This book is a must-read for science fiction fans, but I don't think it quite lives up to all the praise. Gibson has some really cool ideas, and he portrays them very well in his writing: his images are clear and interesting. However, the characters are all stereotypes and aren't as believable as the setting. They do their part well, but the story comes off as less organic than I think is appropriate for it to be as effective as it could have been. I'm a strong believer that a story should feel pulled along by great characters acting believably to the situations they're faced with: Neuromancer puts the cart in front of the horse. The story develops, the characters don't. However, I started with a positive sentiment and I mean it: this is a book worth reading and paying attention to - especially for anyone interested in science fiction. I don't think I would read this book again, but I would read more by Gibson.

Juicy, complex, mind bending. Molly Millions is a bada$$. You'll love it if you're into stream of consciousness writing (though Gibson isn't heavy handed with it so don't worry there's plenty of structure too). The scenes are layered and rich so this is a book to read over and over to really flesh it out in your mind. And it is indeed a dark and lovely trip.

This is the one that started it all. I believe I read Neuromancer back around '93 or '94. Back then, Mosaic was the only graphic browser to be had. Amazing how much Gibson's vision has provided a template for what we now have. But beyond all that, there is the story. Case's journey is very much a (Joseph) Campbellian one--that of the psychological hero. This is beyond refute, as there is a parallel plot that mirrors Case's, which reaches climax at the same moment. No wonder Gibson hit a home run with this novel.

This is still upon us. Maybe another Decade for Moore's Law to really kick this cyberspace into our reality.

Superb. The end. Read it you love SF but more importantly, read it if you love great writing. And make sure you read "Count Zero" and "Mona Lisa O/D" - they don't just inhabit the same universe, they are continuations of the story. In this they are basically required reading to make more sense of Neuromancer.

I didn't read this so much as get infected by it. If I'm not careful, phrases from it turn up in my writing. Gibson took Alfred Bester's basic insight that the future is going to be increasingly chaotic, not increasingly ordered, applied it to computer science, and ran with it. Neuromancer's central insight is that compulsive computer use and compulsive drug use are deeply related, in that both are based on contempt for bodies. Case, our hacker protagonist, calls everything that isn't cyberspace "the meat." When he can't fly through cyberspace any more, and has fallen back into the meat, he sets out to kill himself with drugs. He gets a chance to ride the net again. Much comes of this.

Good book, but I found it a bit hard to read. I wanted to love it, but I didn't. It was entertaining, more so at certain times than others, but it didn't really grab me and hold on tight. The cyberpunk world that he creates is vivid and immersive, but not to the extent that it wasn't a bit of a chore to get through. I still suggest it as reading for any sci fi fan because of it's importance to the genre. I am going to move on to another book by Gibson, just to make sure that his writing isn't my cup of tea.

His first novel, and an important work (and a good read) though I think the sequel, Count Zero, is better. But one must read this.

Classic 80's Sci Fi that invented many of the cyberpunk tropes

A modern Science Fiction Masterpiece.