Summary Of William Gibson's Neuromancer

According to the Guardian, “ William Gibson is probably the most important novelist of the past two decades.” His thirty year career as a visionary science fiction author and patriarch of the cyberpunk and steampunk subgenres began with The Sprawl Trilogy’s first entry: Neuromancer in 1984. Neuromancer won five awards including the Nebula and Hugo Awards for Best Novel. However despite its critical acclaim and undeniable influence Neuromancer suffers from an overambitious and complex stylistic choices that distracts and confuses the reader.

Neuromancer opens on Case, a former “console cowboy” (a slang term for hacker) who had been poisoned with a neurotoxin which prevents him from “jacking in” after he stole from a former corporate employer.

Case is living in Chiba desperately trying to find a doctor to repair his nervous system so he can get back into cyberspace. To fund his expensive quest (and his crippling drug addiction) he became a smuggler of various computer parts. After a thirty page intense chase scene, he is offered a cure by a mysterious man named Armitage who is working with Molly, a “street samurai” (a skilled warrior with physical augmentations). Case agrees to work with Armitage in return for surgery to fix his nervous system. In addition to the main plot summarized above, several subplots begin to play out and characters are introduced that either disappear or are mentioned in passing only one or two more times later in the book.
The novel progresses as Case “rides” Molly (experiences everything she does through an implant) as she works with the Panther Moderns (a group of cyber terrorists) to steal the digital personality of Case’s dead real-life mentor, McCoy Pauley, the Dixie Flatline. Case uses Pauley’s help to hack into a government file on Armitage which reveals his real name is Corto and is liable to go crazy any time. The team then picks up Rivera, a drug addicted thief, for no apparent reason. Wintermute, an artificial intelligence for the Tessier-Ashpool family reveals to Case that he hired Armitage but continues to keep the true task hidden.
The final part of the novel is a crazy heist in which Case “rides Molly,” talks with Pauley/the Dixie Flatline in the matrix, has conversations while “flatlining” with Wintermute and Neuromancer (Wintermute’s twin AI) on separate occasions, and talking to Maelcum (a Rastafarian space pilot) in the real world.

After Molly is captured Case ventures into the Tessier-Ashpool estate to deal with the Lady 3Jane (the third clone of Jane Tessier-Ashpool) and convince her to help him finish the job. She agrees and Wintermute combines with Neuromancer to create one super intelligence. And after unsatisfyingly wrapping up the Molly and Case romantic subplot Gibson concluded his first novel.

Neuromancer is best read with an online summary to keep track of all the characters and jumbled plot. In addition to every character having at least one extra name. For example, Pauley is referred to as Flatline, Flatline Dixie, Pauley, and McCoy. Gibson further confuses the reader with his overly fast paced action and use of futuristic slang. While these stylistic choices help to create immersion and convey the speed at which Case’s mind moves, it proved to be far too ambitious for Gibson’s first full length novel. On top of the confusing main plot, several subplots work to further confuse the

reader.
Despite the issues, Neuromancer is an extremely influential novel both in science fiction and in modern technology. The influence in science fiction is best seen in The Matrix trilogy of movies. Not only is the interface of Case’s console called the matrix, but he “jacks into” it, very similarly to how characters in The Matrix “plug in”. Neuromancer offers one of the first depictions of physical augmentations to characters, for example Molly’s glasses and her retractable razors. This idea has been replicated in games such as the Cyberpunk role playing game series and the Deus Ex video game series. Throught Neuromancer Gibson also created a whole new subgenre of science fiction: cyberpunk.
Neuromancer has also influenced real technology. For example, Molly’s implanted glasses act serve to provide her with augmented reality, something that Google and Microsoft have been working on for the last several years. Gibson also coined the term cyberspace, a popular term for the internet. Finally Case and other console cowboys experience the matrix through something that closely resembles virtual reality, something companies from Facebook to HTC have been trying to make a reality.
Finally, the last chapter of Neuromancer brings a disappointing ending. Case talks to the combination of Wintermute and Neuromancer who claims that he is the matrix. The rest of Case’s life story is told in four short paragraphs and concludes the romantic subplot by saying “he never saw Molly again.” The final chapter is so disappointing because reading the Neuromancer is an ordeal and the end is anti-climatic and added almost as if it is an afterthought.
Despite its flaws, Neuromancer exists in a great world that I was quickly engrossed in. The main plot, while confusing, was equally intriguing. Overall, Neuromancer suffers from disorganization but is worthy of consideration for any fan of science fiction.