Review: The Peripheral
It took me a while to figure out seemed out of place in William Gibson’s latest, The Peripheral. The cool stark prose was there. There’s a near future seeing, though he does do a few more hard SF tricks than most of his recent work. World spanning settings – from rural towns to high end art enclaves. There’s nothing missing.
It took me a while to figure out that there’s something new here. There’s some actual optimism. Not the usual optimism one finds in a Gibson book that’s born of a few of his gentlemen losers eking a minor concession from a relentless world. There are folks in here who are genuinely good in an almost Carl Hiaasen way whose good deeds are rewarded.
It surprised me quite a bit when I saw it.
The book as a whole is thought provoking and chock full of characters who humanize the big ideas at play. Gibson’s always been a writer of character and atmosphere to me, and Peripheral is no exception. Everything is crisp and interesting and in the service of ideas and theme.
Good fun.
Recommended.