All Tomorrow's Parties (urspr publ 1999; utgåvan 2003)

I think that William Gibson is a marvellous writer, and one who has never really received the mainstream credit that his books deserve. This concluding volume of his "Bridge" trilogy may just fall short of the high standards set by its predecessors ("Virtual Light" and "Idoru") but it still manages to be a very enjoyable book, showcasing many of Gibson's recurring themes: dystopian collapse in the not too distant future, social fragmentation and the proliferation of ghastly reality television programmes.

The story picks up shortly after the end of "Idoru" with Laney battling against illness to analyse the vast flow of information across the internet, searching for evidence of "nodal" seismic shift. As a child Laney had been brought up in care homes and had, without his knowledge at the time, been dosed with an experimental psychotic drug which has left him with almost clairvoyant powers to discern, and even predict, world-changing trends. He becomes increasing convinced that Harwood, a billionaire PR maestro, is about to provoke a major seismic shift in the world of information flow, with potentially catastrophic consequences for everyone else.

The action is focused on the Golden Gate Bridge which, following earthquakes a few years before has become a vertical shanty town, with makeshift dwellings and a bohemian community all of its own. Into this seething locale come Berry Rydell (formerly a cop but now a private security guard for hire, and Chevette Washington, erstwhile courier but now adrift, hiding from a violent ex-partner,, unaware that things are about to kick off in the most chaotic manner. Meanwhile an awesomely efficient hit-man is operating on the Bridge, dispatching anyone who might get in Harwood's way.

Gibson weaves the various threads together very deftly, and the climax is unexpected but very satisfying. ( )

Standard sort of Gibson fare - multiple storylines converging, future predictions, and obscure outcomes. The start of the novel is a bit slow and rather little seems to be at stake, but eventually it all gets going and comes together nicely. The great nodal tipping point wasn't all that interesting (I thought) and this isn't Gibon's best and most inspirational novel, but it's still decent all round. ( )

Final de la Trilogia del Pont, i com en el cas de "Mona Lisa Overdrive" enllaça els personatges dels dos llibres anteriors. L'escenari retorna al Pont de San Francisco, i destaca l'anàlisi de patrons en grans quantitats de dades fet per un dels personatges per tal de predir evolucions i canvis importants en la Història. Un llibre impressionant. ( )

The final part of Gibson's 'Bridge' trilogy, this book is less telegraphic than 'Idoru', but it brings all the threads of the previous novels together. It explodes into cyberpunkish ultra-violence from time to time, and oddly it reads less like a contemporary novel than the previous two books in the trilogy, probably because it relies ultimately on the Lucky Dragon convenience store chain. The ending seems like an anti-climax; most of the main characters turn out good in the end and have happy endings, whilst the looming nodal point in human affairs passes by almost without notice. Only in retrospect do you realise what that nodal point was and what its implications are - which is the way things really are in the real world, so full marks there.

My personal copy was autographed by the author the day before official publication. ( )