Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Putnam Adult (2012), Edition: 1, Hardcover, 272 pages
Description
Known primarily as a novelist, Gibson has, over thirty years, been approached by different publication to share his insights into contemporary culture. The resulting essays are collected here for the first time.
User reviews
LibraryThing member arjacobson
Distrust That Particular Flavor by William Gibson (New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons, 2012. 259pp)
Born in 1948, William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction writer. His debut Novel, Neuromancer (1984) effectively predicted the internet. He has also written for TIME, Wired, Rolling Stone, and
Science Fiction: A Future Truth
The future is always something that has amazed me. What’s coming next? How will humanity change for the better? Or for the worse? All these questions find potential answers in the realm of science fiction. Though, I’m not a hard-core science fiction fan by any means, I’ve been known to dabble in shows like Star Wars and Star Trek from time to time. As a science fiction writer, William Gibson has made several predictions about the future, including coining the term “cyberspace”.
While successful in the world of science fiction, Gibson’s Distrust That Particular Flavor serves as a collection of essays and journalistic articles compiled over the years. These articles are presented amidst the backdrop of a savvy retrospective, much like a postscript, which Gibson paints at the end of each chapter; he recollects with either distain or contentment the articles he wrote seemingly long ago. As a science fiction writer, he is often asked “What do you think will happen?” Gibson states,
“The day I reply with anything other than a qualified ‘I haven’t got a clue,’ please shoot me. While science fiction is sometimes good at predicting things, it’s seldom good at predicting what those things might actually do to us. For example, television, staple window dressing for hundreds of stories from the Twenties through the Forties, was usually presented as a mode of personal communication. Nobody predicted commercials, Hollywood Squares, or heavy-metal music videos” (15).
The Nostradamus Quality
A careful investigation of Gibson’s writing and articles through this collection provides evidence that Gibson has a certain Nostradamus quality about his predictions regarding technology and the future (the best example would be his prediction of the internet). But, he also has incredible insights about the current state of today’s affairs. Take this quotation as an example:
“People my age are products of the culture of the capital F-Future. The younger you are, the less you are a product of that. If you’re fifteen or so, today, I suspect that you inhabit a sort of endless digital ‘Now’, a state of atemporality enabled by our increasingly efficient communal prosthetic memory. I also suspect that you don’t know it, because, as anthropologists tell us, one cannot know one’s own culture” (44).
Will We Have Computer Chips in Our Heads?
Gibson seems to view the world, both present and future, with the fresh eyes of a child. As a result, Gibson’s writing is able to make countless predictions, as well as intriguing commentary. When asked “will be have computer chips in our heads?” he writes in TIME magazine,
“It won’t, I don’t think, be a matter of computers crawling buglike down into the most intimate chasms of our being, but of humanity crawling buglike out into the dappled light and shadow of the presence of that which we will have created, which we are creating now, and which seems to me to already be in process of re-creating us” (218).
So, if these quotes seem a little arrogant to you, let me caution you. I’ve cherry-picked these out of an entire book, so they are a little out of context. Gibson doesn’t claim that he predicts the future well, or that he’s influenced the development of products. He doesn’t claim that without his fiction business wouldn’t have been creative enough to innovate. Rather, he claims that somehow, he had an idea where technology would go in some cases.
This collection of essays shows an eye for the uncanny and the unperceived. From observations on film technology, to why Japan is so seemingly ahead of the curve, this collection serves as a great reminder of our past, as well as something to foster a curiosity for the future.
Also posted at wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com
Born in 1948, William Gibson is an American-Canadian science fiction writer. His debut Novel, Neuromancer (1984) effectively predicted the internet. He has also written for TIME, Wired, Rolling Stone, and
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The New York Times. He has been awarded the Hugo, Nebula, Philip K. Dick, Ditmar, Seiun, and Prix Aurora awards.Science Fiction: A Future Truth
The future is always something that has amazed me. What’s coming next? How will humanity change for the better? Or for the worse? All these questions find potential answers in the realm of science fiction. Though, I’m not a hard-core science fiction fan by any means, I’ve been known to dabble in shows like Star Wars and Star Trek from time to time. As a science fiction writer, William Gibson has made several predictions about the future, including coining the term “cyberspace”.
