Burning Chrome

William Gibson
Burning Chrome Cover

Burning Chrome (collection)

DrEvilO
2/4/2017
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Is Gibson's cinematic, dense, noir infused Sci/Fi best in small doses? Since this is his only collection, we have to guess. But if you want a quick welcome to his world, here it is. Vat grown assassins, criminal underground trafficking in information, razor girls, heroin addicted militarized dolphins; and that's just the first story. There is also hints of a Gibson that could have been, with the perfect Waldrop meets Borges of "The Gernsback Continuum" and "The Belonging Kind" co-written with John Shirley, a stark parable of addiction, social satire, and a surreal horror story worthy of Kobo Abe and Thomas Ligotti. Some stories are incomprehensible and others have dated elements(tapes and Soviets in space). But the sprawl stories, the ones I've mentioned, and the nasty "Dogfight" make it a good collection.