Book reviews

Virtual Light
William Gibson Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
William Gibson Books
New book search
William Gibson Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Virtual Light
"Berry Rydell, rent-a-cop, and Chevette Washington, a bicycle messenger, living in post-apocalypse California, are on the run from a very bad man who they just acquired an interesting pair of specs from."
Christine G., Resident Scholar

"After a short and troubled career as a cop in Tennessee, tough guy Berry Rydell moves to LA, becomes a security officer, and takes a free-lance job in the San Fran area. A teenage bicycle messenger named Chevette stole some high-tech VR glasses on a whim from a courier who shortly after turned up dead. Everyone's after the girl, who lives among the homeless and small businesses on the closed-down Bay Bridge (an environment which features in several other Gibson novels). Rydell and Chevette are thrown together by circumstances, battling his boss, some renegade Russian cops, and other baddies. There's also a charming spoof of a gated religious community living in trailers and worshiping the light of the cathode ray tube. The showdown takes place in virtual reality. This novel is a zippy scifi noir."
David Loftus, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Virtual Light
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 20%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 30%




Tone of book - cynical or dry-wit - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - computer/database
Robots, Computers, VR Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets: - virtual reality
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - police/lawman - bodyguard
Age: - 20's-30's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - bulging muscles - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 40's-50's
Profession/status: - killer
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount
How sensitive is this character? - hard edged
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - none/very little science jargon needed - some scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog - significantly more descript than dialog
Most similar books to Virtual Light
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Memories End - Web Warriors 1 by James Luceno
Everyone in Silico by James Munroe
Gaudeamus by John Barnes
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson


Click here for more information about this book


William Gibson Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Melvin Cartagena   

SCHOLARS:


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 2:32:02 AM
Anonymous 2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters 9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody 6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught 11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen 9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts 1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino 9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky 11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman 12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer 7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller 8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn 12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden 2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM

More message boards