While successful in the world of science fiction, Gibson’s Distrust That Particular Flavor serves as a collection of essays and journalistic articles compiled over the years. These articles are presented amidst the backdrop of a savvy retrospective, much like a postscript, which Gibson paints at the end of each chapter; he recollects with either distain or contentment the articles he wrote seemingly long ago. As a science fiction writer, he is often asked “What do you think will happen?” Gibson states,
“The day I reply with anything other than a qualified ‘I haven’t got a clue,’ please shoot me. While science fiction is sometimes good at predicting things, it’s seldom good at predicting what those things might actually do to us. For example, television, staple window dressing for hundreds of stories from the Twenties through the Forties, was usually presented as a mode of personal communication. Nobody predicted commercials, Hollywood Squares, or heavy-metal music videos” (15).
The Nostradamus Quality
A careful investigation of Gibson’s writing and articles through this collection provides evidence that Gibson has a certain Nostradamus quality about his predictions regarding technology and the future (the best example would be his prediction of the internet). But, he also has incredible insights about the current state of today’s affairs. Take this quotation as an example:
“People my age are products of the culture of the capital F-Future. The younger you are, the less you are a product of that. If you’re fifteen or so, today, I suspect that you inhabit a sort of endless digital ‘Now’, a state of atemporality enabled by our increasingly efficient communal prosthetic memory. I also suspect that you don’t know it, because, as anthropologists tell us, one cannot know one’s own culture” (44).
Will We Have Computer Chips in Our Heads?
Gibson seems to view the world, both present and future, with the fresh eyes of a child. As a result, Gibson’s writing is able to make countless predictions, as well as intriguing commentary. When asked “will be have computer chips in our heads?” he writes in TIME magazine,
“It won’t, I don’t think, be a matter of computers crawling buglike down into the most intimate chasms of our being, but of humanity crawling buglike out into the dappled light and shadow of the presence of that which we will have created, which we are creating now, and which seems to me to already be in process of re-creating us” (218).
So, if these quotes seem a little arrogant to you, let me caution you. I’ve cherry-picked these out of an entire book, so they are a little out of context. Gibson doesn’t claim that he predicts the future well, or that he’s influenced the development of products. He doesn’t claim that without his fiction business wouldn’t have been creative enough to innovate. Rather, he claims that somehow, he had an idea where technology would go in some cases.
This collection of essays shows an eye for the uncanny and the unperceived. From observations on film technology, to why Japan is so seemingly ahead of the curve, this collection serves as a great reminder of our past, as well as something to foster a curiosity for the future.
Also posted at wherepenmeetspaper.blogspot.com
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LibraryThing member DRFP
A grab-bag of William Gibson's non-fiction that demonstrates why he's probably not better known for this sort of work.
The pieces themselves are, overall, quite well written but there are times, as Gibson admits, when he is plainly uncomfortable with the format. On occasions there are paragraphs
Probably the biggest issue with this book is the fact that many pieces divorced from their original context and lacking any sort of copy are bereft of an anchor in the reader's mind. On some pieces this is fine: for "Disneyland With The Death Penalty" we all have some idea of Singapore in our heads; but when faced with an introduction to the photographs of Greg Girard or the work of Stelarc I, personally, am lost and such pieces are rather devoid of meaning as a result.
There are certainly positives - Gibson can be insightful and it's fun to see where his predictions have turned out right or wrong. That's not enough though to recommend anyone read this book except for the Gibson enthusiasts.
The pieces themselves are, overall, quite well written but there are times, as Gibson admits, when he is plainly uncomfortable with the format. On occasions there are paragraphs
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where one wonders quite what exactly Gibson is talking about as he indulges himself and drops in some technobabble that only serves to sound vaguely futuristic (an expectation I believe he feels a need to live up to) and to obscure whatever point he's trying to make.Probably the biggest issue with this book is the fact that many pieces divorced from their original context and lacking any sort of copy are bereft of an anchor in the reader's mind. On some pieces this is fine: for "Disneyland With The Death Penalty" we all have some idea of Singapore in our heads; but when faced with an introduction to the photographs of Greg Girard or the work of Stelarc I, personally, am lost and such pieces are rather devoid of meaning as a result.
There are certainly positives - Gibson can be insightful and it's fun to see where his predictions have turned out right or wrong. That's not enough though to recommend anyone read this book except for the Gibson enthusiasts.
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LibraryThing member mmtz
I have a hundred or so books, mostly novels, stacked around my house, waiting to be read, but as soon as Gibson's new collection of nonfiction arrived, I cracked it open and couldn't put it down. His travelogues and insight into our Borgification are fascinating. An amazing writer.
