Idoru

Rating:
Summary: another win for Gibson
Review: Once you get used to Gibson's trademark scene-switching and confusing locations, IDORU works beautifully. It has a fairly lean plot and an elegant device that eventually links the point of view of two rather disparate characters. Once again, the post-apocalyptic/sushi-bar/virtual-reality world sucks the reader in. Some of Gibson's descriptions are simply breath-taking, especially the description of a Venice virtual-reality program that evokes the essence of Venice in winter.

The only problem I had with IDORU is that it didn't go far enough and the action was over before the core concept (artificial intelligence merging with a rock star) ever took hold. It's also difficult to believe that the 14-year-old heroine has the wherewithal to travel to Japan by herself, but that's a relatively minor (hahaha) issue.

All in all, this book is a great one for anyone who enjoys a look at the possible future of computers.

Rating:
Summary: A Book About Nothing
Review: Originating the word "Cyberspace" seems to be what qualifies Gibson as a great writer in most peoples reviews. I tried to keep in mind that this book was first published in 1996 when the internet was still fairly new to most people, but even with that in mind there were not really any new ideas.

First, the idea of a srich, spoiled, pampered and out-of-touch with reality pop star wanting to mary a computer generated woman isn't really unusual given the context. It's no more strange than something Michael Jackson, Prince or any of their ilk have actually done. I also think that there could have been a subtle homoerotic subtext to the whole premise considering the only programmers of the idoru that were mentioned were all men who apparently created their idealized woman from a PC rather than go out in the world and find a real woman. Basically after reading this the original premise now seems uninteresting.

I might have even liked the premise better if the writing had been better. It was confusing, disjointed and nearly impossible to follow what there was of a narrative for most of the book. The characters were completely unbelievable as was most of the action. Much of the seemingly interesting ideas that were brought up such as an earthquake destroyed Tokyo being rebulit by nanotechnology were mere sidebars that went nowhere.

it seems to me that Gibson has great ideas, but then does all the wrong things with them. The only other book of this that I have read is "The Difference Engine" cowritten with Bruce Sterling. This book suffered from the same problem. A great idea that went nowhere and didn't explore the real potential of the original premise.

I'm still going to give Neuromancer a try, but if it is no better than what I have read so far I will never read Willam Gibson again.

Rating:
Summary: Idoru
Review: Reading this story reminded me of the Japenese Anime film "Ghost in the Shell," where the vast information on the internet not only became cognitive but also desired to merge with the world of the real to create a new being. In Gibson's "Idoru" we meet Roe Toei, the idoru, an accumulation of information pertaining to what is desirable and attractive who marries Rez, a long-running Japanese pop icon. However, the idoru can only access the real world as a hologram; what could be produced from this strange union?

Briefly Gibson toys with the interesting subjects of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, but never really expands on it or comes to a conclusion. Maybe we just don't know enough about these or how they really work to even entertain fantastical ideas about what they would be like. Maybe it's something beyond human comprehension.

As for the writing style, Gibson again interchanges character perspectives each chapter, in this case we go through one chapter of Laney, the man with the gift of picking out important data from large amounts of information, and then switch over to Chia, a young teen who visits Japan to investigate Rez's marriage.

There are some moments where Gibson paints some wonderful imagery to open up a scene or discribe a person, which brought back memories of "Neuromancer," which is not so much great for its vivid creation of a future technological world, but also for its beatiful prose. These moments seemed few and far between in "Idoru."

"Idoru" explores the realm of information and false constructs and how they clash with the real world and its sombering realities. If there is some judgment, an opinion to be made about reality and virtual reality, Gibson is quiet about it. The old cliche is that technology steals our souls and makes us less "human", but in Gibson's tales we learn that technology, like a role-playing game, offers us a respite from the limitations of our bodies to play out our fantasies and indulge in our ideas of who we would want to be. The book is a great read and a must for any Gibson-phile, but it will leave you longing to learn more about where this love of information and constructs will lead us, what the next phase in evolution will be.

What happens when information accumulates and begins to think for itself? Can the real world and the worlds we have created in our computers coexist? What would happen if that line between real and ureal were broken?

Rating:
Summary: Fast-paced and edgy
Review: Set in the same world as Virtual Light, not long afterward (but not quite a sequel), Idoru is a slightly better ride. I found it to be somewhat more of a page-turner, and it kept up a hastier pace.

The characters seem a bit more likeable than in Virtual Light; Yamazaki makes a stronger mark than in the other book, and Colin Laney is just a guy who can't figure out why his talents should mean as much as they do to the people around him. Chia McKenzie is a headstrong kid out of her element, but likeable. The bad guys aren't as nebulous but instead are a present threat; among them are the Russian mafia and Laney's truly witchy old boss who wants her pound of flesh.

