Sci-Fi's Forgotten Masterpiece

Ойын-сауық

Sci-Fi and Cyberpunk are large and expansive genres, but there is one overlooked piece of media, which is so good it is almost criminal it does not get the respect it deserves:
Count Zero
As part of the sprawl trilogy, it is a founding piece of Cyberpunk, influencing the style of the genre. The matrix, 2077, altered carbon and more all take inspiration from this trilogy. So lets explore Count-Zero.
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#cyberpunk #bladerunner #countzero

Пікірлер: 249

  • @armamentarmedarm1699
    @armamentarmedarm1699Ай бұрын

    There is an amazing sentence in that book. "And, for an instant, she stared directly into those soft blue eyes and knew, with an instinctive mammalian certainty, that the exceedingly rich were no longer even remotely human."

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I was honestly debating between ending the video with that quote, or the quote from the box maker. It's hard to choose ! I used the box maker quote because, at the very least, I get a bit of hope from it. The quote about the wealthy is darker for sure.

  • @MOZONEandGlambot

    @MOZONEandGlambot

    Ай бұрын

    I came back to make this comment and am so glad to see your comment! It is THE quote for our times.

  • @KissMyConverseFool

    @KissMyConverseFool

    Ай бұрын

    i think of this line each time I watch the news

  • @langdons2848

    @langdons2848

    Ай бұрын

    @@MOZONEandGlambot without doubt. Those people are so detached from the reality of everyone else on the planet that they are a literal danger to all life on the planet.

  • @KvikDeVries

    @KvikDeVries

    Ай бұрын

    Yep. Reminds me of the "Walkaway" by C. Doctorow. Although it's more like a Solarpunk novel :)

  • @MrTyp00n
    @MrTyp00nАй бұрын

    Neuromancer is the book where cyberpunk is born, Count Zero is the book where it comes of age and becomes a powerhouse. Monalisa is the book where that powerhouse rewrites all the code and changes the rules of scifi forever.

  • @Count_Smackula

    @Count_Smackula

    Ай бұрын

    This! 🤘🏻💀🤘🏻

  • @zeeochance

    @zeeochance

    14 күн бұрын

    You guys aren't even going to mention Dick at all?

  • @Geekraver

    @Geekraver

    2 күн бұрын

    Go lookup Rudy Rucker. 2 years before Neuromancer he won the PKD award for his cyberpunk novel Software. Also Akira and Blade Runner both preceded Neuromancer.

  • @CGillSP

    @CGillSP

    2 күн бұрын

    Do Androids Dream of Electric Sleep started it nearly 20 yrs earlier.

  • @zeeochance

    @zeeochance

    4 сағат бұрын

    How can you mention the birth of Cyberpunk and completely forget about Philip K. Dick?

  • @kevingriffin3628
    @kevingriffin3628Ай бұрын

    Fun fact prior to the trilogy William Gibson wrote several stories including Johnny Mnemonic which chronologically is the 1st story in the series.

  • @Leo-sd3jt

    @Leo-sd3jt

    Ай бұрын

    The Burning Chrome short story collection has a few stories set in the Sprawl universe. Johnny Mnemonic is one. Burning Chrome (the short story after which the collection is named) is another one. If I remember correctly, "Fragments of a Hologram Rose" (William Gibson's first short story) and "Dogfight" are others. There may be others but those are the ones I remember.

  • @Count_Smackula

    @Count_Smackula

    Ай бұрын

    Sally Shears & Molly Millions are the same person.

  • @danyael777

    @danyael777

    Ай бұрын

    @@Leo-sd3jt Yea, i own an old copy pretty worn out^^ Dogfight is ahead of it's time. Reading that as a teen was so mind boggling.

  • @isaganipalanca8803

    @isaganipalanca8803

    Ай бұрын

    I think the ABSOLUTELY first story is "Fragments of a Hologram Rose" in overlooked masterpiece collection of short stories, Burning Chrome, here "Johnny Mnemonic" is to be found...Neuromancer, Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, the "Sprawk Trilogy" absolutely changed my life in the early Nineties when I discovered them! They also inspire me to learn Japanese :).

  • @OgamiItto70

    @OgamiItto70

    28 күн бұрын

    Fun fact: Your grandmother _already knows how to suck eggs!_ (Hee-hee! I am _such an asshole!!)_

  • @MrCarloArellano
    @MrCarloArellanoАй бұрын

    the whole Pacifica area area of the Cyberpunk game and the VooDoo boys are pure Count Zero

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Yup, and they have one of my favourite choiices Netwatch vs Voodoo boys. Who do you trust ? One of the only corpos in the game who doesn't seem to be lying.

  • @numb3r5ev3n
    @numb3r5ev3n13 күн бұрын

    Count Zero is not only my favorite book by William Gibson, it may be my favorite book, period.

  • @luismakeup08
    @luismakeup08Ай бұрын

    I dont think this is forgotten, but yes is a masterpiece

  • @pythonxz

    @pythonxz

    Ай бұрын

    Far from it. I'm not sure how anyone could say that it's not talked about.

