Idoru - William Gibson Book Review

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"Idoru "
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Review Summaries

"Colin Laney has an unusual sensitivity for node shifts in the world information flow. After losing his job at Slitscan, a celebrity-tracking news show, he goes to Japan to be hired by a mysterious team that turns out to represent mega rock star Rez of the band Lo/Rez. His handlers are concerned because Rez seems determined to marry Rei Toei, a totally electronic personification of a perfect woman. Chia, a 14-year-old member of the singer's Seattle fan club, also comes to Tokyo to check out the rumor, but becomes the unwitting "mule" of big crime interests when a strange woman slips an expensive piece of electronic contraband in her pack at the airport. Laney, Chia, and other characters regularly "port" into cyberspace to check on one another's movements, and Gibson includes a hilarious peek into a Japanese "love hotel" of the future. As always, the plotting is effective but characterizations a bit thin."
David Loftus, Resident William Gibson Scholar

"Rei Toei is the idoru - the beautiful, entirely virtual media star adored by all Japan. Rez of the band Lo/Rez has declared that he will marry her. True or not, the idoru is surrounded by powerful interests. "
Manuel Derra, Resident William Gibson Scholar

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Overall Review

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Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
Tech./$$$/Info hunt Yes
Stealing/recovering/destroying - nano technology - info about lifeform(s)/society/phenomena
Robots, Computers, VR Yes
Robot, PC, VR Plotlets: - virtual reality
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - private investigator
Age: - 20's-30's
Eccentric: Yes - obsessed
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Age: - 20's-30's
Profession/status: - killer
Eccentric: Yes - emotionally unstable
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a little/some
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - average physique

Setting
Earth setting: - near future (later in 21st century)
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd - rotating 1st
Accounts of torture and death? - moderately detailed references to deaths
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a lot of techical jargon - quite a lot of techical jargon
Sex in book? Yes
What kind of sex: - vague references only
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog

Most similar books by Gordonator ranking
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Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).

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