Science Fiction

It's not written like typical sci-fi, it's more like an art house (for lack of a better term) novel that happens to have a sci-fi setting. William Burroughs was a major influence on his writing and Neuromancer is perhaps the most obvious example of that.

It rewards re-reading immensely, I would advise to just go with the flow and don't sweat the bits you can't quite grasp, a lot of it makes more sense over time or clicks when you re-read it. It is incredibly worth it, imo, an absolute masterpiece of literary talent and prescient speculative fiction.

Having said that, if that style isn't really your thing and you prefer more straight-forward sci-fi, then you will probably not dig it.

edit: After posting this comment I re-loaded my feed and there's a post about William Burroughs directly above this one. Bill would be pleased.

You're supposed to feel disoriented. Gibson is trying to capture a sense of a future that is accellerating to the point where humans can no longer exist there as we are.

The terminology is supposed to feel bewildering. Don't sweat it. You'll piece things together through context.

Stick with it. It's the kind of book that is capable of completely rewiring your brain. An absolute masterpiece.

With all that being said, maybe try reading the short story Johnny Mnemonic first? That functions as an introduction to the setting and might be a more approachable way to ease yourself into his style. Fewer characters, a smaller, more compact scenario.

Yeah its on another level. I think the disorientation is deliberate, to give a sense of immersion in a confusing and complex future world. Another book like that is Clockwork Orange.

If you're really not enjoying it, maybe come back in a few years and give it another go, or try another of Gibson's books. They aren't all as tricky as this one. That said I do like this one and it kind of blew my mind when I first read it back in the 80s. I reread it recently and I think picked up on a lot more of the actual plot this time.

First of all: you don't have to like it.

I agree with you that the first chapters are confusing and overwhelming, but as others have already said this is deliberate. The storylines converge later on which makes it easier to follow what's happening. In my experience the book handles it very well to balance its sci-fi themes with a compelling story you want to follow.

Too lazy to dig up the source, but I remember that Gibson said something to the effect of emulating the experience of him hanging around a group of hackers irl just listening in, not having background/context, but just allowing meaning to slowly come together as an outsider.

The worlds he built do not spoon feed anything to the observer. Even the characters often have to figure out what just happened after the fact; that's how quickly technologies and people move there.

Second read through was even more rewarding than the first, if you have the time it will not disappoint.

I think a lot of the appeal is that it does just drop you right in at the deep end and doesn't set out much of the bigger picture stuff right there at the front. It's not going to be to everyone's liking.

It's got a lot in common with hardboiled stories, except that where your classic hardboiled detective is moving through a world we are somewhat familiar with, Case is moving through somewhere rather more exotic. You might get some benefit from reading Burning Chrome and Johnny Mnemonic which are short stories then coming back.

There is probably something to be said for just visualising rather than trying to understand.

Just accept that it's wiggy at first. You're being dragged along on a very high level heist with experienced professionals in their field, and your primary pov is a drug-addled hacker who struggles to differentiate meatspace from cyberspace. They're not going to stop and explain anything, but you'll understand the vibes.

If you're still hot for it afterwards, give it another read. A lot more makes sense once you have an understanding of the bigger picture.

Wait until the next book in the series. There's a part in there that I was hella confused about until like 2 chapters later when they explain what happened, because the character whose eyes you're seeing the story through also has no fucking idea what happened. Don't wanna spoil it by saying what it was though.

I read the book once a decade ago and again last week. It's supposed to be jarring and to drop you into an alien seeming world. But it does all come together in the end.

If you're having trouble imagining the world, I recommend playing Cyberpunk 2077. It's fuuuuull of references to the Sprawl Trilogy and honestly some things are close enough to almost be copyright violations

If you don't like it you don't like it. Tens of thousands of books out there, don't feel obligated to read them all.

It's my favorite cyberpunk/sci-fi book, but I like a book that demands I take my time with it.

I should re-read it, actually. I don't remember it being as hard to get into as people say, but that's not an uncommon opinion so you're not alone.

