Members with This Book
Most Helpful Reviews
see all reviews
Liked It “Easily the greatest end to a trilogy ever. This series never loses steam.” see full review » see other reviews » |
Didn’t Like It “Like Count Zero, I found this book compelling but difficult to follow. It occurred to me right away that the characters in these books overlap. It wasn't until I finished Mona Lisa that I realized I'd read the series out of order. No wonder I was confused!” see full review » see other reviews » |
Newest Reviews
see all reviews-
“Easily the greatest end to a trilogy ever. This series never loses steam.”
Grant G wrote this review Thursday, October 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Another great piece of cyberfiction that will fill your craving for more Neuromancer, mostly because it's the third piece in that trilogy. Having read this book I see how Gibson's style changes depending on whether he's writing a SF book about the future (Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive) or the present (Pattern Recognition). Both are pleasing though certainly different.”
redFred wrote this review Tuesday, October 27 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Loved it. Read it twice.”
mark b wrote this review Thursday, August 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Part 3 of the Sprawl Trilogy”
Justin M wrote this review Wednesday, August 5 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“A wicked story that can be read independently of the series. Definitely cyber, definitely punk. A great exposition of 1980s views of technology and the low end of society.”
Joel Adamson wrote this review Wednesday, July 15 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Taking place eight years after the events of Count Zero and fifteen years after Neuromancer, the story is formed from several interconnecting plot threads, and also features characters from Gibson's previous works (such as Molly Millions, the razor-fingered mercenary street samurai from Neuromancer).
Wendy B wrote this review Wednesday, April 22 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
One of the plot threads concerns Mona, an innocent young prostitute who has a more-than-passing resemblance to famed Simstim superstar Angie Mitchell. Mona is hired by shady individuals for a "gig" which later turns out to be part of a plot to abduct Angie.
The second story focuses on a young Japanese girl named Kumiko, daughter of a Yakuza boss sent to London to keep her safe while her father engages in a gang war with other top Yakuza leaders. In London she is cared for by one of her father's retainers, who is also a powerful member of the London Mob. She meets Molly Millions (having altered her appearance and now calling herself "Sally Shears," in order to conceal her identity from hostile parties who are implied to be pursuing her), who takes the girl under her wing.
The third story thread follows a reclusive artist named Slick Henry, who lives in the "Rust Belt," a large, poisoned expanse of deserted factories and dumps somewhere between Cleveland and Chicago, and who is a convicted (and punished) car thief. As a result of the repetitive brainwashing nature of his punishment, he spends his days creating large robotic sculptures and periodically suffers episodes of time loss, returning to consciousness afterward with no memory of what he did during the blackout. He is hired by an acquaintance to look after the comatose "Count" (Bobby Newmark from the second novel, "Count Zero," who has hooked himself into a super-capacity cyber-harddrive called an Aleph). A theoretical "Aleph" would have the RAM memory capacity to literally contain all the data of reality. Enough that a memory construct of a person to contain the complete personality of the individual, and allow it to learn, grow and act independently. The final plot line follows Angela Mitchell, famous Simstim star and the girl from the second Sprawl novel Count Zero. Angie, thanks to brain manipulations by her father when she was a child, has always has had the ability to access cyberspace directly (without a cyberspace deck), but drugs provided by her production company Sense/Net have severely impeded this ability.
The story of the reclusive artist that makes cybernetic sculptures is a reference to Mark Pauline of Survival Research Labs.[1]
”
“I'm falling more in love with the Sprawl with each book I read. Skipping straight from Neuromancer to Mona Lisa Overdrive I ran into no serious difficulties from having not read the second book. It contained an interesting cast of characters who, my only complaint is, I wish had received perhaps a little more development for some of them, but that could just be my insatiable hunger for more of the world that Gibson created. My favorite character is by far Molly Millions, or as she goes by in this book, Sally Shears. ”
Lazy Cat wrote this review Tuesday, April 14 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I enjoyed my reread of this one. Best part of Gibson's cyberspace trilogy is the world that he has created. It drags you right in. I remember that I was a little disappointed with the conclusion of this trilogy on my first read through and I did not read Gibson again untill recently picking up Pattern Recognition.
Butch F wrote this review Sunday, March 29 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Still not loving the ending but really enjoyed the ride.”“Like Count Zero, I found this book compelling but difficult to follow. It occurred to me right away that the characters in these books overlap. It wasn't until I finished Mona Lisa that I realized I'd read the series out of order. No wonder I was confused!”
Mimi Marinucci wrote this review Tuesday, September 23 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“The last book in the Sprawl trilogy and it wraps the story up very nicely, although I'll have to admit that it isn't nearly as exciting as Neuromancer or Count Zero. There aren't really any new ideas in this one, just a continuation of the ideas presented in the first two Sprawl books. Still, if you've read Neuromancer and Count Zero, it's worth at least one read as we get to meet Molly again and she's always worth meeting. ”
Comrade Charlie wrote this review Sunday, September 21 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
