Status
Available
Call number
Series
Collection
Publication
Spectra (1993), 325 pages
Description
NEW YORK TIMES bestseller * 2005: Welcome to NoCal and SoCal, the uneasy sister-states of what used to be California. The millennium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pickpocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich--or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high. And a mind can be a terrible thing to crash. . . . Praise for Virtual Light "Both exhilarating and terrifying . . . Although considered the master of 'cyberpunk' science fiction, William Gibson is also one fine suspense writer."--People "A stunner . . . A terrifically stylish burst of kick-butt imagination."--Entertainment Weekly "Convincing . . . frightening . . . Virtual Light is written with a sense of craft, a sense of humor and a sense of the ultimate seriousness of the problems it explores."--Chicago Tribune "In the emerging pop culture of the information age, Gibson is the brightest star."--The San Diego Union-Tribune… (more)
Media reviews
From a thematic point of view, Virtual Light was perhaps the most overt of Gibson’s oeuvre at the time it was written. Leaving little doubt as to his aims, fundamentalist religions, the rudiments of cyberspace, economics’ nexus with society, and the influence of entertainment are all presented
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in one form or another. The climax of the story, while perhaps confusing for some given the oblique commentary, is nevertheless a punch square in the nose of media sensationalism and its effects on modern humanity. Show Less
User reviews
LibraryThing member Larou
I have somewhat ambivalent feelings towards the work of William Gibson, for reasons which are likely not the fault of his novels or stories at all. I read Neuromancer when it was first released in German translation; by then, the novel had accumulated quite a bit of hype from all kinds of sources
Being somewhat older now, generally mellower but rather cynical about anything that gets put on book covers, I gave the novel another shot, and this time round enjoyed it for what it is, namely a well-written sci-fi thriller with a ton of cool ideas. After reading the rest of the trilogy, I moved on to Virtual Light, which looked like more of the same. As it turned out, however, appearances can be deceptive.
On the surface, Virtual Light does indeed appear rather similar to the Sprawl trilogy – set closer to the present than the earlier novels, but still Science Fiction, and another fast-moving thriller. Which I suppose is almost true. Except for the “fast-moving” bit. And if you think about it, the novel is not really a thriller either (or a novel, for that matter, but I will return to that farther down). It does use some traditional plot trappings of that genre, but does so in a way that makes it clear that in reality it is not interested in those at all. The action, such as it is, kicks off with an utterly implausible coincidence (even with an intersection of several of them), and the ensuing plot coughs and stutters into life like the ancient motor of an ancient car and moves ahead with about just as much speed.
There is not much in the way of an unfolding narrative, instead there are some people looking for some McGuffin that the female protagonist accidentally acquired (is there a more tired plot device?), they show up and shoot people, female and male protagonist flee together, bad guy turns up and more shooting ensues, male protagonist pulls off clever trick with the help of a convenient deus ex machina (a bunch of them, in fact), the end.
It’s all beyond ridiculous and the only purpose this sad excuse for a plot seems to serve is to show Gibson’s deep disdain for such silly things as a story. I’m not sure why Gibson decided to write this as a thriller, as it is quite obvious that (at least at this point in his career) he had no interest in the form whatsover. In fact, I can’t help the impression that he didn’t even really want to write a novel, but would likely have been much more happy with an extended essay or even better, a piece of fictional journalism describing what his idea of the near future would look like. And it is as this that Virtual Light has some value and is not a complete waste of time – the world building here is brilliant and by far more interesting than the trite plot and its cardboard characters; lots and lots of cool and colourful ideas get juggled by Gibson, forming a dazzling display of fascinating concepts, eliciting frequent Ahhhs and Ooohs from the reader.
Even so, this remains a strange book – overall Virtual Light does not seem so much an intentional structure but something that has grown and agglomerated, much like the Bridge that Yamizaki waxes enthusiastic about (a character, by the way, whose only purpose seems to be to provide the novel with that meta-level, or rather to make it so blatantly obvious that nobody could possibly miss it). It is like had Gibson had started with some small kernel, a basic idea and then kept adding things to it as they occurred to him, maybe some things he read, heard, or picked up in some other way, and ended up with a piece of art trouvé rather than a work of literature, something very uneven but also quite fascinating.