Go up until the first major heist and if you still aren't a fan then I'd say don't continue, as there's some scenes even more confusing to come. The second time you read it it'll be more enjoyable

I was basically hooked from the start. Probably just a personal preference thing, I wouldn't worry too much about it. I still haven't been able to read through any of The Lord of the Rings, and yet see my first sentence, lol.

If you’re not into a book it is not some great personal failure to stop reading it. People put reading books on too high of a pedestal, it’s just like any other form of entertainment media and if you aren’t jiving with it you can just go do something else.

My advice is to download a Neuromancer glossary from the internet and have it handy for whenever you encounter a strange word.

For me it was "trodes". Trodes = electrodes, they allow your mind to plug into cyberspace (a futuristic version of the internet). Also, a deck, or cyberdeck, is basically a laptop without screen made to connect to Cyberspace - we have trodes now.

Take it easy, go with the flow, and play some Techno music in the background to adjust the mood 😎

I'd also recommend listening to the BBC radio play instead of trying to read the thing, it's pretty cool.

https://youtu.be/S89BHnaxULo

I’m going to stray from the herd here and just say ‘stop’. It’s not a good book. It is foundational to cyber punk and we wouldn’t have movies like the matrix without it, but that doesn’t mean it’s good. I’ll also give it a lot of credit for being a very well imagined future with some great settings. But the main character is unrelatable, and the supporting characters are shallow. I’ll give it a pass for being a product of its time and not call out the racism and misogyny. But it commits the worst sin of a story in that you just don’t give a shit what happens to the characters. If halfway through the story a bomb went off and the story went on with a whole new cast, you’ll be ok with that. With no connection to the characters you have no investment in the victory or concern about their defeat, so the plot just kind of happens and you feel pretty ‘meh’ about it.

Oh I agree. It's not an easy read at all. Took me for sure three times longer to finish Neuromancer than a another similarly long sci-fi book.
Language without explanation and a plot that you view from a frog perspective is really confusing.

I can't say it's a master piece but I enjoyed it for it's uniqueness and would probably read it again ..sometime in a decade or so.

Currently trying to read through Count Zero, but boy is it hard. Mostly because I don't feel for any of the characters.

Not just you, relieved to see someone else express it. I always intended to give Neuromancer another try, but I got distracted. Now y'all have inspired me to shift it back to the top of the reading list.

It can't be as difficult as Lies, Inc, right?

Embrace it. The chaos is part the cyberpunk form.

You are not alone and I did read it for the first time this year.

I also started reading count Zero and it’s much easier to follow.

Like others said it’s somewhat supposed to be disorienting in terms of world but also the phrase structure is confusing at times. I remember that in many dialogues it was hard to keep track of who said what.

It’s a pretty good book tho. At some point in the beginning I googled and got a reddit post with people in the comments summarizing the first few chapters (that I had already read) and it was good to consolidate. You can also google some of the terms at some point. By the end it’s definitely much easier to follow

This is one of my all time favourite books, but I didn't "get it" until I re-read it the first time. Thankfully it's a short book. :)

I was pretty hooked from the start. My imagination really took off with it picturing all the tech.

I also enjoy the cyberpunk genre, so I’m sure it helps.

It may also be my ADHD that the jumping around really just vibed with me.

I've failed to finish reading Neuromancer, twice. I got 2/3 of the way through it, both times, and just bailed.

It's not for everyone.

I loved it but I read fast. William Gibson books, in general, do start off sort of disjointed then begin to turn into a story, so I'd say read this one through but if you don't like it you probably don't like his writing style. Also, I read it when it was new so it was quite novel at that time, sure it is a different experience at this point in time.

Maybe you don't like noir

After recently reading Children Of Time and Children Of Ruin, I just don't have the heart to read Children Of Memory. So kudos to you for that accomplishment. The writing was so rambling, verbose, and often confusing. If this book is beyond that, then I'd say... perhaps it is better reused as a doorstop? 😁

I didn't think it was great. I think I listened to it in the end, but I don't really rate it. Felt the same about Snow Crash although that was slightly better. I'll listen to both again at some point just to check if I am completely wrong.

It doesn't get any clearer. Just read it. Just experience it. It'll come together at some point after you finish. Stop trying to understand everything and just read!