LibraryThing member kmaziarz
Gibson, known for thoughtful science fiction exploring the ways in which technology changes human culture in impossible-to-anticipate ways, here brings his considerable talents to bear on the undiscovered country—non-fiction. Gibson’s first collection of non-fiction draws from the last several
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decades of his writing career, with essays and articles featuring all the usual Gibsonian subjects—the rise of the Internet; the technology and culture of Japan; Gibson’s own past in small-town Virginia and early discovery of science fiction; and all the ways, both small and large, that human culture has already been irrevocably altered by technologies as commonplace as radio and as pervasive as cyberspace. Many, if not all, of the articles, are grounded in Gibson’s own life and experiences, adding a personal touch to a topic which could otherwise seem dry. A sly wit and a lively intelligence shine through the writing, and every article, regardless of whether its predictions have been borne out by reality, is fascinating without fail. Show Less
LibraryThing member jimll
Lent by a friend, this isn't the sort of book I'd buy myself even though I love William Gibson's SF cyberpunk books. Its a bit of a mish mash really - articles from newspapers and magazines that Gibson wrote over a couple of decades spanning the late 20th century to early 21st century. Most of the
If you're interested in an autobiography of the man, this is a sort of short cut version he's produced by gluing together 20 years worth of ideas and expressions. I'm not an autobiography type reader, so for the most part this book didn't really appeal to me, although the excellent Gibson imagery is still there in those articles so it wasn't a painful read by a long shot. And I learnt some interesting things from it - the most notable being the Japanese idea of 'Gomi' which is the obsoleted electronic waste that modern societies seem to generate in almost inexhaustible amounts.
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articles give Gibson's personal takes on how technologies are changing and some insights into his fiction authoring and film work.If you're interested in an autobiography of the man, this is a sort of short cut version he's produced by gluing together 20 years worth of ideas and expressions. I'm not an autobiography type reader, so for the most part this book didn't really appeal to me, although the excellent Gibson imagery is still there in those articles so it wasn't a painful read by a long shot. And I learnt some interesting things from it - the most notable being the Japanese idea of 'Gomi' which is the obsoleted electronic waste that modern societies seem to generate in almost inexhaustible amounts.
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LibraryThing member figre
This is a collection of essays (of various styles and types) by William Gibson. I knew that when I purchased it. Somehow, over time, I forgot that fact. So, when I opened the book, I was slightly disappointed. While I enjoy essays, I was much more looking forward to a new Gibson novel. But I
The disappointment quickly returned.
This is a hodgepodge of...things. There are essays, there are book introductions, there are speeches, and there are...things. These...things...are of varying quality with the best being pretty good and the worst being pretty darn bad.
The overall result is not good.
This collection feels as if it was thrown together to fulfill a contract, a promise, a bet. (It almost felt like those horrid collections that are put out after an author dies – a collection of every shred that had not been collected before.) That this collection should have been re-edited or everyone should have waited until there was more material or the entire idea should have been trashed is evidenced in the afterwords. One afterword starts "Gosh, but could this article ever do with a haircut. It's at least twice as long as it needed to be..." Then why are you making me read all of it? But the afterword from another is more damning. "Rereading this makes me feel I owe Wired an article about Tokyo...all I managed to do was something that feels to me, in the end, literally phoned in."
Gibson is a great writer. And, based on the contents, he can, in some instances, write a decent non-fiction piece. But this not enough upon which to build a book.
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quickly got over that disappointment as I rekindled the reason I bought the book in the first place – a chance to see the types of essays Gibson has produced.The disappointment quickly returned.
This is a hodgepodge of...things. There are essays, there are book introductions, there are speeches, and there are...things. These...things...are of varying quality with the best being pretty good and the worst being pretty darn bad.
The overall result is not good.
This collection feels as if it was thrown together to fulfill a contract, a promise, a bet. (It almost felt like those horrid collections that are put out after an author dies – a collection of every shred that had not been collected before.) That this collection should have been re-edited or everyone should have waited until there was more material or the entire idea should have been trashed is evidenced in the afterwords. One afterword starts "Gosh, but could this article ever do with a haircut. It's at least twice as long as it needed to be..." Then why are you making me read all of it? But the afterword from another is more damning. "Rereading this makes me feel I owe Wired an article about Tokyo...all I managed to do was something that feels to me, in the end, literally phoned in."
