9 books for Black Mirror lovers photo: HBO

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Reading lists

9 books to read if you love Black Mirror

Now a major new TV series with Amazon Prime

The Peripheral

Superb . . . frantic with imagination and frantic with the appetite to see what happens next

What a glorious ride! Like the woman said: brain 'splode

William Gibson is credited with having coined the term "cyberspace" and having envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before either existed. His first novel Neuromancer sold more than six million copies worldwide, and Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive completed the trilogy. He has written six further novels about the strange contemporary world we inhabit. His most recent novels include Spook Country, Zero History and The Peripheral. His non-fiction collection, Distrust That Particular Flavour, compiles assorted writings and journalism from across his career.

Distrust that Particular Flavor

Distrust That Particular Flavor - an acclaimed nonfiction collection by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer 
 
'The future's already here: it's just not evenly distributed' 
 
William Gibson was writing fiction when he predicted the internet. And as his stories bled into reality so he became one of the first to report on the real-world consequences of cyberspace's growth and development. 
 
Now, with the dust settling on the first internet revolution, comes Gibson's first collection of non-fiction - essays from the technological and cultural frontiers of this new world. 
 
Covering a variety of subjects, they include: 
 
- Metrophagy - the Art and Science of Digesting Great Cities 
- An account of obsession in 'the world's attic' - eBay 
- Reasons why 'The Net is a Waste of Time' 
- Singapore as 'Disneyland with the Death Penalty' 
- A primer on Japan, our default setting for the future 
 
These and many other pieces, collected for the first time in Distrust that Particular Flavour, are studded with revealing autobiographical fragments and map the development of Gibson's acute perceptions about modern life. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks will love this book. 
 
 
'Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an astounding architect of cool. He's also responsible for much of the world we live in' Spectator 
 
'Part-detective story, part-cultural snapshot ... all bound by Gibson's pin-sharp prose' Arena

A terrific writer. Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an astounding architect of cool. He's also responsible for much of the world we live in

Though primarily known as a novelist, over thirty years William Gibson has also built up a reputation as one of our most entertaining and insightful critics of contemporary culture. He is widely credited with having described the internet and cyberspace before any such things existed. 
 
Distrust that Particular Flavor brings together for the first time his writings on a wide variety of contemporary subjects: the differing cultures of Japan and Singapore; music and the movies; what's wrong with the internet; the interactive relationship between writers and readers; and many others. Also included in the book is a fascinating autobiographical sketch: his upbringing in the South, the early death of his parents and his escape into books; and the move to Canada to avoid the draft.

Pattern Recognition

'Part-detective story, part-cultural snapshot . . . all bound by Gibson's pin-sharp prose' Arena 
 
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THE FIRST NOVEL IN THE BLUE ANT TRILIOGY - READ ZERO HISTORY AND SPOOK COUNTRY FOR MORE 
 
Cayce Pollard has a new job. She's been offered a special project: track down the makers of an addictive online film that's lighting up the internet. Hunting the source will take her to Tokyo and Moscow and put her in the sights of Japanese hackers and Russian Mafia. She's up against those who want to control the film, to own it - who figure breaking the law is just another business strategy. 
 
The kind of people who relish turning the hunter into the hunted . . . 
 
A gripping spy thriller by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer. Part prophesy, part satire, Pattern Recognition skewers the absurdity of modern life with the lightest and most engaging of touches. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks won't be able to put this book down. 
 
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'Fast, witty and cleverly politicized' Guardian 
 
'A big novel, full of bold ideas . . . races along like an expert thriller' GQ 
 
'Dangerously hip. Its dialogue and characterization will amaze you. A wonderfully detailed, reckless journey of espionage and lies' USA Today 
 
'A compelling, humane story with a sympathetic heroine searching for meaning and consolation in a post-everything world' Daily Telegraph 
 
'Electric, profound. Gibson's descriptions of Tokyo, Russia and London are surreally spot-on' Financial Times

One of the most influential and imaginative writers of the past twenty years turns his attention to London - with dazzling results. 
 
Cayce Pollard owes her living to her pathological sensitivity to logos. In London to consult for the world's coolest ad agency, she finds herself catapulted, via her addiction to a mysterious body of fragmentary film footage, uploaded to the Web by a shadowy auteur, into a global quest for this unknown 'garage Kubrick'. Cayce becomes involved with an eccentric hacker, a vengeful ad executive, a defrocked mathematician, a Tokyo Otaku-coven known as Eye of the Dragon and, eventually, the elusive 'Kubrick' himself. 
 
William Gibson's new novel is about the eternal mystery of London, the coolest sneakers in the world, and life in (the former) USSR.

