[.ca] Mona Lisa Overdrive (ISBN 0553281747)

From Amazon.com:
Into the cyber-hip world of William Gibson comes Mona, a young girl with a murky past and an uncertain future whose life is on a collision course with internationally famous Sense/Net star Angie Mitchell. Since childhood, Angie has been able to tap into cyberspace without a computer. Now, from inside cyberspace, a kidnapping plot is masterminded by a phantom entity who has plans for Mona, Angie, and all humanity, plans that cannot be controlled...or even known. And behind the intrigue lurks the shadowy Yakuza, the powerful Japanese underworld, whose leaders ruthlessly manipulate people and events to suit their own purposes. An over-the-top thrill ride sequel to Neuromancer and Count Zero.

SF NOIR...POETIC DREAMSCAPES OF A DISTOPIC FUTURE...(Part 3):
I have read this masterpiece (together with the other two of the Sprawl series: NEUROMANCER and COUNT ZERO) during my university years, about a decade ago. Since then I have re-read it countless times. Many a times the third book of a trilogy is published only to fulfill contractual obligations: this is definitely NOT the case here. Every one of those three is a standalone masterpiece. Sure, the Sprawl trilogy defined cyberspace, wireheads, zaibatsu-controlled society and futuristic discontent. But this is not the reason why one enjoys these novels so much. It is the beautiful poetic language. The syncopated phrases. The direct effect of verbalized brand names. The noir feeling, rare at the time in a SF novel. Wlliam Gibson had already reaped the fame and fortune from his first two novels. In this one you will find his images more bold, his phrases more relaxed and his writing more tight. Absolutely Beautiful! Even reading only some pages brings up powerful imagery, unforgettable prose... Start with NEUROMANCER. Then COUNT ZERO. And finally this one. A Masterpiece Trilogy!!! Own them all!!!

Gibson is the Godfather of Cyberpunk!:
And no one can really do it better, but there are other non-Gibson cyberpunk books out there at least worth mentioning such as "Snow Crash", "Cryptonomicon", "Prey", "Metaplanetary", "Cyber Hunter" and so forth. But William Gibson still holds the First Place mention in this category which he invented with his first books such as "Neuromancer".

demanding but brilliant:
Mona Lisa Overdrive makes a brilliant job to finish Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, but isn't the easiest accessible scifi around. It starts with the stories of four different characters, taking turns with a few pages at a time, slowly casting more light to their stories and gradually building a larger story, or equally, an environment familiar from previous Gibson books Neuromancer and Count Zero. My feeling during the first half of the book changed from the exhausting start to being overjoyed with a few surprises, then enthralled. Do not put this book down due to the heavy start, you'll regret it. It's best read with proper concentration and no breaks. And if you haven't read Neuromancer and Count Zero, read them first - missing them would be like reading/seeing LotR - Return of the King first. Gibson's style is rather unique and has little room for compromises, concentrating on the environment and the characters more than building any grand plot, yet the simple plot of the book has an intensity that builds from just that - the reader relates to the story all the more, and eventwise less becomes more. If you had hard time putting Neuromancer down, this will for you be Neuromancer squared. The end is not as climactic in the traditional sense but never fear, there's plenty answers plus bang and boom for your buck.

An excellent sci-fi tech novel...:
One that definitely demonstrates why Gibson is considered the Father of Cyberpunk and is so well-written and exciting that it rivals the more traditional sci-fi and space operas that most of us love, like: "Stranger in a Strange Land", "Childhood's End", "Rendezvous with Rama", "2001", "I,Robot", "Foundation", "Ringworld", "Advent of the Corps", and many more.

demanding but excellent:
Mona Lisa Overdrive makes a brilliant job to finish Gibson's Sprawl trilogy, but isn't the easiest accessible scifi around. It starts with the stories of four different characters, taking turns with a few pages at a time, slowly casting more light to their stories and gradually building a larger story, or equally, an environment familiar from previous Gibson books Neuromancer and Count Zero. My feeling during the first half of the book changed from the exhaustive start to being overjoyed with a few surprises, then enthralled. Do not put this book down due to the heavy start, you'll regret it. It's best read with proper concentration and no breaks. And if you haven't read Neuromancer and Count Zero, read them first - missing them would be like reading/seeing LotR - Return of the King first. Gibson's style is rather unique and has little room for compromises, concentrating on the environment and the characters more than building any grand plot, yet the simple plot of the book has an intensity that builds from just that - the reader relates to the story all the more, and eventwise less becomes more. If you had hard time putting Neuromancer down, this will for you be Neuromancer squared. The end is not as climactic in the traditional sense but never fear, there's plenty answers plus bang and boom for your buck.