41826027
GIBSON William, Idoru, Penguin fiction, 1996
The author of the ground-breaking science-fiction novels Neuromancer and Virtual Light returns with a fast-paced, high-density, cyber-punk thriller. As prophetic as it is exciting, Idoru takes us to 21st century Tokyo where both the promises of technology and the disasters of cyber-industrialism stand in stark contrast, where the haves and the have-nots find themselves walled apart, and where information and fame are the most valuable and dangerous currencies.
When Rez, the lead singer for the rock band Lo/Rez is rumored to be engaged to an "idoru" or "idol singer"--an artificial celebrity creation of information software agents--14-year-old Chia Pet McKenzie is sent by the band's fan club to Tokyo to uncover the facts. At the same time, Colin Laney, a data specialist for Slitscan television, uncovers and publicizes a network scandal. He flees to Tokyo to escape the network's wrath. As Chia struggles to find the truth, Colin struggles to preserve it, in a futuristic society so media-saturated that only computers hold the hope for imagination, hope and spirituality.
"It resonates with startling realism as it presents a future not unlike the present, part hell and part paradise." -- Booklist
"The best novel William Gibson has written about the world we're entering daily. Neuromancer made Gibson famous: Idoru cements that fame." -- Washington Post Book World
"Gibson remains, like Chandler, an intoxicating stylist…Clever and provocative scenery…vivid, slangy prose. Chia is one of his most winning creations." -- New York Times Book Review
