I Read Books: Count Zero
In this sequel to Neuromancer Gibson changes things up a little structurally. Neuromancer follows Case for its entire length but uses a couple of techno-tricks to let Case see things through Molly’s eyes, effectively creating a dual viewpoint within the novel. In this one we follow three characters; Turner a mercenary who is trying to extract a defecting scientist from the megacorporation Maas; Bobby Newmark aka Count Zero a wannabe-cyberspace hacker who gets caught up in weird stuff; and Marly Krushkova, a disgraced art dealer hired by the very ill megabillionaire Virek to track down the source of some art that he believes will make him immortal.
Anyway things have got weird in cyberspace since the events of Neuromancer. Gibson gives us a bit more of future America as Turner goes on a roadtrip across the deserted interior and Bobby Newmark travels from the New Jersey slums to the big city (the Sprawl). And also an armoured hovercraft, people still though hovercraft were useful vehicles in the 80s (I mean they are still but they’re specialised you know?)
Gibson has something to say about consciousness maybe. In Neuromancer we had one plot that felt braided out of other plots; in this one all three seemed separate until they finally bunched together at the end. Three different crime stories rather than one sprawling noir narrative. I didn’t feel it was as successful as his first novel.
Read This: Because Gibson has things to say about the fallout from his first novel and also it’s a superior cyberpunk crime story (or three)
Don’t Read This: If you want him to actually explain anything
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