About the reading: The reading of this book is enunciated with great care. CZ can be read alone but this is not a wise idea for MLO. In case you don't know, this story depends very much on events from the first two books. I've never been happy with the weaving of different characters' stories into one plot. But still I know when Gibson writes another book, I'll get sucked back in because the Matrix/Cyberspace/Sprawl worlds Gibson builds feel bright enough to attract and worn enough to comfort.Ībout the story: I like Count Zero best of Gibson's first trilogy but MLO is the happiest of the three stories and I like it too. I get where he was trying to go with everything, it just lost a bit of focus, the resolution wasn't great, the pay-off was subpar. Gibson weaves these various plots and characters together and it all only frays a bit toward the end. It appears as natural to him as writing about fabric or fashion.

He is able to incorporate strong women naturally. Gibson doesn't flirt with feminist ideas. There are just as many ass kicking females as damsels in distress. I did appreciate how diligent Gibson is in building strong female characters. Thread Four: Slick Henry and friends care for the comatose body of the 'Count' Bobby Newmark from the 'Count Zero'. Thread Three: Mona a innocent prostitute is sucked into a crime world where she is made to look like Angie as a piece in an abduction attempt on Angie. Thread Two: Angie Mitchell from Book 2 (Count Zero) of the Sprawl trilogy seeks to find lost boyfriend while dealing with the addiction and costs of Simstim fame. Thread One: Japanese Yakuza princess in peril hides in London and hangs with 'Sally Shears' aka Molly Milions (of Neuromancer and Johnny Mnemonic fame). In this book Gibson is weaving together four plot threads.

Anyway, even with that, this wasn't his best book and not in the strong half of the Sprawl trilogy. It is like Gibson doesn't just have foresight, he has foresmell and foretaste. The textures and smells and ambiguities too. Part of it is how, like PKD, he seems to always have a sense of what is around the next two corners. “The world hadn’t ever had so many moving parts or so few labels.” ― William Gibson, Mona Lisa Overdrive There is something about Gibson that keeps me coming back. Bright enough to attract/Worn enough to comfort

Mona lisa overdrive book