Gibson is a great writer. And, based on the contents, he can, in some instances, write a decent non-fiction piece. But this not enough upon which to build a book.
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LibraryThing member edgeworth
Distrust That Particular Flavour is a collection of non-fiction pieces by William Gibson, published between the late 1980s and the modern day. I read them bit by bit while reading other books, because while Gibson’s a good writer, his style and choice of topics can easily be repetitive.
There are
There are also, however, a lot of articles I found less interesting – reflections on some 1970s band, a review of a book of photographs, and a number of pieces in which Gibson extrapolates on his thoughts about futurism and the convergence of technology, which, if I’m being honest, I found difficult to follow. That’s my problem, not Gibson’s, but I do feel that a lot of the pieces in this collection don’t sit well alongside each other.
Can I recommend this book? I don’t think so. Gibson is an excellent writer, but all of the really good articles I mentioned above can be read freely online. Distrust That Particular Flavour is only a necessary purchase for the Gibson completist.
There are
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a number of excellent articles in here. “Disneyland With The Death Penalty” is easily the most famous, a scathing critique of Singapore he wrote for Wired in the early 1990s, which then got Wired banned in Singapore. “My Obsession” chronicles Gibson’s discovery of eBay in the 1990s, which he used to acquire antique watches. “The Road To Oceania” is a reflection on George Orwell’s 1984, and the very different road society took towards endless surveillance. And I particularly enjoyed “Modern Boys and Mobile Girls,” in which Gibson discusses the association between Japan and science fiction. There’s an assumption that Neuromancer (and much of his other early work) was set in Japan because Japan was the big rising star of the 1980s, and that if he were to write those books again today, wouldn’t he set them in China – probably Shanghai? The answer is no, because “Japan is the global imagination’s default setting for the future,” an assertion Gibson convincingly backs up.There are also, however, a lot of articles I found less interesting – reflections on some 1970s band, a review of a book of photographs, and a number of pieces in which Gibson extrapolates on his thoughts about futurism and the convergence of technology, which, if I’m being honest, I found difficult to follow. That’s my problem, not Gibson’s, but I do feel that a lot of the pieces in this collection don’t sit well alongside each other.
Can I recommend this book? I don’t think so. Gibson is an excellent writer, but all of the really good articles I mentioned above can be read freely online. Distrust That Particular Flavour is only a necessary purchase for the Gibson completist.
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LibraryThing member bragan
A collection of essays and articles by science fiction author William Gibson, spanning a period from 1989 to 2011 and taken from a wide variety of places, including magazines, book introductions, and even the biography page on Gibson's personal website. Some of the topics are about what you'd
Gibson's a good writer, and has a lot of interesting thoughts about technology and modern society, but I have to say, overall I found this collection a little disappointing. Not bad, mind you, but not nearly as good as I was expecting. There are a handful of really good essays, and even the ones I was more indifferent to often often featured a vivid turn of phrase or an interesting insight here and there. But as a whole, it feels oddly disjointed, and these pieces, perhaps because they were written for fairly specific audiences, often feel weirdly devoid of some important sense of context. Some of them also get a little repetitive, as he addresses some of the same topics and even uses some of the same turns of phrase more than once. The little afternotes in which Gibson repeatedly apologizes for not really being a non-fiction writer and frequently offers up the opinion that he didn't actually know what he was talking about when he wrote the piece in question don't really help, either.
Mind you, I'm not sorry I read this. It was probably worth it just for the two or three best essays. But Gibson's probably right; you're better off reading his novels.
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expect from Gibson (technology, science fiction, his longstanding fascination with Japan), while others are surprisingly random (a review of a Steely Dan album, a rambling piece about shopping for vintage watches on eBay).Gibson's a good writer, and has a lot of interesting thoughts about technology and modern society, but I have to say, overall I found this collection a little disappointing. Not bad, mind you, but not nearly as good as I was expecting. There are a handful of really good essays, and even the ones I was more indifferent to often often featured a vivid turn of phrase or an interesting insight here and there. But as a whole, it feels oddly disjointed, and these pieces, perhaps because they were written for fairly specific audiences, often feel weirdly devoid of some important sense of context. Some of them also get a little repetitive, as he addresses some of the same topics and even uses some of the same turns of phrase more than once. The little afternotes in which Gibson repeatedly apologizes for not really being a non-fiction writer and frequently offers up the opinion that he didn't actually know what he was talking about when he wrote the piece in question don't really help, either.
