Virtual Light: A biting techno-thriller from author of Neuromancer: 1 (Bridge, 1)

Virtual Light - a gripping techno-thriller from William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer

San Francisco, the nearish future:

Ex-cop Berry Rydell's lost one job he didn't much like and landed another he likes even less. Some sunglasses - actually high-end kit involving Virtual Reality and super-sensitive data - were stolen from a courier, and a man named Warbaby's been charged with retrieving them. Warbaby needs a driver and Rydell is the perfect fit. But when the courier is killed and Warbaby gets to work - giving Rydell a taste of what's expected and exactly what's at stake - he has second thoughts. Especially when he comes face to face with Chevette, stealer of sunglasses, who'll land an ex-cop in a heap of trouble . . .

'Audacious, witty and passionate. A wonderful read' Observer

'A stunner . . . a terrifically stylish burst of kick-butt imagination' Entertainment Weekly

'Studded with crackling insights into the relationship between technology, culture and morality, Virtual Lightdoesn't miss its stride for a nanosecond' Time Out

William Gibson's first novel Neuromancer sold more than six million copies worldwide. Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive completed his first trilogy. He has since written six further novels, moving gradually away from science fiction and futuristic work, instead writing about the strange contemporary world we inhabit. His most recent novels include Patter Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History, his non-fiction collection. Distrust That Particular Flavor, compiles assorted writings and journalism from across his career.

The author of Neuromancer takes you to the vividly realized near future of 2005. Welcome to NoCal and SoCal, the uneasy sister-states of what used to be California. Here the millennium has come and gone, leaving in its wake only stunned survivors. In Los Angeles, Berry Rydell is a former armed-response rentacop now working for a bounty hunter. Chevette Washington is a bicycle messenger turned pick-pocket who impulsively snatches a pair of innocent-looking sunglasses. But these are no ordinary shades. What you can see through these high-tech specs can make you rich--or get you killed. Now Berry and Chevette are on the run, zeroing in on the digitalized heart of DatAmerica, where pure information is the greatest high. And a mind can be a terrible thing to crash.