Idoru

Idoru - a gripping techno-thriller by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer 
 
'Fast, witty and cleverly politicized' Guardian 
 
Tokyo, post-event: 
 
After an attack of scruples, Colin Laney's skipped out on his former employer Slitscan - avoiding the rash of media lawyers sent his way - and taken a job for the outfit managing Japanese rock duo, Lo/Rez. Rez has announced he's going to marry an 'idoru' by the name of Rei Toi - she exists only in virtual reality - and this creates complications that Laney, a net runner, is supposed to sort out. But when Chai, part of Lo/Rez's fan club, turns up unaware that she's carrying illegal nanoware for the Russian Kombinat, Laney's scruples nudge him towards trouble all over again. And this time lawyers'll be the least of his worries . . . 
 
William Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an outstanding architect of cool. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks will love this book. Idoru is the second novel in the Bridge trilogy - read Virtual Light and All Tomorrow's Parties for more. 
 
 
'Sharp, fast, bright . . . a must' Arena 
 
'A classic technothriller . . . lean, evocative, tense' Wired 
 
'Luxuriate in prose simultaneously as hard and laconic as Elmore Leonard's and as glacially poetic as JG. Ballard's . . . an exhilarating ride' New Statesman 
 
William Gibson's first novel Neuromancer has sold more than six million copies worldwide. In an earlier story he had invented the term 'cyberspace'; a concept he developed in the novel, creating an iconography for the Information Age long before the invention of the Internet. The book won three major literary prizes. He has since written nine further novels including Count Zero; Mona Lisa Overdrive; The Difference Engine; Virtual Light; Idoru; All Tomorrow's Parties; Pattern Recognition; Spook Country and most recently Zero History. He is also the author of Distrust That Particular Flavor, a collection of non-fiction writing.

William Gibson was brought up in the southern United States but has lived in Vancouver for many years. His novels include the hugely successful Neuromancer trilogy and most recently Zero History.

Set in futuristic Tokyo, rebuilt after an earthquake, this is the story of a rock star who decides to marry a non-existent,virtual reality girl; the bemused American security consultant who has been sent to take care of him; and a teenage fan. A witty futuristic thriller.

All Tomorrow's Parties

A GRIPPING TECHNO-THRILLER BY THE BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF NEUROMANCER, THE THIRD NOVEL IN THE BRIDGE TRILOGY 
 
'With more insight, wit and sheer style than any of his contemporaries Gibson continues to patrol the nebulous zones that separate science fiction, contemporary thrillers and genuine literature' Independent 
----- 
 
 The Bridge, San Francisco, after the quake: 
 
 Ex-cop Berry Rydell has been hired by Colin Laney - who is hooked deep into the network of things - to go to San Francisco and act in such a way that he comes to the attention of a certain unspecified individual. This, Laney promises Rydell, could prove life-threatening. And now Rydell's been sent a package. Something that belonged to Laney, something that others with guns, blades and very bad attitudes want. And suddenly Rydell's running, trying get to the old Bridge, the shantytown where a man can get lost, be forgotten and wait for the end of the world - which is the other thing that Laney promised . . . 
 
 William Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an outstanding architect of cool. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks will love this book. This is the third novel in the Bridge trilogy - read Virtual Light and Idoru for more. 
 
 ----- 
 
 'Scintillating . . . probably the most important novelist of the past two decades' Guardian 
 
 'Writing at flame intensity, Gibson conjures a world that seems just a breath away from the here and now' Salon

Rydell is on his way back to near-future San Francisco. A stint as a security man in an all-night Los Angeles convenience store has convinced him his career is going nowhere, but his friend Laney, phoning from Tokyo, says there's more interesting work for him in Northern California. And there is, although it will eventually involve his former girlfriend, a Taoist assassin, the secrets Laney has been hacking out of the depths of DatAmerica, the CEO of the PR firm that secretly runs the world and the apocalyptic technological transformation of, well, everything. William Gibson's new novel, set in the soon-to-be-fact world of VIRTUAL LIGHT and IDORU, completes a stunning, brilliantly imagined trilogy about the post-Net world.

Spook Country

'Among our most fascinating novelists ... unmissable' Daily Telegraph 
 
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THE SECOND NOVEL IN THE BLUE ANT TRILIOGY - READ PATTERN RECOGNITION AND ZERO HISTORY FOR MORE 
 
In New York, a young Cuban called Tito is passing iPods to a mysterious old man. Such activities do not go unnoticed, however, in these early days of the War on Terror, and Tito's movements are being tracked. Meanwhile, in LA, journalist Hollis Henry is on the trail of Bobby Chombo, who appears to know too much about military systems for his own good. With Bobby missing and the trail cold, Hollis digs deeper and is drawn into the final moves of a chilling game . . . 
 
A gripping spy thriller by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer. Part prophesy, part satire, Spook Country skewers the absurdity of modern life with the lightest and most engaging of touches. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks won't be able to put this book down. 
 