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and I was young and naive and still prone to give credence to cover blurbs from famous people. In consequence, I was very disappointed to find that Neuromancer wasn’t what I thought it was, rather unfairly blamed the novel for it, and did not read anything else by William Gibson for quite a while.Being somewhat older now, generally mellower but rather cynical about anything that gets put on book covers, I gave the novel another shot, and this time round enjoyed it for what it is, namely a well-written sci-fi thriller with a ton of cool ideas. After reading the rest of the trilogy, I moved on to Virtual Light, which looked like more of the same. As it turned out, however, appearances can be deceptive.
On the surface, Virtual Light does indeed appear rather similar to the Sprawl trilogy – set closer to the present than the earlier novels, but still Science Fiction, and another fast-moving thriller. Which I suppose is almost true. Except for the “fast-moving” bit. And if you think about it, the novel is not really a thriller either (or a novel, for that matter, but I will return to that farther down). It does use some traditional plot trappings of that genre, but does so in a way that makes it clear that in reality it is not interested in those at all. The action, such as it is, kicks off with an utterly implausible coincidence (even with an intersection of several of them), and the ensuing plot coughs and stutters into life like the ancient motor of an ancient car and moves ahead with about just as much speed.
There is not much in the way of an unfolding narrative, instead there are some people looking for some McGuffin that the female protagonist accidentally acquired (is there a more tired plot device?), they show up and shoot people, female and male protagonist flee together, bad guy turns up and more shooting ensues, male protagonist pulls off clever trick with the help of a convenient deus ex machina (a bunch of them, in fact), the end.
It’s all beyond ridiculous and the only purpose this sad excuse for a plot seems to serve is to show Gibson’s deep disdain for such silly things as a story. I’m not sure why Gibson decided to write this as a thriller, as it is quite obvious that (at least at this point in his career) he had no interest in the form whatsover. In fact, I can’t help the impression that he didn’t even really want to write a novel, but would likely have been much more happy with an extended essay or even better, a piece of fictional journalism describing what his idea of the near future would look like. And it is as this that Virtual Light has some value and is not a complete waste of time – the world building here is brilliant and by far more interesting than the trite plot and its cardboard characters; lots and lots of cool and colourful ideas get juggled by Gibson, forming a dazzling display of fascinating concepts, eliciting frequent Ahhhs and Ooohs from the reader.
Even so, this remains a strange book – overall Virtual Light does not seem so much an intentional structure but something that has grown and agglomerated, much like the Bridge that Yamizaki waxes enthusiastic about (a character, by the way, whose only purpose seems to be to provide the novel with that meta-level, or rather to make it so blatantly obvious that nobody could possibly miss it). It is like had Gibson had started with some small kernel, a basic idea and then kept adding things to it as they occurred to him, maybe some things he read, heard, or picked up in some other way, and ended up with a piece of art trouvé rather than a work of literature, something very uneven but also quite fascinating.
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LibraryThing member AdonisGuilfoyle
William Gibson is the Raymond Chandler of sci-fi for me: I might lose the plot, but stay on for the characters and the sheer joy of reading his books. Virtual Light, about a pair of virtual reality (or perhaps that should be realty) glasses and San Francisco after the next big quake, lost me
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towards the end, but Rydell and Chevette are brilliant inventions, and a near-future world where people live in shanty towns on the ruins of the Golden Gate Bridge and vehicles have alarms that tell people to 'back the f**k off' is why it is so easy to become immersed in Gibson's books. Show Less
LibraryThing member RobertDay
This was Gibson's first book that moved outside of The Sprawl, and closer to our own time and place. It has a story that keeps you turning the pages, and believable characters - the ex-cop, Rydell, who has been unlucky with the breaks; and the bicycle courier, Chevette, who is realistically drawn
This book was written in 1992-93. Reading it again from the perspective of 2011 gives you a shock. How could Gibson so accurately have drawn our present when it was his future? Late in the story, he decribes a place that went downhill "when the Euromoney went away..." and I shuddered. SF is not supposed to be predictive, but what seemed like a dystopian vision in 1993 reads like a techno-thriller now - indeed, an inattentive reader might think of it as a contemporary novel.
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from a whole range of possible urban bikers.This book was written in 1992-93. Reading it again from the perspective of 2011 gives you a shock. How could Gibson so accurately have drawn our present when it was his future? Late in the story, he decribes a place that went downhill "when the Euromoney went away..." and I shuddered. SF is not supposed to be predictive, but what seemed like a dystopian vision in 1993 reads like a techno-thriller now - indeed, an inattentive reader might think of it as a contemporary novel.
