In case it’s not obvious, William Gibson is one of my favorite authors. Coming off the excellent “Blue Ant” trilogy, we had to wait only a few years for The Peripheral, published in 2014. That wouldn’t be the case for the followup, Agency, but that’s another review.
The Peripheral divides its story into two futuristic timelines, one in the 2030s and one in 2099. Our main protagonist is a headstrong and talented woman named Flynne Fisher. Living in the 2030 timeline in a run down small southern town, Flynne is just getting by working at the local 3D-printing store and playing video games for money on the side. She gets hooked up with some folks in the 2099 timeline, a post-apocalyptic London with lots of fancy tech but not many people. Hijinks and confusion ensue as people from the two timelines interact and sort of intermingle.
This is one of those Gibson novels filled to the brim with creative concepts and highly plausible future casting. And it’s a great premise with deep characters that draw you in. But the plot is…meandering? Not well thought out? Unsatisfying? All of the above? Still, a solid addition to Gibson’s oeuvre. And p.s., the 2022 television version fixed those plot problems with a (mostly) more interesting and tighter plot.
Try if you liked/If you liked try: Gibson’s last bunch of novels, recent Neal Stephenson stuff, Cory Doctorow’s Walkaway, Malka Older’s Infomocracy.
Where I shelved it: A1, eye level (for explanation of my weird rating and shelving system, see the library page)
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