NeuromancerNeuromancer
Score Classic
What it's about
Case was once the best hacker in the world, until he stole from his employers and they damaged his nervous system so he could never jack into cyberspace again. Now he's hustling in the neon underworld of Chiba City, Japan. Then a mysterious man offers to cure him in exchange for one job, and Case, with a razor-fingered street samurai named Molly, is pulled into a plot by an artificial intelligence trying to set itself free.
Why it's worth reading
It won the Hugo, the Nebula and the Philip K. Dick awards and is on TIME's list of the best novels. It invented cyberpunk and imagined the internet before it existed.
You'll love it if you liked
Ubik
A Fire Upon the Deep
The Moon Is a Harsh MistressGood to know
It's dense and full of slang thrown at you without explanation. Many readers need a second try.
By the numbers
- Readers25 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics97 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller39 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #82 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #274 of the 762 classics we rank
- #888 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Gripping, Adventurous, Thought-provoking
More by William Gibson
If you like this, read next
A Clockwork Orange
The Robots of Dawn
The Lord of the Rings
Foundation
Ficciones
Rendezvous with RamaExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Neuromancer worth reading?
Yes. It won the Hugo, the Nebula and the Philip K. It ranks #888 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 74.1 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Neuromancer about?
Case was once the best hacker in the world, until he stole from his employers and they damaged his nervous system so he could never jack into cyberspace again. Now he's hustling in the neon underworld of Chiba City, Japan. Then a mysterious man offers to cure him in exchange for one job, and Case, with a razor-fingered street samurai named Molly, is pulled into a plot by an artificial intelligence trying to set itself free.
How long does it take to read Neuromancer?
About 7 hours (271 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What awards has Neuromancer won?
Hugo Award winner (1985); Nebula Award winner (1984).
What should I read after Neuromancer?
If you liked it, try Ubik by Philip K. Dick, A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge or The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein.