I can't remember the last time I read the first few chapters of a book and never finished it. I don't think I ever have. But I've tried reading Neuromancer twice, the first time getting a third of the way into it, and simply couldn't get into it. The writing style is just incomprehensible. It feels like a jumbled mess…it's an interesting premise with great ideas, but it's just incomprehensible. Like it has plenty of lines of dialogue where it's not specified who said what, for example.
Maybe I'm just stupid but I've seen a TON of posts complaining about the same thing regarding Neuromancer. Was it just a common writing style in the '80s? Because I've read books from the 1940s-2020s and never noticed such a style. Maybe William Gibson's style just isn't for me. But I figured it wouldn't take me long to finish since it's only 271 pages, way shorter than the books I typically read, and I still can't finish it! I guess I'll stick to authors I'm used to.
I know it's not just me but how'd it become such a cult classic? Maybe we've just gotten that much dumber since the '80s 😂
by spaceraingame
3 Comments
I think it’s overrated. There’s good stuff there, but it is dense and hard to follow.
Gibson is just dense in his writing style. I’ve got to read a paragraph, take a breath, think about it, then go back to the page. Not like other authors that pace the concepts with breathing room.
>Maybe I’m just stupid but I’ve seen a TON of posts complaining about the same thing regarding Neuromancer. Was it just a common writing style in the ’80s?
If you’re *insisting* on a binary, I read it ages ago and don’t remember having any trouble understanding it.