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LibraryThing member klarusu
This is classic William Gibson. Set in the near-future dystopian society of North and South California, Gibson plays his traditional trick of introducing diverse characters and situations and gradually knitting them together into a climactic ending. Centred on the society that has grown up on the
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Bridge, anarchic, antiestablishment, unmonitored, he creates a world apart but one with its own life and heartbeat. The reader roots for the odd cross-section of individuals carving a life on the new frontier. He has created a dark, bleak but believable future world. There's just enough difference to make it foreign and alien, enough touchstones to make it a tangible future. The technology is futuristic without being ridiculous. It's a backdrop to a dark, violent subculture in a world dominated by all-powerful corporations, outside the law. There is an enmeshing of Eastern and Western cultures creating a hybrid society, truly globalised, with blurred boundaries. Gibson effectively tells the stories of his protagonists' lives through a mix of narration, personal recollection, flashback and memories of others. It takes the reader the full duration of the book to flesh out fully each character and event. Is this a genre novel? Definitely. Is that a bad thing? Not at all! Show Less
LibraryThing member girlunderglass
I finally gave up on this book. In a way I wish I hadn't it because I got so far - read almost 200 of the 300 pages. But at the same time I wish I'd given up on it earlier because, after reading Idoru, this book was such a disappointment. Both novels are part of Gibson's Bridge trilogy. The
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universe of Virtual Light however, is less advanced than the Idoru one, and thus closer to our present. There are less innovations and advancements in technology and, furthermore, Gibson isn't particularly detailed in his descriptions of the world this time, which for me is a minus. There are no interesting new gizmos, and no explanations as to how things work. The characters are not very well drawn - I had to keep checking who is who, that's how memorable they were. And, last but not least, the plot just felt so contrived and boring. There were some similar storylines between the two books: e.g. underage girl gets involved in something dangerous/illegal/way out of her league. The difference was that I loved Chia (the girl in Idoru) and found Chevette (the girl in VL) boring as hell. I couldn't care less what happened to her. I don't really know if the book was that bad or I'm just exaggerating because I expected so much more from it. But the fact is it didn't manage to draw me in and I chucked it two-thirds of the way. Still enjoyed Gibson's writing style though and his particular way of creating sentences, and hope that he might redeem himself with another novel. I still want to read the third and last book in this trilogy called All Tomorrow's Parties eventually. Just not right now. Show Less
LibraryThing member carlosemferreira
Is it possible to say anything about Gibson's books without sounding like a raving fanboy? Virtual Light is a tour de force, but not the kind you get in the Matrix trilogy; the story is almost incidental in places, the characters forgettable compared to those in Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona
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Lisa Overdrive - but for once, that is not the point. Virtual Light demonstrated Gibson's uncanny ability to see through the fog of the present and show us the future as it is. The neoliberal agenda is all set out in there for anyone to read, in precise detail and gruesome technicolor. Reads like the history of 2010, but was written in 1992. Amazing book. Show Less
LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
A gripping thriller, set in the near future following a partial collapse of authority in America following the combined impacts of earthquakes and plague. The novel is set mainly in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco where a huge community now lives on the Golden Gate Bridge which has become a sort
Chevette Washington, a bicycle courier Inadvertently finds herself on the fringe of a high society party. Having been hassled by one of the guests she wanders off to explore. When she returns to the main party room she sees that the man who had hassled her is now asleep with something sticking out of his pocket. Uncharacteristically Chevette steals this and then leaves the party. When she emerges into the street she looks to see what she has pinched and finds a pair of very dark, and very heavy, sunglasses. However, these are not ordinary glasses but, instead, are Virtual Light (VL) glasses, which when switched on are a new means of conveying data about the things their wearer looks at. This paid also holds top secret information about plans to rebuild the recently earthquake-devastated San Francisco. This information is immensely valuable and the owner (not the man from whom Chevette stole them - he was a mere intermediary) will stop at nothing to retrieve them.
Meanwhile former cop Berry Rydell, having recently lost his post with IntenSecure, a shady independent "rentacop" conglomerate with contacts everywhere, has been recruited by the sinister Mr Warbaby who has himself been commissioned to retrieve the missing glasses.
The synopsis above may make the novel sound unduly fraught but Gibson manages it all very deftly and the story flows seamlessly.
All in all a very rewarding read.
