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A review by grogu_djarin
Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Overall Thoughts:
This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy but in my opinion the weakest of the books. It builds heavily off of both Neuromancer and Count Zero (where I felt Count Zero could almost be read without needing to read Neuromancer). It also has a multi-perspective storyline like Count Zero, but where Count Zero pulled this off well, I felt most of the storylines were substantially weaker. This may be due to having four perspectives rather than three since many of the characters felt under-developed to me. I only really enjoyed Kumiko's. Slick was too one-dimensional and Mona, who has the most story time, is high for much of it and an unreliable narrator. Angie I found more interesting in Count Zero because she felt like a very different character in this book as a celebrity simstim star.
It's interesting for me to compare this book to the two earlier books in the trilogy. Both Neuromancer and Count Zero I felt were largely great until a weaker ending, while Mona Lisa Overdrive did the opposite and was largely weak until a great ending, concluding not just the book but the series. It was also nice that the book brought back some characters from the earlier books (where Count Zero largely didn't) and I liked how the book used them in the plot.
This was a satisfying conclusion to the trilogy but in my opinion the weakest of the books. It builds heavily off of both Neuromancer and Count Zero (where I felt Count Zero could almost be read without needing to read Neuromancer). It also has a multi-perspective storyline like Count Zero, but where Count Zero pulled this off well, I felt most of the storylines were substantially weaker. This may be due to having four perspectives rather than three since many of the characters felt under-developed to me. I only really enjoyed Kumiko's. Slick was too one-dimensional and Mona, who has the most story time, is high for much of it and an unreliable narrator. Angie I found more interesting in Count Zero because she felt like a very different character in this book as a celebrity simstim star.
It's interesting for me to compare this book to the two earlier books in the trilogy. Both Neuromancer and Count Zero I felt were largely great until a weaker ending, while Mona Lisa Overdrive did the opposite and was largely weak until a great ending, concluding not just the book but the series. It was also nice that the book brought back some characters from the earlier books (where Count Zero largely didn't) and I liked how the book used them in the plot.
Likes:
- It had the best ending of the trilogy in my opinion and wrapped up not only this book but the other two as well.
- I enjoyed Kumiko's storyline the best and seeing Gibson's world through the eyes of a child was a fresh perspective, but it's also the one that was most disconnected from the plot.
- After reading two books in the series (three if you add in Burning Chrome), it's much easier to understand the world and follow along.
- There were some returning characters from earlier books (beyond just Angie who has a main perspective) and it was nice getting additional characterization of them.
Dislikes:
- I'm not sure if it's due to having a fourth perspective compared to Count Zero's three, but the characters felt substantially less developed.
- Not a lot happens until the later sections of the book. Where I disliked Bobby's parts in Count Zero for mostly sitting around, it feels this way for many of the characters in this book until all the pieces of the plot are set in place for the ending. Mona was the only character where a lot of things happened but again, it's hard to trust what is exactly happening in her perspectives.
Other Notes:
- Due to Mona being high for much of her storyline, her sections often have an unreliable narrator. I'm not sure whether I liked this or disliked. In some parts I think it helps add to the mystery, but in others it was hard to tell what was genuinely happening.
Would Recommend To:
- Anyone who enjoyed Neuromancer and Count Zero. If you liked these books you'll probably like this one as well.
Do Not Recommend To:
- Anyone who hasn't read Neuromancer or Count Zero since the story builds heavily on both.