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'A cool, sophisticated thriller' Financial Times 
 
'Superb, brilliant. A compulsive and deeply intelligent literary thriller' New Statesman 
 
'A neat, up-to-the-minute spy thriller' Metro 
 
 
Neuromancer has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide since publication, Guardian, July 2014

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 Pattern Recognition, Spook Country and Zero History. His non-fiction collection, Distrust That Particular Flavor, compiles assorted writings and journalism from across his career. His most recent novel is The Peripheral.

Virtual Light

'Doesn't come any more stylish than this' Sunday Telegraph 
 
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THE FIRST BOOK IN THE BRIDGE SERIES - READ IDORU AND ALL TOMORROW'S PARTIES FOR MORE 
 
San Francisco in 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 infused with super-sensitive data - were stolen from a courier, and a man named Warbaby's been charged with retrieving them. And Warnaby needs Rydell's help. 
 
But, with SFPD Homicide involved, an abandoned bridge populated by freaks and misfits, and some weirdness involving the Republic of Desire and a 'Death Star', it's turning out to be a very strange and dangerous scene indeed . . . 
 
Can Rydell navigate this unsteady reality in time to save the city . . . and himself? 
 
William Gibson, author of the classic Neuromancer and creator of cyberpunk, here turns his hyper-acute imagination on the near future - to supercharged, nerve-shredding effect. 
 
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'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' Time Out

An American Ballard, using the tropes of science fiction to satirical and productively alienating effect

One of the first authentic and vital novels of the 21st century

A major novelist who seems to be hitting his peak

Zero History

'Gibson is having tremendous fun' Independent 
 
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THE THIRD NOVEL IN THE BLUE ANT TRILIOGY - READ PATTERN RECOGNITION AND SPOOK COUNTRY FOR MORE 
 
 Hubertus Bigend, the Machiavellian head of global ad-agency Blue Ant, wants to uncover the maker of an obscurely fashionable denim that is taking subculture by storm. Ex-musician Henry Hollis knows nothing about fashion, but Bigend decides she is the woman for the job anyway. 
 
 Soon, though, it becomes clear that Bigend's interest in underground labels might have sinister applications. Powerful parties, who'll do anything to get what they want, are showing their hand. And Hollis is about to find herself in the crossfire. 
 
A gripping spy thriller by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer. Part prophesy, part satire, Zero History skewers the absurdity of modern life with the lightest and most engaging of touches. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks won't be able to put this book down. 
 
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 'An ideas-swarm, coated with a hipster glaze' Herald 
 
 'Gibson's writing is thrillingly tight' New York Times Book Review

Among our most fascinating novelists

A compulsive and deeply intelligent literary thriller

Former hit singer Hollis is down on her luck after the Crash and can't turn down the offer of a job again from mysterious global ad agency, Blue Ant. Stanley Milgrim, ex-addict freshly out of an expensive rehab paid for by Blue Ant-founder Hubertus Bigend, is also on the payroll. Bigend wants them to do some discreet research on an a secret, obscurely fashionable denim. It may not matter that they know nothing about fashion - but it does matter, at least to them, when bullets start to fly and they realize that Bigend's business obsession is leading them down a dangerous path. 
Set among London's dark and tangled streets, Zero History is a brilliant thriller about the webs and networks of the new century.

William Gibson

A sensual, remarkably visual ride, vigorous with displays of conceptual imagination and humour

One of the most influential writers around . . . with Gibson's trademark panache, the story rattles along with great pace and suspense

One of our greatest science-fiction writers

Among our most fascinating novelists

His eye for the eerie in the everyday still lends events an otherworldly sheen

One of the most visionary, original, and quietly influential writers currently working

Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an astounding architect of cool

Engaging, thought-provoking and delightful... [Gibson] can always be counted on to show us our contemporary milieu rendered magical by his unique insights, and a future rendered inhabitable by his wild yet disciplined imagination

Gibson blurs the line between real and speculative technology in a fast-paced thriller that will affirm to readers that it was well worth the wait

Typically visionary, yet plausible and thrilling too

If you're one of those who sees Gibson as a visionary, it's time to be scared - the scenarios he's playing with here don't make for comfort reading

William Gibson

Praise for Agency

A sensual, remarkably visual ride, vigorous with displays of conceptual imagination and humour

One of the most influential writers around . . . with Gibson's trademark panache, the story rattles along with great pace and suspense

One of our greatest science-fiction writers

A sensual, remarkably visual ride, vigorous with displays of conceptual imagination and humour

One of the most influential writers around . . . with Gibson's trademark panache, the story rattles along with great pace and suspense

One of our greatest science-fiction writers

A sensual, remarkably visual ride, vigorous with displays of conceptual imagination and humour

One of the most influential writers around . . . with Gibson's trademark panache, the story rattles along with great pace and suspense

One of our greatest science-fiction writers

Books by William Gibson

Series by William Gibson

Blue Ant3 Books

Bridge3 Books

Articles featuring William Gibson

9 books to read if you love Black Mirror

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