Mind you, I'm not sorry I read this. It was probably worth it just for the two or three best essays. But Gibson's probably right; you're better off reading his novels.
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LibraryThing member jkdavies
A slight volume of essays, journalistic articles and talks, but sprinkled with interesting ideas... the extended human nervous system/consciousness and the internet is one I will ponder for a while...
Astonished to find Gibson was born in 1948... I had somehow imagined that Neuromancer was published
Astonished to find Gibson was born in 1948... I had somehow imagined that Neuromancer was published
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when he was a twenty-something... Show Less
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
A collection of William Gibson's non-fiction. I love his writing, and these pieces were no exception. It is really interesting to see themes emerge over time, as the pieces are placed not in chronological order, but instead placed via some more ephemeral system of classification. Reading Gibson's
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notes from the present-day at the end of each piece was also quite illuminating. Show Less
LibraryThing member bianca.sayan
The non-fiction i usually read is straightforward, non-theatrical, and usually more of a form of information transfer. It was neat to read Gibson's non-fiction because it was about ideas and the feelings about them: excitement, terror, wariness. I also liked some of the angles/ideas he introduced,
Still, i was restless while reading the book, thinking constantly that i would rather be building the things he discussed about that reading his ideas about them.
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like asking how much each successive new way of listening to music has contributed to the "magic" of it, how media will change from watching someone perform to watching a piece of mass media to interacting and altering media, and how tv may have been the first peripheral to make us cyborgs.Still, i was restless while reading the book, thinking constantly that i would rather be building the things he discussed about that reading his ideas about them.
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LibraryThing member TCWriter
A collection of articles spanning several decades and a wide range of subject matter, Gibson's book doesn't scintillate on its own, but it's an interesting window into the thinking of an SF writer whose work has had an affect on both the SF industry and society in general.
Gibson's a fine writer but
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admits he's not really a essayist, yet his observations of technology's influence on culture reflect the insight of a keen observer -- someone who sees things more clearly than most of us (this vision is certainly reflected in his books).That said, the span of time and lack of a context for several of these articles made the book an up and down read; I wasn't always sure about the setting for the piece, and in the end the book comes off as a collection of individual pieces (which is what it is, after all) instead of a coherent whole.
Fans of William Gibson will love this collection of non-fiction articles. Those who are less enamored of Gibson's work will find pieces in here worth reading and a sometimes astonishing insight, but ultimately, the essay collection doesn't quite hang together.
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LibraryThing member nmele
In his introduction, Gibson writes that he "never felt entirely comfortable about the pieces collected here." Read the book, not to find out why but for the perceptive insights into film, the progress of technology and the impact of technology on societies and individual humans. This is a
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collection of personal essays, some of them bordering on autobiography, all of them stimulating and enjoyable to read. Show Less
LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
With this book, Gibson reminds me, yet again, how much, and why, I love him.
So many times, in this book, I found myself saying, "Yes! Exactly! I've thought that before - but never quite so clearly; I never would have expressed it just like that..." His writing brings concepts into focus, vague idea
This is a book collecting the non-fiction writing that Gibson's published over his career, with brief introductions/thoughts on the pieces. There's not a lot of it; and some of the selections are a little peculiar (like introductions to other books, which feel slightly bizarre, out of context.) I'm also not sure that the order of the pieces, as presented here, really makes sense or adds to the experience.
However, all of it is worth reading, both as good writing, and out of historical interest. It also provides insight into Gibson, both philosophically, and as a writer.
Recommended for his fans.
So many times, in this book, I found myself saying, "Yes! Exactly! I've thought that before - but never quite so clearly; I never would have expressed it just like that..." His writing brings concepts into focus, vague idea
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suddenly cohere...This is a book collecting the non-fiction writing that Gibson's published over his career, with brief introductions/thoughts on the pieces. There's not a lot of it; and some of the selections are a little peculiar (like introductions to other books, which feel slightly bizarre, out of context.) I'm also not sure that the order of the pieces, as presented here, really makes sense or adds to the experience.
However, all of it is worth reading, both as good writing, and out of historical interest. It also provides insight into Gibson, both philosophically, and as a writer.
Recommended for his fans.
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LibraryThing member Algybama
Multiple phoned-in articles even Gibson admits are weak. Only included, I assume, because there's barely enough to make a book.
