Beth A. (PaperVistas) reviewed on + 33 more book reviews
Helpful Score: 6
It has been a long time since I have read any Science Fiction, much less any William Gibson. It was a genre that I had gradually dropped out of, due to a general shift in interest. So, it was with some trepidation that I approached "Idoru." I was happily surprised.
"Idoru" is not a great book, not a classic along the lines of "Neuromancer" or "Count Zero." But not every book needs to be a classic to be good, and "Idoru" kept my flipping pages long past my bedtime, a good sign for any novel. The characters are interesting, and the investigative nature of the story keeps the blood flowing. Mixing psychic powers and cyberspace was as imaginative blend of fantasy and future.
Gibson is a renowned futurist, and even though this book was written 10 years ago the world still seems to be marching in this direction. We have yet to achieve any significant form of nanotechnology, and the forecasted computer-generated celebrities haven't appeared, but nothing in "Idoru" is completely out of bounds. The use of the Kowloon Walled City as the inspiration for a cyberspace community was inspired.
I was very impressed with his portrayal of Japan and the Japanese characters. Having lived in Japan for several years, I must say he got it exactly right. I was prepared to flinch when they moved onto Tokyo, but it never happened.
by Zack Davisson (Ikeda, Osaka, Japan)
"Idoru" is not a great book, not a classic along the lines of "Neuromancer" or "Count Zero." But not every book needs to be a classic to be good, and "Idoru" kept my flipping pages long past my bedtime, a good sign for any novel. The characters are interesting, and the investigative nature of the story keeps the blood flowing. Mixing psychic powers and cyberspace was as imaginative blend of fantasy and future.
Gibson is a renowned futurist, and even though this book was written 10 years ago the world still seems to be marching in this direction. We have yet to achieve any significant form of nanotechnology, and the forecasted computer-generated celebrities haven't appeared, but nothing in "Idoru" is completely out of bounds. The use of the Kowloon Walled City as the inspiration for a cyberspace community was inspired.
I was very impressed with his portrayal of Japan and the Japanese characters. Having lived in Japan for several years, I must say he got it exactly right. I was prepared to flinch when they moved onto Tokyo, but it never happened.
by Zack Davisson (Ikeda, Osaka, Japan)
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