William Gibson actually created the now familiar word “Cyberspace”. His wrote a series of novels including Neuromancer and Count Zero that describe a dystopian future where hackers connect to that cyberspace with a cable to the brain, where corporations have overtaken states in terms of power and influence, and where artificial intelligences have sparked to life and start to influence human history. These books are not for children, containing significant levels of graphic violence and intimate sex scenes.
Gibson, in his last three books, seems to have abandoned this brooding universe and is now writing entrancing tales of the near future. Perhaps he has come to the view that the future is now jostling the present! I have read and re-read Pattern Recognition, and it is on my list of personal favourites. Gibson no longer feels the need to spice up his gripping and beautifully written tales with intense violence, sex and substance abuse. In this book we meet Cayce, whose very marketable ability is a deep sensitivity to brands and icons. She is asked to come to London to assess a proposed new logo. Her personal obsession, however, is “The Footage”... tiny fragments of perfectly realised and evocative video clips that are being slowly released via the internet. Like others she is fascinated by the mystery of who creates these, and what secrets are hidden within them.
This is almost not a Sci Fi read, though any William Gibson fan will not be disappointed. It is rich with ideas. Gibson constantly seems to trawl through the intellectual flotsam and jetsam of our world and to pick up fascinating concepts and predictions that others miss, then weaves them deep into his stories. He is a writer who can also produce heart catching metaphors and phrases.
This book would suit adults and older teens with some intellectual curiosity. It comes from a master story teller and in some will find it a less confronting read than his earlier novels.