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of sanctuary beyond the reach of mainstream law and order. Chevette Washington, a bicycle courier Inadvertently finds herself on the fringe of a high society party. Having been hassled by one of the guests she wanders off to explore. When she returns to the main party room she sees that the man who had hassled her is now asleep with something sticking out of his pocket. Uncharacteristically Chevette steals this and then leaves the party. When she emerges into the street she looks to see what she has pinched and finds a pair of very dark, and very heavy, sunglasses. However, these are not ordinary glasses but, instead, are Virtual Light (VL) glasses, which when switched on are a new means of conveying data about the things their wearer looks at. This paid also holds top secret information about plans to rebuild the recently earthquake-devastated San Francisco. This information is immensely valuable and the owner (not the man from whom Chevette stole them - he was a mere intermediary) will stop at nothing to retrieve them.
Meanwhile former cop Berry Rydell, having recently lost his post with IntenSecure, a shady independent "rentacop" conglomerate with contacts everywhere, has been recruited by the sinister Mr Warbaby who has himself been commissioned to retrieve the missing glasses.
The synopsis above may make the novel sound unduly fraught but Gibson manages it all very deftly and the story flows seamlessly.
All in all a very rewarding read.
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LibraryThing member name99
I liked this story a lot more the first time I read it, when it was called Snow Crash.
Virtual Light lifts the characters and locales of Snow Crash, while omitting the humor and intricate background stories that made Snow Crash so interesting.
I've now twice been horribly disappointed by William
Virtual Light lifts the characters and locales of Snow Crash, while omitting the humor and intricate background stories that made Snow Crash so interesting.
I've now twice been horribly disappointed by William
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Gibson but it won't happen again --- there are plenty of other authors to read, and too little time for trash. Show Less
LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
Typical 4 star story from William Gibson with an extra half star for Frank Mueller's wonderful narration.
LibraryThing member doegox
The action takes place in a lovely cyberpunk San Francisco atmosphere.
I found it rather slow to start, almost the first half of the book is needed to settle the "décor" and all in all there is no much suspense. A bit like all the polar story was there just to bring the reader into Gibson's world.
I found it rather slow to start, almost the first half of the book is needed to settle the "décor" and all in all there is no much suspense. A bit like all the polar story was there just to bring the reader into Gibson's world.
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But it's also what we're waiting from him ;-) Not a good story but a world both strange and hyperrealist, a future Show Less
LibraryThing member iayork
Bridge series: The first in the bridge series it introduces two central players, Berry Rydell a out of work cop and Chevette, a San Francisco bike messenger. Throughout the story the Golden gate bridge that was made unusable by a earthquake and now functions as a squatters paradise/no mans land
Even though I still yearn for razor girls and console cowboys Vitural light was a great read. think of that..[[ASIN:0595681646 Gideon's Fall: When You Dont Have a Prayer, Only a Miracle Will Do]]
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looms in the background. This novel is Gibson's first tenative steps toward contemporary fiction. It works, just cutting edge enough to feed the tech heads with solid story and plot lines. Even though I still yearn for razor girls and console cowboys Vitural light was a great read. think of that..[[ASIN:0595681646 Gideon's Fall: When You Dont Have a Prayer, Only a Miracle Will Do]]
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LibraryThing member isabelx
And maybe, in that instant of weird clarity, with Gunhead's crumpled front end still trying to climb the shredded remains of a pair of big leather sofas, and with the memory of Kenneth Turvey's death finally real before him, Rydell had come to the conclusion that the high crazy thing, that rush of
"Virtual Light" was first published in 1993 and is set in 2005. Rydell is an ex-cop and ex-security guard, who has been employed to drive for a security troubleshooter with an injured leg. Chevette is a bicycle courier and resident of The Bridge, a community that grew up on the bridge linking San Francisco and Oakland after it was closed to traffic after a major earthquake. Their lives collide when Chevette impulsively steals a pair of virtual reality sunglasses from a man who has annoyed her.
I loved it, and as both sequels are already on my TBR shelf, I intend to read them this month too.
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Going For It, was maybe something that wasn't always quite entirely to be trusted."Virtual Light" was first published in 1993 and is set in 2005. Rydell is an ex-cop and ex-security guard, who has been employed to drive for a security troubleshooter with an injured leg. Chevette is a bicycle courier and resident of The Bridge, a community that grew up on the bridge linking San Francisco and Oakland after it was closed to traffic after a major earthquake. Their lives collide when Chevette impulsively steals a pair of virtual reality sunglasses from a man who has annoyed her.
I loved it, and as both sequels are already on my TBR shelf, I intend to read them this month too.
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LibraryThing member Winterrain
Like many people, I am not as fond of this trilogy as Gibson's first, but this book is still well worth the reading. Unlike the later books in the series, it is driven by the world in which it takes place, not the plot, and world-building is one of Gibson's strengths. Though the story is
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fascinating and the two plotlines weave together seamlessly, what I most appreciated about this novel was the introduction to the world of the Bridge. Show Less
LibraryThing member Tcubed
I own and thoroughly enjoyed this book - but plan to re-review when I re-read to have it fresh in my mind.
