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“Burning Chrome (sf) July-88 191pp co.1986 (written between 77 and 85)
Peter C wrote this review 4 weeks ago. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
excellent short stories”
“Author: William Gibson
Sissy wrote this review Thursday, September 17 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
Review: July 19, 2009
Edition: 1987 printing
Pages: 191
Overall Rating: 3/5 [Average-Good]
Synopsis: A collection of speculative cyberpunk short stories about how technology can impact culture.
Strengths: Unique (albeit extremely far-fetched) concepts, atmospheric writing.
Weaknesses: Concepts make little sense even when suspending disbelief, stories often feel incomplete (understandable, since these are frequently prototypes for later stories).
Further Review: Overall, an interesting collection, the beauty of which lies in the well-described, gritty atmosphere.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Johnny Mnemonic[/span] --- A man who carries data in his brain without knowing what it is he carries finds himself in a fatal situation. Overall this is a very weak story with very little plot; rather, it is mainly just a concept that is not explored very thoroughly. It feels more like a glimpse of something. (And yes, this is the inspiration for the movie of the same title, although I have never seen it. Not quite sure I want to...)
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]The Gernsback Continuum[/span] --- A photographer has an assignment to document architecture of the 1930s, specifically architecture that represents the era's ideas of the future. In becoming obsessed with this project, the photographer begins to encounter strange ghosts. While a bit cliche and lacking, a much more intriguing story than [span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Johnny Mnemonic[/span].
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Fragments of a Hologram Rose[/span] --- (By far my favorite in the collection.) A cyberpunk break-up story. Here, a man tries to overcome a break-up with his girlfriend by the use of a 'cassette tape' that is able to engage the entire sensory gamut. I feel that the blend of cyberpunk technology and atmosphere with the poetic and timeless way the main character explores love and heartbreak is really well done here. The story, while brief and quite simple, really had an effect on me. This is one I'll come back to again and again.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]The Belonging Kind[/span] --- [With John Shirley] An awkward man who has never fit in at all socially---human although feeling alien (and described as dressing like a Martian)---learns what it's like to be part of the 'belonging kind,' feeling wholly human only when he loses his humanity. Very odd story about fitting in with kind of a creepy quality to it.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Hinterlands[/span] --- Near Mars, there is the "Highway," a phenomenon that warps some manned spacecraft (never empty, never manned by more than one person, sometimes rejecting even singly manned craft) to an unknown point of space. The astronauts who go come back with artifacts---a seashell, a cure for cancer, instructions for molecular pumps---but when they return they are dead or insane. This is a very interesting, albeit creepy, story that left me wanting more in the way of explanation.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Red Star, Winter Orbit[/span] --- [With Bruce Sterling] What if the Soviet Union had won the space race during the Cold War? In this alternate history, the USA is no longer a world superpower, having lost the final frontier and control of resources. However, the Soviet Union's hold is failing, too, and this story explores the end of that era.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]New Rose Hotel[/span] --- In a world where single corporations basically control society via the economy, competition between companies is deadly. The narrator and companion Fox basically have companies' most valuable employees (research scientists, in this case) defect to other companies for huge sums of money. A very atmospheric and rather pessimistic and sad story.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]The Winter Market[/span] --- This is set in a time when consciousness is a thing to be played with---entertainment is created by recording and altering dreams, and people can convert their own consciousness into programs that have the potential for immortality.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Dogfight[/span] --- [With Michael Swanwick] Video games can be addicting no matter the year. In the future, a boy with no hope or ambition becomes addicted to a multiplayer game, and in this addiction sacrifices everything to win.
[span style="text-decoration: underline;"]Burning Chrome[/span] --- A pair of hackers takes on a dangerous mission, inspired in different ways in reaction to a girl named Rikki. This story feels a lot like a pre-cursor to the Sprawl trilogy; there are similarities in the story and characters. It also has the same theme of loneliness as [span style="text-decoration: underline;"]The Winter Market[/span] and is rather bittersweet.”“Everything Gibson is all right with me!”
mark b wrote this review Thursday, August 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“Great collection of short stories, especially the title piece. This was where Gibson raised the scaffolds of the world that would later become the sprawl of the Nebula award winning Neuromancer. ”
John B wrote this review Saturday, June 13 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I read this back in the 80's when it was 1st published and have just now completed reading it again. I had some memory of the cyberpunk stories but I had completely forgotten the other stories. I really enjoyed these other stories this time. As the author says in the new forward enjoy the patina.”
Butch F wrote this review Friday, March 6 2009. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
“I love William Gibson. This book of short stories was a mixed bag - loved Johnny Mnemonic and The Winter Market, some of the others (The Belonging Kind) were pretty much ehh.”
Bethany J wrote this review Tuesday, May 27 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I still remember the visuals he painted, even though I haven't read this in 10 years. Raw and beautiful.”
Jeff O wrote this review Thursday, March 6 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No“I think between Gibson and Neal Stephenson's earlier books ("Snow Crash" and "The Diamond Age", although I know some would argue about that last one) you have the "cyber" genre done about as good as it got. If anyone knows of something comparable please let me know. I'd love to read it. ”
Jonathan B wrote this review Monday, February 25 2008. ( reply | permalink ) Was this review helpful? Yes | No
