Idoru
by William Gibson · first published 1996
23% recommend75% neutral2% critical
Why HN recommends it
Near-future cyberpunk novel by Gibson, praised for prescient ideas about celebrity, networks and virtual culture, plus vivid, poetic prose; a good pick for fans of the Bridge trilogy and Gibson's style.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
From first page Berkley paperback September 1997: 21st century Tokyo, after the millennial quake. Is something different here, in the very nature of reality? Or is it that something violently new is about to happen... Colin Laney is here looking for work. He is an intuitive fisher for patterns of information, the "signature" an individual creates simply by going about the business of living. But Laney knows how to sift for the dangerous bits. Which makes him useful -- to certain people. Chia McKenzie is here on a rescue mission. She's fourteen. Her idol is the singer R
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Idoru is also the first thing I thought of when I read the headline. It was written 20 years ago. Gibson has a proven record of being eerily prescient.
on “Review: Japanese Hologram Pop Star Hatsune Miku Tours North America” ↗Idoru by William Gibson
on “'Sexual favours were the norm in music industry'” ↗…Time Machine (still holds up very well, and seems strangely eerie and prescient in places)... (H. G. Wells) - Dune (Frank Herbert) - The Hobbit (and LotR) (Tolkien) - Neuromancer (William Gibson) - Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties (I picked up Idoru first, so I haven't yet read Virtual Light) (also Gibson) - The Difference Engine (Gibson, Sterling) - Snow Crash (Neal Stephenson) - Cryptonomicon (" ")…
on “Ask YC: favorite books” ↗Yeah, I haven't read Spook Country but I did read Pattern Recognition...I don't like the direction Gibson's going in. Idoru and the Bridge series or whatever it was called was cool.
on “32 Sci-Fi novels that you should add to your reading list” ↗…ones) were unleashed on the world a hundred years early. Some interesting ideas are explored. As for other books, I actually enjoyed some of Gibsons newer stuff (The Bridge Trilogy: "Virtual Light", "Idoru" and "All Tomorrows Party"), though I've seen a lot of people say non of his other stuff was as good as Neuromancer.
on “Five Great Cyberpunk Novels Tron Should Inspire You to Read” ↗…and the Neal Stephenson and William Gibson Sprawl Trilogy recommendations. Gibson's The Peripheral, as well as Pattern Recognition, Zero History, and Spook Country all apply, as well. Same for his Idoru, Virtual Light, and All Tomorrow's Parties. Finally, Gibson and Sterling's The Difference Engine - the first and, so far, best steampunk novel - also qualifies, given the storyline.
on “Ask HN: Recommendations of good cybercrime novels?” ↗Can't pick one sorry. Entertaining classic; Gibson: Virtual Light, Idoru Thinking ahead; Marshall Brain: The Second Intelligent Species Smart reply became reality but luckily it did not turn into SkyNet; W. Hertling: Avogadro Corp. Startup advice; Fitzpatrick: The Mom Test…
on “Ask HN: Recommend one book I need to read this summer?” ↗I tend to alternate between Sci-Fi/Thriller and How-to-write. Donald Maass - The Emotional Craft of Fiction William Gibson - Idoru Dean Koontz - Strangers Dean Koontz - Watchers James Scott Bell - How to Write Best-Selling Fiction Yudhanjaya Wijeratne - The Salvage Crew (fn FANTASTIC!) Then a classic like: Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn…
on “Ask HN: What podcasts do you listen to?” ↗Interestingly, I'm actually a huge fan of Gibson's prose (reading Idoru rn, finished the Sprawl Trilogy and Burning Chrome last year), and even though I've been reading his stuff with the same neurological disorder I have now, I've never felt like I struggled to understand…
on “Cormac McCarthy's Sideline: Freelance copy editor” ↗William Gibson, Idoru. Heroine Chia Pet ends up (after some adventures, in cyberspace and meat) with place in the walled city. It's a good book.
on “Kowloon Walled City: Heterotopia in a Space of Disappearance (2013)” ↗Cool, I've been listening to the last 1.5hr or so of Idoru recently (sequel to Virtual Light). I really like Rez's bodyguard Blackwell. Gibson's description, in Idoru, of Slitscan's audience is one of my favorite pieces of Gibson's writing, which is always about…
on “Sigint in Fiction” ↗…philosophy is very different from your usual Sci-fi. La Nuit des Temps (or "The Ice People") and Ravage ("Ashes, Ashes") are great reads. For Gibson, I'd recommend the Bridge trilogy ("Virtual Light", "Idoru" and "All Tomorrow's Paties") over Necromancer. Gibson writes prose like poetry, it's the best English literature I've read. His writing has a literal taste, sweet yet with a nuanced and rich flavor.…
on “Science Fiction Books Everyone Should Read” ↗Wow! This reminds me of the book Idoru by Willam Gibson. Idoru on Wikipedia: "In the post Tokyo/San Francisco earthquake world of the early 21st century, Colin Laney is referred to agents of the aging mega-rock star Rez (of the musical group…
on “Japan's Latest Rock Star Is A 3D Hologram - Draws Huge Crowds” ↗William Gibson - Idoru http://www.amazon.com/Idoru-William-Gibson/dp/0425190455
on “Tupac image performs at Coachella [video]” ↗Hatsune Miku is quite fascinating. She/it also sort of puts William Gibson's "Idoru" in perspective -- the book came out in 1997: http://www.amazon.com/Idoru-William-Gibson/dp/0425158640 Relevant clip from wikipedia's summary: "In the post Tokyo/San Francisco earthquake world of the…
on “Utau – a Japanese singing synthesizer application” ↗