LibraryThing member MyopicBookworm
I enjoyed this: essentially a crime thriller set in a not very distant future, in which some of the scenarios (especially the shanty town lashed and bolted on to a bridge) work very well. I didn't find the lack of detailed characterization a major problem. The similarity to "Snow Crash" is pretty
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obvious, but actually I'm not a geek and I rather liked the way in which virtual reality and all those techie "cyber" bits of cyberpunk took a back seat, forming a plausible part of the setting rather than being the be-all-and-end-all of it. MB 8-xii-2010 Show Less
LibraryThing member moontyger
I really love Gibson's writing, particularly his vivid imagery, and this book is no exception. You can see it from the very first page and it really helps to build a world and draw the reader in. (I considered quoting here, but decided to let you read it for yourself.)
The setting suffers from the
Unlike most other Gibson novels, something in the plot and characters of this particular book reminds me a lot of Snow Crash. (They were published close together, too, so I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or maybe something about that time in particular or what.) Chevette especially reminds me a lot of Y.T., though Berry is no Hiro Protagonist. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, though - I enjoyed Snow Crash and, by the end, this book is clearly its own thing.
The setting suffers from the
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common flaw of near-future SF in that we've now passed the year this book is set in and the world he's depicted does not exist. But it still feels both real and possible in many aspects.Unlike most other Gibson novels, something in the plot and characters of this particular book reminds me a lot of Snow Crash. (They were published close together, too, so I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or maybe something about that time in particular or what.) Chevette especially reminds me a lot of Y.T., though Berry is no Hiro Protagonist. I don't think this is necessarily a bad thing, though - I enjoyed Snow Crash and, by the end, this book is clearly its own thing.
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LibraryThing member jkdavies
Interesting, I think reading the series out of sync didn't help, as the 2nd & 3rd books in the trilogy had more going for them
LibraryThing member DRFP
A step in the right direction after the errors committed in Count Zero and to a lesser extent, Mona Lisa Overdrive. Away from the Sprawl Gibson's vision certainly seems clearer again. True, the setting being nearer to the present means this book feels less adventurous in its predictions but it
That annoying trait of his last two novels - a split narrative - disappointingly features again but it's not such a bother this time as events come together earlier and with less fuss. However I do have to confess to being rather bored by Skinner and Yamazaki's chapters whenever they took place. They set the scene for the Bridge and the state of the world but these chapters feel artificial. It's disappointing that Gibson wasn't better able to develop his vision of the world outside of these clunky chapters.
However, Rydell and Chevette's chapters are fun and fast paced and make up for the others. This is the sort of quick-fire techno-adventure that I initially liked about Gibson. Sometimes Gibson's prose dips into a sort of slang territory, which I didn't like all that much, but for the most part his writing is good here. Not his best (which was, oddly, probably his earliest stuff) but decent.
After the slight disappointment of the preceding two novels I'm glad Virtual Light demonstrates that Gibson didn't lose all his talent after his short stories and Neuromancer. This isn't his best work but it's good and makes me keen to read further into the Bridge trilogy. A minor success!
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feels more thought through this time.That annoying trait of his last two novels - a split narrative - disappointingly features again but it's not such a bother this time as events come together earlier and with less fuss. However I do have to confess to being rather bored by Skinner and Yamazaki's chapters whenever they took place. They set the scene for the Bridge and the state of the world but these chapters feel artificial. It's disappointing that Gibson wasn't better able to develop his vision of the world outside of these clunky chapters.
However, Rydell and Chevette's chapters are fun and fast paced and make up for the others. This is the sort of quick-fire techno-adventure that I initially liked about Gibson. Sometimes Gibson's prose dips into a sort of slang territory, which I didn't like all that much, but for the most part his writing is good here. Not his best (which was, oddly, probably his earliest stuff) but decent.
After the slight disappointment of the preceding two novels I'm glad Virtual Light demonstrates that Gibson didn't lose all his talent after his short stories and Neuromancer. This isn't his best work but it's good and makes me keen to read further into the Bridge trilogy. A minor success!
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LibraryThing member rphbamf
Virtual Light by William Gibson
If Gibson is the father of the cyber-punk branch of the sci-fi family tree, then this book, Virtual Light, is one of his first kids, who ended up in therapy.
