What are you reading in 2023?

[Ryujin]

Living in the Bay Area at the time, it was funny reading Gibson talking about people living on the bridge I was driving everyday. I read some of the Schismatrix adjacent stories in Sterling's Crystal Express, where then someone told me they heavily based their Traveller universe on it, so I decided to grab it.

I'm guessing that you read the novelization of the movie "Johnny Mnemonic", because the original short story didn't have the bridge in it. It was the girders supporting the dome in the outlying areas called Nighttown.

Or did one of his other novels take place in the Bay Area?

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Gibson_JohnnyMnemonic.pdf

 

[trappedslider]

I'm guessing that you read the novelization of the movie "Johnny Mnemonic", because the original short story didn't have the bridge in it. It was the girders supporting the dome in the outlying areas called Nighttown.

Or did one of his other novels take place in the Bay Area?

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Gibson_JohnnyMnemonic.pdf

Bridge Trilogy

The Bridge trilogy is the second trilogy of science fiction novels by William Gibson (better known for his Sprawl Trilogy), set 20 Minutes into the Future. To be exact, it takes place in 2006, so it's obviously fallen victim to Science Marches On …

tvtropes.org

 

[Ryujin]

Bridge Trilogy

The Bridge trilogy is the second trilogy of science fiction novels by William Gibson (better known for his Sprawl Trilogy), set 20 Minutes into the Future. To be exact, it takes place in 2006, so it's obviously fallen victim to Science Marches On …

tvtropes.org

All the Gibson that I've read is his early stuff. Time for me to update.

 

[dragoner]

I'm guessing that you read the novelization of the movie "Johnny Mnemonic", because the original short story didn't have the bridge in it. It was the girders supporting the dome in the outlying areas called Nighttown.

Or did one of his other novels take place in the Bay Area?

https://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cavitch/pdf-library/Gibson_JohnnyMnemonic.pdf

It's good, Burning Chrome is a great collection. Another future story that takes place in SF is Altered Carbon, where that SF is pre-dot com bubble, where it talks about China Basin as a industrial slum, and not full of upscale condos. Through it is also never touched upon in any book or show, that a quarter of SF's revenue is from tourism.

 

[dragoner]

Would make a great basis for a Traveller universe, as would Kim Stanley Robinson's 2312 universe

Last I read from him was Aurora, I will have to check that out. Today someone wrote me about my own setting is that far enough out to be sci-fi, except close enough to still be understandable.

 

[Ryujin]

It's good, Burning Chrome is a great collection. Another future story that takes place in SF is Altered Carbon, where that SF is pre-dot com bubble, where it talks about China Basin as a industrial slum, and not full of upscale condos. Through it is also never touched upon in any book or show, that a quarter of SF's revenue is from tourism.

For me, the mental whiplash was when I first visited the greater Seattle area and recognized all of the places where my Physical Adept and Bodyguard characters had been RUNning the SHADOWS.

 

[Richards]

I finished Acts of Mercy and have started up the first novel in a four-book series by the same author calked Dead Wrong. (Fortunately I have all four books, as next week I'll be on another business trip and will be relying upon decent books as my primary entertainment.) It's in the same shared universe as the Mercy series as it already (several chapters in) has a character from Acts of Mercy involved, but the main plot of this series seems to be a group of three criminals who met in jail and decided that when they get out they'll each kill the three people one of the others wants dead, so they'll have an alibi and the killer won't be remotely connected to the victims. (It's the old "Strangers on a Train" set-up.) In this first novel the first of the three prisoners is out of jail and he decides to get things going by killing the first person on one of the other criminals' list, a Mary Douglas. But the lady he kills is the wrong person, so he kills another Mary Douglas, and then a third, all within the space of a few weeks. However, he's just been going down the phone book listings and the real intended victim, one Mara Douglas, is aware that she's the next "M. Douglas" listed in the phone book and is about to get an FBI agent protecting her while they try to track down the killer. It's an interesting premise, so i hope it pans out.

Johnathan

 

[Imaculata]

I just started reading the "Ekho - The Mirrorworld" comics. It is a French fantasy comic, set on an alternative earth, full of humor and parodies of the world as we know it. Beautifully drawn, occasionally sexy, and pretty good story as well. I can't believe I've never heard of it before.

 

[Mallus]

Speaking of Gibson, I’m finally getting around to reading the Jackpot books. Finished The Peripheral, just started Agency.

Despite the languid pace of the first half of the book (two thirds?), I think The Peripheral is the best book he’s written in ages. Fantastic stuff.

 

[Eyes of Nine]

I am going to power through the rest of currently published Maise Dobbs books. Just flew through vol 7 The Mapping of love and death since i got it from Library on Friday. Only 10 more volumes to go!