Virtual Light
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
Set in Calfornia in 1999, San Francisco is divided between the new underclass who have turned the Golden Gate Bridge into a teeming, desperate shanty town and the rich who live in ferociously guarded condos, experimenting with virtual reality.
About the Author
William Gibson is the award-winning author of Pattern Recognition, Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, The Difference Engine, Virtual Light, Idoru and All Tomorrow's Parties. He lives in Vancouver, Canada.
--This text refers to the
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
10 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
As I read the first couple of chapters I nearly gave up on the book. I even thought it was a series of short stories because it jumped about so much. But I read on and was rewarded by a story that absorbed me so much I was truly sorry when it ended. Looking at some of the other reviews, all I can say is persevere - and the glasses are explained at the end.
The characterisation is excellent and believable - take the journey!
23 of 24 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Having read the other reviews of Virtual Light I felt it best to throw in my pennies worth. First, lets all just agree that William Gibson is a great SF writer. NO, just agree, it'll be easier.
Lets also say that Virtual Light is not the best place to start. Most of his books are set in the same near-future setting, and interweave delicately with each other: part of the fun of reading a new Gibson novel is spotting the characters from previous works who occaisionally pop their heads into the plot, either for a guest appearance or for a more starring role (anyone who's read them will remember Molly, in all her incarnations, as being one of the most memorable...). But that's just the point. Unless you've read all of them, starting at Virtual Light might be too much effort. Start at the beginning, with 'Neuromancer', which is, on it's own, both one of the finest cyberpunk novels ever written and the ideal starting point to get to grips with Gibson's writing style.
The first Gibson book I read was Virtual Light, and I have to agree with one of the other reviews here: at the time, it seemed rushed, too flaky, too insubstantial to take in. Then I read Neuromancer, realized they were something of a series, and got the lot. I have now read them all, and while they do vary in content and quality, they all have a particular fast-paced atmosphere that reveals him as an accomplished author. Virtual Light suffers in the same way as Count Zero: if read as part of the whole, they are each a wonderful, engaging dip into Gibson's intricate near future; strange, twisted tales of losers and winners wound round the plots and concepts that will draw fans in further and further...if read on their own, they may seem too distant, so take my advice and START AT THE BEGINNING!!!
Lets also say that Virtual Light is not the best place to start. Most of his books are set in the same near-future setting, and interweave delicately with each other: part of the fun of reading a new Gibson novel is spotting the characters from previous works who occaisionally pop their heads into the plot, either for a guest appearance or for a more starring role (anyone who's read them will remember Molly, in all her incarnations, as being one of the most memorable...). But that's just the point. Unless you've read all of them, starting at Virtual Light might be too much effort. Start at the beginning, with 'Neuromancer', which is, on it's own, both one of the finest cyberpunk novels ever written and the ideal starting point to get to grips with Gibson's writing style.
The first Gibson book I read was Virtual Light, and I have to agree with one of the other reviews here: at the time, it seemed rushed, too flaky, too insubstantial to take in. Then I read Neuromancer, realized they were something of a series, and got the lot. I have now read them all, and while they do vary in content and quality, they all have a particular fast-paced atmosphere that reveals him as an accomplished author. Virtual Light suffers in the same way as Count Zero: if read as part of the whole, they are each a wonderful, engaging dip into Gibson's intricate near future; strange, twisted tales of losers and winners wound round the plots and concepts that will draw fans in further and further...if read on their own, they may seem too distant, so take my advice and START AT THE BEGINNING!!!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Reading a Gibson novel is an act of faith. He weaves seemingly tenuous threads into a vivid plot. Don't expect to fully comprehend where you're going until you're well into his story. Looking at the last pages doesn't help, either. Let him carry you through the story. It's worth the effort. Gibson's characterizations are peerless, even though so many of his people seem outlandish in our perception. His eye for the future is unmatched. Harlan Ellison's dictum that "SF" means "speculative fiction" and not "science fiction" finds its greatest expression in Gibson's works. This book, which became the introduction to a trilogy, is a fine example of all these elements.