The good stuff is certainly good, but nothing particularly mind-blowing for anyone who's read a few of these before. They all just repeat to death the same couple of
The afterwards are nice. For anyone who cares they seem to show Gibson moving further and further into the dark of pessimism. He used to vibe. somehow, with the depression, but as he gets older he seems to understand it isn't all that cool.
The good stuff is certainly good, but nothing particularly mind-blowing for anyone who's read a few of these before. They all just repeat to death the same couple of
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ideas.The afterwards are nice. For anyone who cares they seem to show Gibson moving further and further into the dark of pessimism. He used to vibe. somehow, with the depression, but as he gets older he seems to understand it isn't all that cool.
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LibraryThing member rakerman
This book is a collection of short pieces that Gibson has written in various venues, with each piece followed by a very brief reflection from Gibson looking back on what he wrote.
LibraryThing member Kellswitch
A collection of William Gibson's non-fiction essays.
In the end not what I was expecting but I probably should have. Even in his non-fiction William Gibson has such a distinctive voice that it would be hard to mistake his work for someone else.
Overall I enjoyed these essays,some more than others,
In the end not what I was expecting but I probably should have. Even in his non-fiction William Gibson has such a distinctive voice that it would be hard to mistake his work for someone else.
Overall I enjoyed these essays,some more than others,
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and I appreciated the insight the way he sees the world and how that translates into his work. The ones dealing with Singapore or Japan or his brief fling with Ebay were the strongest and flowed the best, at the end of the Shiny Balls of Mud one he says he wishes it was ending up a novel and I agree, that was the set up for a wonderful story. Some were a bit slow to get through, some were hard to understand but all were interesting looks into the mind of one of my favorite authors. Show Less
LibraryThing member ChrisNewton
Didn't speak to me.
LibraryThing member book.nug
A look behind the work of cyberpunk high priest William Gibson. This collection is half way between non-fiction and fiction, the author approaching the present with an eye to the future
LibraryThing member tjl
This is a non-fiction book of essays that is both similar and different to Gibson's novels. One can clearly see his writing style (and choice of subject matter) in each essay. It's different in that he's talking about personal experiences or observations rather than characters (and settings) in a
The quality of each essay varies as they're all written at different times for different publications (or as a speech). With each essay he takes a look back on it and points out things that are flaws (or have been proven true). Since it's a collection, there's likely an essay or two that one can connect with (e.g., his first experiences with the Web, or his discovering history and science fiction in the same day).
I listened to the audiobook version and while the narrator was generally good overall, there were definite points where he mispronounced names, most notably Douglas Coupland's last name was pronounced "Coopland" rather than "Copeland".
While there's essays in the collection I don't connect with, there's definitely essays I found that resonated with me. While I don't necessarily recommend purchasing this book, I'd certainly suggest that one borrow it from the library.
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novel. The quality of each essay varies as they're all written at different times for different publications (or as a speech). With each essay he takes a look back on it and points out things that are flaws (or have been proven true). Since it's a collection, there's likely an essay or two that one can connect with (e.g., his first experiences with the Web, or his discovering history and science fiction in the same day).
I listened to the audiobook version and while the narrator was generally good overall, there were definite points where he mispronounced names, most notably Douglas Coupland's last name was pronounced "Coopland" rather than "Copeland".
While there's essays in the collection I don't connect with, there's definitely essays I found that resonated with me. While I don't necessarily recommend purchasing this book, I'd certainly suggest that one borrow it from the library.
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LibraryThing member PDCRead
Excellent collection of articles by Gibson
LibraryThing member Kardaen
It is a series of non-fiction pieces he had written for different forums over the course of twenty-one years from 1989 to 2010. Essays and critical observations and speeches. Every observation is fascinating and insightful and showcases his incredible grasp of the English language in a way his
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fiction only hints at. The way he describes things strikes some deep chord in my soul. If you have any interest in Gibson, I highly recommend this book. Show Less
LibraryThing member SESchend
2.5/5 stars; while some of the essays were brilliant, more than a few were artifacts of middling or minor interest to me as a reader.
LibraryThing member kevn57
I liked his pieces on Orwell, digital film making, and Japan the best but for me Gibson is much stronger writing fiction then n0n-fiction, a fact that I believe he himself would readily agrees. The essays on Japan seem the most informative for the time they were written. I'm glad he was a fan of
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Alta Vista it was my search engine of choice as well, way back then. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Non-Fiction — 2013)
Language
Original publication date
2012-01-03
Physical description
272 p.
ISBN
039915843X / 9780399158438