This is one of Gibson’s first books, and with Neuromancer, paved the way for many other techno-savvy authors
I enjoyed this book, but am looking forward to a more experienced Gibson. 2.5 on LibraryThing.
If Gibson is the father of the cyber-punk branch of the sci-fi family tree, then this book, Virtual Light, is one of his first kids, who ended up in therapy.
This is one of Gibson’s first books, and with Neuromancer, paved the way for many other techno-savvy authors
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(like Cory Doctorow), and probably revolutionized the science industry itself. The way Gibson describes his future technology, like Stephen Baxter, makes you wonder why you cant just go out and pick it up at Wal-Mart. the difference, however, is that while Baxter's tech is smooth lines gleaming surfaces like an iPod, Gibson's is half-rusted held together with tape and may be sticky.I enjoyed this book, but am looking forward to a more experienced Gibson. 2.5 on LibraryThing.
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LibraryThing member Artholomew
An interesting take on SanFran vs. LA. It's written in the usual William Gibson style: take item of crucial importance, add in several regular-yet-special characters, and intertwine their lives around the object while the bad guys pursue them, and set everything in a dark, yet plausible near-future
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that resembles our present. A bike messenger gets groped by a drunk party-goer (also a courier), steals his item, a failed cop/rent-a-cop happens to get involved, Golden Gate bridge is now skid row, etc. etc. etc. This one has been the least futuristic, yet it still riffs on familiar Gibson themes of government=bad, rich people=bad, hackers, regular people, etc. The book is good, don't get me wrong. Show Less
LibraryThing member kerns222
Dystopic details (“Fine, dry, flakes of fecal snow”), language with attitude, techy goodies, a god-awful font and page layout, and anti-nostalgic looks at defunct San Francisco, LA, and Mexico City, all woven into a mashup of current historical forces pushed out twenty plus years: privatization
Halt—this is too much (But it’s always that way with Gibson) and it works.
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(Golden Gate Park is now the gated SkyWalker), militarization, globalization (Singapore runs things) in a coming-of-age thriller showcasing the naïve, tough bike messenger, her senile old fart roomie, the young, ex-cop/ex-private security hero? who believes in doing right, and his buddy, an apostate from the powerful movie-Jesus sect. Halt—this is too much (But it’s always that way with Gibson) and it works.
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LibraryThing member Eyejaybee
‘Virtual Light’ is a gripping thriller, set in an unspecified near future following a partial collapse of authority in America arising from the combined impacts of earthquakes and plague. It opens in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco and features a large community now living on the Golden Gate
Chevette Washington, a bicycle courier Inadvertently finds herself on the fringe of a high society party. Having been hassled by one of the guests she wanders off to explore. When she returns to the main party room she sees that the man who had hassled her is now asleep with something sticking out of his pocket. Uncharacteristically Chevette steals this mysterious object and then leaves the party. As she emerges into the street she investigates the fruits of her theft and finds a pair of very dark and unexpectedly heavy sunglasses.
It transpires, however, that these are not ordinary sunglasses but are, instead, Virtual Light (VL) spectacles. When switched on they offer a new means of conveying data about whatever the wearer might be looking at. This stolen pair also contains top secret information about plans for the reconstruction of the recently devastated San Francisco. This information is immensely valuable and the owner (not the man from whom Chevette stole them - he was a mere intermediary) will stop at nothing to retrieve them.
Meanwhile former cop Berry Rydell, having recently lost his post with IntenSecure, a shady independent "rentacop" conglomerate with contacts everywhere, has been recruited by the sinister Mr Warbaby who has himself been commissioned to retrieve the missing glasses. His and Chevette’s paths are about to meet.
Gibson’s great gift has been the plausibility of his vision of a tortured future in which technological developments lend themselves to sinister activities, while society as a whole is fractured. Communes based around new and unorthodox religions abound, and there is increasing polarisation between the wealthy, who live in the safety of gated communities, and the disenfranchised poor, left largely to their own devices. It is not an appealing future, but all too easy to accept.
I recognise that the synopsis above may make the novel sound unduly fraught. William Gibson manages it to convey it all very deftly and the story flows seamlessly.
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Bridge which evolved into a sort of sanctuary beyond the reach of mainstream law and order. Chevette Washington, a bicycle courier Inadvertently finds herself on the fringe of a high society party. Having been hassled by one of the guests she wanders off to explore. When she returns to the main party room she sees that the man who had hassled her is now asleep with something sticking out of his pocket. Uncharacteristically Chevette steals this mysterious object and then leaves the party. As she emerges into the street she investigates the fruits of her theft and finds a pair of very dark and unexpectedly heavy sunglasses.
It transpires, however, that these are not ordinary sunglasses but are, instead, Virtual Light (VL) spectacles. When switched on they offer a new means of conveying data about whatever the wearer might be looking at. This stolen pair also contains top secret information about plans for the reconstruction of the recently devastated San Francisco. This information is immensely valuable and the owner (not the man from whom Chevette stole them - he was a mere intermediary) will stop at nothing to retrieve them.
Meanwhile former cop Berry Rydell, having recently lost his post with IntenSecure, a shady independent "rentacop" conglomerate with contacts everywhere, has been recruited by the sinister Mr Warbaby who has himself been commissioned to retrieve the missing glasses. His and Chevette’s paths are about to meet.
Gibson’s great gift has been the plausibility of his vision of a tortured future in which technological developments lend themselves to sinister activities, while society as a whole is fractured. Communes based around new and unorthodox religions abound, and there is increasing polarisation between the wealthy, who live in the safety of gated communities, and the disenfranchised poor, left largely to their own devices. It is not an appealing future, but all too easy to accept.
I recognise that the synopsis above may make the novel sound unduly fraught. William Gibson manages it to convey it all very deftly and the story flows seamlessly.
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LibraryThing member Ma_Washigeri
Plus a half star. I enjoyed it a lot. The characters and the world building.
LibraryThing member PilgrimJess
"Neighbourhoods that mainly operated at night had a way of looking a lot worse in the morning."
Virtual Light,written in 1993 and set in 2005, is a detective noir story set in San Francisco around two people: Berry Rydell and Chevette Washington. After the city has suffered a massive earthquake the
Chevette works as a bicycle messenger delivering packages to rich clients around the city. One evening, she makes a split second decision that will alter the course of her life. Rydell is an ex-cop moved to Southern California after being expelled from the Tennessee police after killing a suspect into the paths of Chevette, a murder, crooked police, international corporations, and hackers.
Described in the blurb on the back as an "audacious, witty and passionate look at our possible future" we are told about five types of guns and two non-lethal weapons in the first five pages. For me this is a real problem. Right from the outset I struggled to see this story as being little more than a thriller. A thriller that was lacking in enough action, intrigue and twists and turns to make it a real page turner.
Similarly whilst I saw the bridge, inhabited by the lower reaches of society, as symbolising the distance between the haves and have-nots of technology the very fact that it was set only some 12 years after it was first published and 15 years before I actually read it meant that it just didn't feel particularly futuristic nor a proper social commentary (if it had been set in say 2050 I might have felt differently). This ultimately meant that I struggled to see just what message the author was trying to convey.
Sci-fi isn't really my thing and this was my first book by the author. Therefore, I don't want to appear overly negative, there were some good elements. Firstly I enjoyed the author's pared down writing style, he has avoided overblown text making it is easy to visualize his 'futuristic' California. Likewise I felt that the two main characters, whilst only sketched, had enough substance to imagine them struggling to find their niche in a society where power has been placed into the hands of the techno-savvy. An interesting if not compelling introduction to the author.
Virtual Light,written in 1993 and set in 2005, is a detective noir story set in San Francisco around two people: Berry Rydell and Chevette Washington. After the city has suffered a massive earthquake the
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Bay Bridge has become home to the poor and under-privileged who have attached their homes to the steel structure. Chevette calls the top of one of the massive pylons home. Chevette works as a bicycle messenger delivering packages to rich clients around the city. One evening, she makes a split second decision that will alter the course of her life. Rydell is an ex-cop moved to Southern California after being expelled from the Tennessee police after killing a suspect into the paths of Chevette, a murder, crooked police, international corporations, and hackers.
Described in the blurb on the back as an "audacious, witty and passionate look at our possible future" we are told about five types of guns and two non-lethal weapons in the first five pages. For me this is a real problem. Right from the outset I struggled to see this story as being little more than a thriller. A thriller that was lacking in enough action, intrigue and twists and turns to make it a real page turner.
Similarly whilst I saw the bridge, inhabited by the lower reaches of society, as symbolising the distance between the haves and have-nots of technology the very fact that it was set only some 12 years after it was first published and 15 years before I actually read it meant that it just didn't feel particularly futuristic nor a proper social commentary (if it had been set in say 2050 I might have felt differently). This ultimately meant that I struggled to see just what message the author was trying to convey.