Berry Rydell was a Tennessee copper. Caught up in bizarre circumstances while "protecting the public," he becomes a Cop In Trouble. If policemen today think "political correctness" has impaired their effectiveness, wait until they see the future Gibson has in store for them. Lawsuits resulting from law enforcement activities are rampant. But the police have support. It comes from media producers who see enhanced viewer capture in publicizing these cases. Who but Gibson could view the corporate mentality with such perception? By the time of this story, corporate America has built up such a web of interfaces between themselves and the world it becomes impossible to extricate them. Rydell views video screens with the question "Woman or machine?" arising with distressing frequency. Driven from the police force, Rydell takes up with a security firm and relocated to Los Angeles. It's a drastically different world compared to Knoxville, but he hasn't seen anything yet. Before long he's in San Francisco, then off to Texas. Beyond mere survival, which is increasingly problematic, he's seeking a piece of advanced technology - the virtual light glasses. Gibson doesn't dwell on the technology behind this device. He's more concerned with the forces surrounding its possessor. Why do the questors go to such extremities to recover these glasses? Rydell represents us all. He remains honest while working among those clearly outside the law. But it isn't the individuals who bring such tension into Rydell's life. His stress is ultimately due to the hidden agencies with which he must deal. They are faceless and obscure. They impart information of vague worth with a deviousness a Delphic oracle would envy. He isn't even clear whether he's dealing with individuals or cabals. Lofty and condescending, they give him but little satisfaction and what's given is clearly on their terms alone.
It's these faceless entities that Gibson warns us of as he [and we] contemplate the future. Corporate operations are disappearing from view as their powers grow from local to global influence. They can tap growing information resources and their decisions, which impact our lives daily, are taken far removed from our scrutiny. Gibson uses Rydell to exhibit how helpless we're becoming in their grasp. Gibson shows they are subject to no accountability to law or popular review as they make "globalization" a new reality. We can only watch in awe as they form a new ruling class in world society. That Gibson can do this within the realm of captivating fiction garners our admiration. That this book begins a new trilogy commands us to follow where he leads. His view is far reaching and we are grateful he shares that vision with us. [stephen a. haines - Ottawa, Canada]
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Good follow on
While the Neuromancer series seemed to be 100 or so years in the future, the bridge trilogy seems to be based around the nearer future and it does it very well. Read more
Published 24 months ago by Paul M
"Virtual Light"
More great sci-fi from Gibson.
Very interesting characters, a brilliantly portrayed future landscape, and a fast and compelling story. Read more
Very interesting characters, a brilliantly portrayed future landscape, and a fast and compelling story. Read more
Published on 2 Nov 2009 by David Brookes
Virtual Light
Set in the very near future San Francisco (in fact, by now a few years in the past!) this novel follows the trail of a pair of information-filled 'virtual light' sunglasses, the... Read more
Published on 26 April 2007 by Jane Aland
Average
Virtual Light is set in a near future San Francisco and has an ordinary plot whereby someone gets hold of an item they shouldn't have, and people in power want it back. Read more
Published on 25 Feb 2004 by Tom Douglas
Virtual Light - Virtually Perfect
Set in a future that is as close as this afternoon, this is a book that shows why Gibson is one of the masters of speculative fiction. Read more
Published on 14 Aug 2003 by "the_marquis_de_carabas"
Virtual Light..
After reading Neuromancer for the first recently I rushed out and got hold of virtual Light... to say I was disappointed would be an understatement.. Read more
Published on 16 April 2003 by Mr. Gareth J. Millar
Too complex for some?
This is obviously completely different from "Golden Age" SF, a fan of which contributed a rather negative review. Read more
Published on 11 Feb 2002
It's pretty darn good.
I found Virtual Light to be a better read than the other Gibson books I have read. The story flows better and I can identifiy more with the characters than I could in his previous... Read more
Published on 30 April 2000
If this is modern sci-fi, give me classics anytime
Maybe I missed the point, but I found this book very dissapointing. The story seemed jumbled and confusing. Read more
Published on 20 April 2000
shimmering prism of post-modern meta-narrative
This text soars like a mok, clambering through the stars and exploding like a virtual pancake doida. Read more
Published on 14 Jan 1999
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