Homegrove
A bit dated now unfortunately…, (when I first read it, soon after it came out, it was revolutionary)…. But when I re read it, a few years back, (I thought) it had not aged well…. (From the opening paragraph). That said; it was (like a lot of his work) remarkably prescient,, in terms of the issues raised, even if some of it is not (currently)? possible in reality. (But that’s the fiction part of the science fiction equation, Isn’t it)? Maybe, ‘not aged well “ is not the best way to describe it, maybe tired is a better way, although ‘not aged well’ certainly is applicable to some of it.. Everyone else in the genre has had a chance to catch up now…. But when it was first released, it was like a gauntlet had been thrown down…
The entire sprawl saga is well worth reading. (My personal favourite is ‘Count Zero”)..
On a (somewhat) related note, ‘Idoru” gets a little closer to reality everyday…. It won’t be long now, I’m sure…. ‘Virtual Light” has already arrived since publication,, (although not yet matured), just ask any glasshole.
He’s not been excessively prolific, but he does have a fair body of work behind him. (Sprawl, Bridge, Blue Ant, Jackpot all trilogies)…. There’s enough there to keep you busy for some time if you decide to take it all on.
His latest (Agency) is currently in my ‘in’ pile…. (Hoping the third in The Jackpot trilogy will be released shortly!)….
In some ways I think ‘Neuromancer’ is actually the weakest of his books. although up until ‘The Peripheral” it was the one he was probably best known for…. I always think of it as Gibson finding his voice, and seeing if there was a market out there for what he was writing…. I think (and it’s possible I might be mistaken here), that writing is something he came to fairly late on in life. (Although it’s also possible he wrote it when he was younger and it just took him many years to find an agent and/or publisher willing to take a chance I suppose…. As it was SO far ahead of what everyone else was doing at the time,). If I ever meet him again, I’ll make sure I ask him this!
STILL waiting for a screen adaption. [of Neuromancer]. (Which, quite honestly I find difficult to believe…. I would have thought it would have been a given, sometime in the last 35 odd years)…. I mean, without the FIRST one, how can you do the rest????
(@GreatDismal on Twitter if you’re interested / partake of it)….
