Neuromancer, by William Gibson

Probably most remarkable for the time in which it was written. 1984. Not Orwellian. Rather, a bit prescient with its fantastic landscape of “cyberspace.” Gibson is credited with coining the term and his story takes place in a digi-surreal world where the boundaries between computer “world” and the physical one are blurred. Certain skilled operators can glide virtually through cyberspace while being “jacked in” with “trodes” via a computer terminal called a “deck.” One immediately summons scenes from the Matrix (movie) and wonders if those authors weren’t inspired by Gibson. The Sprawl (name given to the data landscape) and the technology, however, are only the scaffolding on which sits a mystery pursued by a private investigator of sorts – a mystery that unfolds in detective novel fashion. A good story and a fantastic landscape with some cool thoughts on technology. The author is definitely ahead of his time. Good read – but a bit convoluted and difficult with all the foreign terminology. But once you are accustomed, the atmosphere (dreamy, surreal, weird) coupled with the unfolding mystery are worth the effort.