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> but the possibilities of the net as a free space for people to flee into and become empowered there- isn't that a utopian enclave, a refuge? That theme isn't
by duskwuff 7y ago
> but the possibilities of the net as a free space for people to flee into and become empowered there- isn't that a utopian enclave, a refuge?
That theme isn't really present in the Neuromancer series. From the perspective of our viewpoint characters, the matrix is primarily a place that one goes to do a job, not a place to hang out; it's seen primarily as the domain of megacorps and mysterious AIs, not a human space.
- gpderetta 7y agoIt is present in the follow up Count Zero though. Also while Gibson focuses on characters at the fringe of society, the world itself is not significantly more distopian than our world (or the '80s), which is probably one of the author's points. I still wouldn't call it escapism though.
- duskwuff 7y ago> the world itself is not significantly more distopian than our world (or the '80s) I'm not sure I agree with that assessment! The backstory to the Sprawl universe is crushingly dystopian -- Soviet Russia has won a nuclear war, destroying a number of European cities (particularly in Germany) and irradiating much of the European continent. In the wake of that war, it appears that the US government has largely collapsed, leaving megacorporations (like Sense/Net), wealthy families (like the Tessier-Ashpools), and street gangs (like the Yakuza and Panther Moderns) as the primary sources of power. 2020 sure isn't great, but I'd still prefer it to the crapsack world that Gibson built.