Sci-fi isn't really my thing and this was my first book by the author. Therefore, I don't want to appear overly negative, there were some good elements. Firstly I enjoyed the author's pared down writing style, he has avoided overblown text making it is easy to visualize his 'futuristic' California. Likewise I felt that the two main characters, whilst only sketched, had enough substance to imagine them struggling to find their niche in a society where power has been placed into the hands of the techno-savvy. An interesting if not compelling introduction to the author.
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LibraryThing member elenchus
Virtual Light is the first in the Bridge Trilogy, and sets the stage for the series arc more than it sets up any central conflict. Each book has its own story, the series arc plays out in the background, especially in the first two books.
Here, the stage is simple: the Bridge itself, a few hints
Curious book design, the font almost a bold typeface and more suitable for captions or titles than narrative text. Chapter pages take a full facing page, in greyscale, with design reminiscent of a graphic novel. Section breaks within a chapter signaled by a horizontal rectangle, almost Prairie Style and at odds with the font and chapter design. Even the pagination and author / title repeated in upper corners seem more appropriate to an OMNI magazine layout than a hardbound novel. I wonder how much the publisher allowed this because the novel seems short, and all this busy-ness helped "fill it out" for the marketing department. Disappointingly, several typos not caught in copyediting: its / it's, Elliot / Elliott. I don't fault or credit Gibson for any of this, of course.
A solid book and a fun read. Taken alone upon publication, quite satisfying. This second reading I read it in one go with the remaining novels. I was pleased to find the shadowy hints took on a bit more solidity and shape in the context of the whole. The theme of global disruption from pandemic was especially interesting, with COVID-19 fully disrupting human civilisation at the time of reading.
//
synopsis | Chevette impulsively steals a pair of sunglasses after an encounter with an entitled misogynist, setting in motion several parties intent on retrieving the glasses and erasing all knowledge of them. Rydell moves from one subsidiary of DatAmerica to another, unknowingly moving closer to the center of a private business deal with global implications. There is more than one shadow government pulling strings, however, and evidently most are unaware of the Republic of Desire.
Here, the stage is simple: the Bridge itself, a few hints
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surrounding AIDS Saint JD Shapeley, and the Yamazaki subplot are enticingly there, but only just. It's set in the aftermath of two cataclysms, one more evident to the reader (at first) than the other: an earthquake crippling the San Francisco - Oakland Bay Bridge, and a pandemic evidently in part responsible for why society doesn't fully rebuild. The Bay Bridge itself is a stark illustration of the haves & have-nots in modern US society, with global trends following closely in the wake of US developments. Interestingly, denizens of the Bridge appear more vibrant & creative than rest of culture despite their subalternity. Dominant culture is tired, mechanized, efficient, and pushing society toward disruption, but all of this is recognizable mostly after reading the other two books. The novel's main plot doesn't involve any of these in any significant way. Curious book design, the font almost a bold typeface and more suitable for captions or titles than narrative text. Chapter pages take a full facing page, in greyscale, with design reminiscent of a graphic novel. Section breaks within a chapter signaled by a horizontal rectangle, almost Prairie Style and at odds with the font and chapter design. Even the pagination and author / title repeated in upper corners seem more appropriate to an OMNI magazine layout than a hardbound novel. I wonder how much the publisher allowed this because the novel seems short, and all this busy-ness helped "fill it out" for the marketing department. Disappointingly, several typos not caught in copyediting: its / it's, Elliot / Elliott. I don't fault or credit Gibson for any of this, of course.
A solid book and a fun read. Taken alone upon publication, quite satisfying. This second reading I read it in one go with the remaining novels. I was pleased to find the shadowy hints took on a bit more solidity and shape in the context of the whole. The theme of global disruption from pandemic was especially interesting, with COVID-19 fully disrupting human civilisation at the time of reading.
//
synopsis | Chevette impulsively steals a pair of sunglasses after an encounter with an entitled misogynist, setting in motion several parties intent on retrieving the glasses and erasing all knowledge of them. Rydell moves from one subsidiary of DatAmerica to another, unknowingly moving closer to the center of a private business deal with global implications. There is more than one shadow government pulling strings, however, and evidently most are unaware of the Republic of Desire.
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Awards
Hugo Award (Nominee — Novel — 1994)
Italia Award (Finalist — 1995)
Crime Writers of Canada Awards of Excellence (Shortlist — Novel — 1994)
Prix Aurora Award (Finalist — 1994)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
1993
Physical description
325 p.; 6.5 inches
ISBN
0553074997 / 9780553074994