William Gibson spoke at Barnes & Noble, Union Square, as part of the “Spook Country” launch tour. Appropriately, he chose to read the beginning of chapter 39 of his new book (it takes place in Union Square, and refers to the Barnes & Noble store…). He made an oblique reference to the possibility of a Neuromancer film finally being made – more news in February.
I’ve read the book. It’s interesting, but very much in the mold of “Pattern Recognition”, his previous book. Hip young female protagonist is sent on a mission (by the same Hubertus Bigend) to discover a mysterious subculture, and it turns out to be more complex than previously imagined. It’s peppered with numerous references to trendy clothing brands, and obscure subcultures. Ample references to Santería pop up, clearly informed by some of his research to the earlier Sprawl trilogy. Other themes revisited including “street use of tech”, modern art (esp. the art business) and drugs – all subjects I’m interested in, so no complaints there.
I’d imagine this is Part Two of another trilogy, in which case I’m looking forward to the next one.