that were done after this one are definitely better! Still an important novel to read though if only for its historical value and the place it occupies in the annals of science fiction.

Marin,

I can definitely see that. I had the pleasure of reading it "back in the day" when this was new ground. It certainly has a "lame" feel to it in a modern context, I agree.

If you enjoyed his writing, I would suggest giving Idoru a try. Although, once again, with Hatsune Miku (a virtual idol) doing tours around the world now, maybe that one is a bit old and dusty too. Certainly his writing is impressive if only for its predictive nature.

Yes there wasn't really an internet back then. Just a blank screen with words on it that only very weird loners would be interested in.

Sharing this here :)
https://youtu.be/r61_Q5vA71w

I actually thought that this aged well. Obviously Gibson isn't describing the actual internet, but we know before we begin that that's pretty unlikely. To me, the hacking sequences came across dreamlike enough to possibly feel like metaphor, and I wasn't pulled out of the story by them.

And in fact, his other descriptions of the future fit in fairly well with my modern day schema. The implants, the grittiness of the sprawl vs the beautiful surface (but unsavory underlayer) of Freeside, and the mysteries surrounding Wintermute, for example. Sure, Case hears some payphones ring, but that's not enough to ruin what I thought was still an emotionally rich story set in an interesting future.