Widely considered having created the genre of “cyberpunk,” Neuromancer is a quintessential piece of 80s literature. Having read the book while playing through 2077 again, the two go together so well. The novel obviously had a direct influence on the game, as many of the concepts that originated in the novel are present in the game. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
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If Gibson isn’t the founding father of the genre, he’s gotta be one of the “godfathers” at worst right? Just an absolutely foundational contributor
I read that Cyberpunk 2077 was heavily influenced by Neuromancer so I bought his entire Sprawl trilogy to see if I can glean nuggets of lore that would influence plot points for Project Orion.
I recently finished Neuromancer and I’m about to start the next book in the series
I read this book earlier this year. Absolutely phenomenal, some of the descriptions really had my imagination gears going overtime.
Well OP gonna say it plainly after reading it.CDPR ripped it off.Despite what everyone tells you there are direct 1-1 paralels between the Neuromancer and the plot of Cyberpunk I assume since you read both you noticed them.And it isnt pure inspiration some things directly corellate(Mr B-Armitage,cure for V-cure for Case,Freeside heist-Crystal Palace heist)They just inverted the roles of Molly and Case in V and Songbird.In Neuromancer Molly is the Street Samurai and Case is the hacker but in 77 Song is the netrunner and V is the street samurai.Or they inverted the cure and the heist,in Neuromancer Case gets the cure and then robs Freeside but in 77 V does the heist first and then the cure.Or what happens to the main character of No Coincidence novel is the same thing that happens to Corto.
My favorite anecdote about Neuromancer is that William Gibson REALLY didn’t like Shadowrun using it as inspiration, going on a rant on how they just took Neuromancer and added elves to it. Someone asked him if he wanted to pursue legal action, and his response boiled down to “LOL nah, you have any idea how much shit I stole myself?”
Duh
ordered
There are also entire movies, unique stories and settings that were inspired by small parts of neuromancer, such as Johnny Mnemonic and Elysium.
I’m currently reading this and it’s absolutely fantastic. I picked up the trilogy as well as Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson.
Though I’ll admit William Gibson’s writing style can be a little rough until you get used to it. He has his own rhythm. For example I don’t think he does a great job at clarifying who is talking or doing certain actions and occasionally I’ll have to reread some parts to fully understand the scene. He has the wildest descriptions for his world that will leave your brain melting as you try to visualize it.
With that said it is still a great book and I can’t wait to read the rest. Bouncing back and forth between playing Cyberpunk 2077 and reading Neuromancer is a trip. The book even features its own Night City. Plus I can’t help hearing V’s voice whenever Case talks. So much of Cyberpunk feels directly inspired by Neuromancers story.
Interestingly, Mike Pondsmith did not get inspiration from Gibson’s novels prior to creating the TTRPG in 1988. Although a heavy influence is Walter Williams’ Hardwired novel from 1986.
For those who don’t know, Cyberpunk 2077 is based off of the 1986 Table Top RPG Cyberpunk 2013.
Cyberpunk 2077 is a tribute to Neuromancer. So much of the book is reflected in the story and I love it. I love the book and I love the Cyberpunk 2077 story.
The whole sprawl trilogy is worth reading.
It’s an incredible book. I might reread ahead of the show and finally dive into the sequels.
I actually just read it and the rest of the Sprawl trilogy. It was alright. Interesting setting, Gibson’s writing style is not my favorite.
Right now I’m reading Hardwired and I’d say that it is definitely what more heavily inspired Pondsmith. You’ve got the cyberware (including the San**t**evistan), the Balkanized US, the Panzerboys who are the obvious inspiration for the Nomads, and so much more.
Also Ubik