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roytoo's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
justiceofkalr's review
3.0
This is a kind of mixed bag. There are some great cyberpunk stories in here, and there are some that I'm not really sure how they qualify as cyberpunk other than they're written by authors who have written in the cyberpunk genre. While I like the two Gibson stories in this collection (which I like basically anything he's written so that's not hard), they seem like two of his least cyberpunk stories. Where was something like "Johnny Mnemonic"? The Greg Bear story, while interesting, was also another one where I was confused why it got chosen for a cyberpunk collection. Or "Tales of Houdini". About half the stories are really enjoyable though and a nice look at some of the big names in cyberpunk. So ignoring the few odd choices of story, it's a pretty decent intro/overview/sampler of the cyberpunk genre.
wcullen65's review against another edition
THE best intro to cyberpunk. A 'must have' book for SciFi geeks whether neophyte or aficionado...
annataeko's review against another edition
3.0
"The mind's eye (...) the mind had its own ideas (...) in a tight, lopsided orbit."
laci's review against another edition
5.0
I'm not saying every story was perfect. But I expected quintessential cyberpunk, and that's exactly what I got.
haddocks_eyes's review against another edition
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Liked The Gernsback Continuum, Solstice and Mozart in Mirrorshades best.
arthurbdd's review against another edition
3.0
Fairly hit-and-miss collection which showcases some interesting writers but is very invested in the idea of cyberpunk as a cohesive movement - but if these stories are meant to be representative of it, this is compelling evidence that the "movement" is no such thing. Full review: https://fakegeekboy.wordpress.com/2007/02/01/does-bruce-sterling-dream-of-a-cyberpunk-movement/
angrywombat's review against another edition
2.0
Anothologies are hard to review.
This book is some 35 years old, and some of the stories in it are nearly 40 years old. The world has (in some ways) moved on from the state it was when these were written. Most of these stories have not aged well at all - much like a lot of the "cyberpunk"cyberpunk genre as a whole...
It is a little hard to understand what the commonality of all these stories is. What binds them together? I _think_ that it is something like "the consensus of society is an illusion". There is an (under)current of "the authority is abusing you" to all of this, and the stories are generally about how those _not_ in power cope and sometimes try to fight against this authoritative lie.
In that respect, the "punk", the "down with the man" attitude is still relevant today (more than ever), it's just that the cyber part of the name is not entirely relevant these days. It feels very strange. The first story (The Gernsback Continuum) probably sets the mood especially well - talking about a vision of the future that has been lost and forgotten, but still lives on in hidden pockets. Cyperpunk is just as irrelevant today as the "raygun-future" of the 1940's was in 1980. Interestingly that story was written 40 years after it's inspiration had passed, now these stories are similarly old.
This was an overall interesting read, but not really enjoyable. It became a real slog to force myself to come back to read more. But worth it in the end... maybe.
This book is some 35 years old, and some of the stories in it are nearly 40 years old. The world has (in some ways) moved on from the state it was when these were written. Most of these stories have not aged well at all - much like a lot of the "cyberpunk"cyberpunk genre as a whole...
It is a little hard to understand what the commonality of all these stories is. What binds them together? I _think_ that it is something like "the consensus of society is an illusion". There is an (under)current of "the authority is abusing you" to all of this, and the stories are generally about how those _not_ in power cope and sometimes try to fight against this authoritative lie.
In that respect, the "punk", the "down with the man" attitude is still relevant today (more than ever), it's just that the cyber part of the name is not entirely relevant these days. It feels very strange. The first story (The Gernsback Continuum) probably sets the mood especially well - talking about a vision of the future that has been lost and forgotten, but still lives on in hidden pockets. Cyperpunk is just as irrelevant today as the "raygun-future" of the 1940's was in 1980. Interestingly that story was written 40 years after it's inspiration had passed, now these stories are similarly old.
This was an overall interesting read, but not really enjoyable. It became a real slog to force myself to come back to read more. But worth it in the end... maybe.