Virtual Light – William Gibson

There was a special, came through in an e-mail notice of sorts, and I think it was 99 cents. Yes, I am an avid reader of most of that author’s work. Interested more so in his early work, but the styles — and apparent subject matter — has grown and developed. Intriguing, and for me, fun to watch.

Without so much as a “Hello and Thank You,” though, as soon as I clicked to download the book, I started digging in my own digital archives to find what I wrote about the book, back then. I had no luck.

The book I own — on my bookshelf — is hardback, first edition. Eventually, I opened it, dusty, yellowed, and while the dust jacket is in good condition, it won’t qualify as “excellent” due to age. A decade or more in a trailer park in South Austin?

“September, 1993.”

(What that looked like.)

No wonder I couldn’t find an online reference to the book, not one of my own.

The online purchase was not sporadic, it was an intentional choice. Good book, right author, correct time, as I have a long trip coming up with plenty of reading time factored in. Never hurts to have some good stuff to review.

Economics? If this is a traditional publishing model, I know that a 99-cent sale gets roughly 60 cents profit to the publisher, and from here, the author’s cut, again, assuming a traditional model is 10% — $0.06, off that sale. As “big name” author, perhaps he is at 15% or higher. Still not a lot.

I am, personally, totally enamored of the Apple iBook format. As an occasionally avid reader, the experience is superior to any other e-reader I’ve encountered. Besides, it’s easily worth a dollar — with sales tax included — to have a digital copy I can read and review a second time, with no fear of damaging my precious “First Edition.”

Book shelf, a “shelfie,” seen here.

I always forget, there’s a copy of Koran, a Penguin copy, old translation, and one of my neighbors, ex-Army, got a little worried about me. Yeah, it’s just a book, not my holy text. And this really a separate topic. Worried my ex-Army neighbor, and all I was doing, when I bought that copy of a holy text, years — decades — back? I just wanted to read the material for myself.

Worries me, a little, but reading that translation worries me more. It’s not friendly or loving — parts I read. Scary, in the exact way the current regime would have us believe. Still, I do have a copy, but I’m not reading it much these days. Scares me, a little. Of course, that is just one translation.

Virtual Light

“He’d overheard one of them explaining to the foreman that what they were doing was exposing the integrity of the material’s passage through time. He thought that was probably bullshit, but he sort of liked the sound of it anyway; like what happened to old people on television.” Page 18.

What happens to old people on television. In part, though think about it as a novel of place, Left Coast, especially San Francisco. Think this was the first of the bridge series?

“By day, seen from a distance, it reminded him of the ruin of England’s Brighton Pier, as though viewed through some cracked kaleidoscope of vernacular style.” Page 112.

The Bridge, not without obvious historical precedent — London Bridge. Logical extension.

Then, too, the book was first published in 1993 — before — or at the dawn of — the ubiquity of the Internet.

Historical note:

My horoscopes were in regular electrical distribution that year. The old address was kramerw@aol.com …

Think Virtual Light was the first of the author’s “Bridge” trilogy? note to self, find reference for that.

“Four-wheel drive. Ceramic armor. Goodyear Streetsweepers you’d need a serious gun to puncture. There was a cardboard air-freshener, shaped like a pine-tree, hanging in front of the heater-vent.” Page 126.

There is an eye for detail… even the littlest details paint such an evocative picture.

Then, a character's name, in passing, Arkady. Same name from previous literature, a recent reread, similar in style and stance, Hardwired.

The titular metaphor refers to glasses that function — like — having a constant wiki open and running, which isn’t so far fetched, not these days. Think “Google Glass,” remember that?

The posited computing power is far beyond anything we’ve got, but the idea is not so far-fetched.

Virtual Light

Delicious, as a text, because it posits a near-future world that is not so unrealistic. Did not get everything correct, but the sentiment holds true.

Then, too, there is the tasty use of language itself, somewhat stylized, but quite good, fluid and dynamic.

Virtual Light

Virtual Light – William Gibson