It's really pretty close to call, but I prefer this one just a hair over Virtual Light. Of course neither is Neuromancer, which I still consider to be Gibson's crowning achievement. Idoru is a great read, especially for a Gibson fan.

Rating:
Summary: The master of cyberpunk presents a shining diamond again
Review: Some people may or may not like Idoru, just because there is not enough "cowboy" concept in it. However, Idoru has its own concept of reality.

In Neuromancer, Gibson questioned the reality of being alive, the reality of the self. In Idoru he questions reality of Love. Can a human fall in love with an AI? In the novel, a rock star falls in love with a Japanese AI and comes to Japan to marry her.

Meanwhile, some fans wonder about this and one of them decides to go to Japan to investigate. Accidentally she bumps into the wrong person, wrong place-wrong time. And as the unravelling continues, the both tracks spiral and at the end they meet.

This is definitely not much action packed, but is still very fast-paced. Go on and pick it up.

Rating:
Summary: Baffling and Bad
Review: Sorry, but this one misses the mark by a wide margin. The setting is clumsily rehashed from the least captivating bits of "The Matrix", and the characters are truly apathy-inducing. Cut through the smug futuristic hipster routine, and you'll discover a whole lot of nothing going on here. Science fiction gets a LOT better than this, folks.

Rating:
Summary: Spin Control
Review: Takes tech themes and mixes them, but really a story about spin doctor control really eg Tony Blair and Alistair Cambell. Uses some characters from Virtual light book so dont read this on its own.

Rating:
Summary: Cyber punk classic
Review: The person who gave us the term "cyberspace" and a pioneer of cyberpunk fiction. William Gibson gives us :"Idoru"

Idoru is a Tale Of two People who don't know each other who end up entangled in the same plot.

Chia Pet Mackinze (Greatest name since Hiro Protaginist(Snow Crash)) is a 14 year old Fan club member for a Band called Lo/Rez "Volunteered" to investigate a rumor involving one of the bands's founders Rez she ends up over her head. Rez it turns out is supossed to marry Rei Toei Japan's biggest pop Idol(thing is Rei is a virtual Being and doesn't exist physically)

Colin Laney is an out of work Info Fisher (he can see Patterns in data and deduce a person's life merely from the info they interact with). When a job at a tabloid network gets him in hot water he somehow ends up working to protect REZ.

Chia and Colin find themselves in a complex plot to cover up something that ends up endangering them both.

The story is fairly simple to follow but still a satisfying read. With interesting characters and switching from Chia and Laney's point of view until they meet (sort of)
Since this is my first Gibson read I still look forward to his classics "Neuromancer and Virtual light and count zero and the rest" if you want to get started in cyber punk fiction it is a good begining and you haven't read "Snow Crash go for it.

Rating:
Summary: Cyber punk classic
Review: The person who gave us the term "cyberspace" and a pioneer of cyberpunk fiction. William Gibson gives us :"Idoru"

Idoru is a Tale Of two People who don't know each other who end up entangled in the same plot.

Chia Pet Mackinze (Greatest name since Hiro Protaginist(Snow Crash)) is a 14 year old Fan club member for a Band called Lo/Rez "Volunteered" to investigate a rumor involving one of the bands's founders Rez she ends up over her head. Rez it turns out is supossed to marry Rei Toei Japan's biggest pop Idol(thing is Rei is a virtual Being and doesn't exist physically)

Colin Laney is an out of work Info Fisher (he can see Patterns in data and deduce a person's life merely from the info they interact with). When a job at a tabloid network gets him in hot water he somehow ends up working to protect REZ.

Chia and Colin find themselves in a complex plot to cover up something that ends up endangering them both.

The story is fairly simple to follow but still a satisfying read. With interesting characters and switching from Chia and Laney's point of view until they meet (sort of)
Since this is my first Gibson read I still look forward to his classics "Neuromancer and Virtual light and count zero and the rest" if you want to get started in cyber punk fiction it is a good begining and you haven't read "Snow Crash go for it.

Rating:
Summary: Too quiet.
Review: The story wasn't too bad, but I couldn't finish it! I tried like crazy to remain interested in this book! I thought Neuromancer wasn't great, but I liked the concept. At least Neuromancer had SOME action in it! This one is a loooooooooooooooooooong conspiracy, I really kept wishing would go somewhere. I got through over half the book before I just couldn't bring myself to pick it up again! The characters are boring, but the story was kind interesting... but it took forever to get anywhere! I wouldn't recommend this one if you like fast-paced novels. This one builds a little too slowly.