Neuromancer

William Gibson’s Neuromancer, published in 1984, was his breakthrough novel and one of the founding books of the cyberpunk genre of science fiction. It became the first paperback-only release to win the genre’s trinity of prizes: the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick awards. Gibson’s lyrical prose played an important role in that recognition, while his gritty vision of a future that coupled improved technology with minimal social progress gave it immediate relevance for readers disillusioned with capitalist society. Gibson also broke ground in speculating on the nature of the new computer technology and its potential to create virtual realities. His book captured anxiety about the goal of creating artificial intelligence (AI) smarter than people and the implications of such technology for what it means to be a person. The importance of his meditation on technology can be seen in the general adoption of terms that he coined, such as “cyberspace.” The title of the movie The Matrix also comes from the word that Gibson used to describe the virtual world through which his protagonist navigates.

This guide uses the 1984 paperback edition of Neuromancer published by Ace Books.