  • @smicrv

    @smicrv

    Ай бұрын

    @@pythonxz it comes from people that aren’t that into cyberpunk jajaja the whole trilogy is TALKED ABOUT but this is just a Pop take.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Haha glad we agree it was a masterpiece. I think anyone who is a large fan of the cyberpunk genre would know this book, but as other comments said, from a pop point of view this one is overshadowed quite badly by Neuromancer. I was considering including a metric from Google trends, which shows relevency over time and count-zero under performs compared to cyberpunk (Neuromancer) and sci fi counterparts (Three Body Problem) ! Thanks for the comment :)

  • @Sensenmann2001
    @Sensenmann200122 күн бұрын

    I remember reading the first issue if neuromancer. After reading it i knew that this is a groundbreaking genre defining masterpiece. I was so looking forward for the release of the other two books of the trilogy.

  • @markcarey67
    @markcarey6729 күн бұрын

    The preferencing of ideas and world building over characters in sci-fi is the reason why in the Netflix series of Three Body Problem they had to combine and re-write various characters in the story since in Liu Cixin's original there are only a very small number of characters who are really developed at all and even these are not contemporaneous (i.e Luo Ji appears in the second and third books but not the first, Yun Tianming only appears in the third). Most of the characters are introduced, hang around for a bit and then disappear never to be heard from again. This would make for very confusing watch for a TV audience.

  • @MOZONEandGlambot
    @MOZONEandGlambotАй бұрын

    Count Zero is absolutely a masterpiece. Nice to see someone saying it.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Nice to see some agreement !

  • @chrisbrace2204

    @chrisbrace2204

    Ай бұрын

    It is absolutely stunning, and it's always amazed me how it isn't more widely championed

  • @be1tube
    @be1tubeАй бұрын

    For many years, my handle was Wintermute.

  • @nornironlad8472
    @nornironlad8472Ай бұрын

    Hard Wired by Walter John Williams was also iconic when it was published. Whilst not as elegant as Gibson's writing a lot of people found it a more accessible route into cyberpunk back in the 80s. Nevertheless the opening lines of Neuromancer, and the world therein, have remained stuck in my head in a way only exceeded by Orwell's 1984 (which I would argue could almost be seen as proto cyberpunk).

  • @polish2x91

    @polish2x91

    29 күн бұрын

    That description of the sky is so powerful, and to think there are two generations now that can never comtextualize it

  • @AxeMan808

    @AxeMan808

    22 күн бұрын

    I always thought of Walter Jon Williams as more on the Action Movie side of Cyberpunk (see also: K.W. Jeter). More cinematic than Gibson's internal monologues. Or internal dialogues, as the case may be.

  • @alastairward2774

    @alastairward2774

    21 күн бұрын

    ​@@polish2x91 they believe the sky is completely blue, a lovely sunny day.

  • @mohammedhanif6780

    @mohammedhanif6780

    18 күн бұрын

    ​@AxeMan808 Dr Adder is cyberpunk's father

  • @AxeMan808
    @AxeMan80822 күн бұрын

    George Alec Effinger's "Budayeen" series, Steven Barnes' "Streetlethal/Gorgon Child/etc", Mike Resnick's "Santiago: A Myth Of The Far Future (kind of a Western Frontier Cyberpunk - also a touch of R.A. Lafferty's Space Chantey in there as well, being a series of tall tales with a darkly humorous bent - you'll get that when you get to "What did you cut him with!?!").

  • @megaluria9654
    @megaluria9654Ай бұрын

    Bruce Sterling and his Shaper/Mechanist universe geets you. The final compilation published as Schismatrix Plus is the book that represents the staple of the genre for me, just right to 2nd Gibson. If you haven''t read it yet, definitely check it out.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Added to my list :) Thank you

  • @Dogzero33
    @Dogzero33Ай бұрын

    Liking the content! Your intro and breakdown of what count zero is at the beginning, contrasted with the problems of modern sci fi was really solid. I haven't read Neuromancer/Count Zero but the dynamic of the characters and world building makes it seem like so much beyond imagination could happen. Plus that last quote makes me think of Ghost in the Shell plus with idea of Cyberpunk 2077 also sounds like it could've been an AI speaking.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you ! Yea my main focus will always be the writing of the video, I like to think I am getting better. Your intuition is correct about the last quote, I'd strong recommend both books and the conclusion Mona Lisa Overdrive. Yea, thanks for your time and giving my videos a shot :)

  • @stevenredpath9332
    @stevenredpath9332Ай бұрын

    Not even heard of Count Zero. I’ll have to track it down.

  • @Estes705
    @Estes70521 күн бұрын

    In the late-ish 1980's I came across and loved a "cyberpunk" quad-"rillogy" called 'Horn', but I don't remember the author's name. All four books were pretty good. The world in them greatly mirrored our own NOW and forecast a lot of what we have in technology. So basically the book was 40-50 years ahead of its time. Cyber-technology wasn't as prevalent in their world, but it was slowly (and subtly) being integrated into the world. 'Horn' was former cop with a cybernetic arm, because he lost his flesh arm on the job. He's a detective now, like Magnum P.I. He's secretly upgraded his low-tech arm for an illegal high-tech arm. One of the things I recall was there was a bounty hunter nicknamed 'The Boogey Man'. All people in the book (in civilized areas) were implanted with a computer chip in their hands at birth, not unlike the tracking chip up in pets, like dogs & cats. The government can track everyone all the time. Large drones with sniper rifles fly overhead in most cities, killing wanted criminals who have arrest warrants out on them. The Boogey Man hunts these criminals down before the drones can find them, and hacks off the criminal's hand (which has the implanted tracking chip) & he turns the hands into the police for a reward. Horn is hired to find a wanted person before the drones or the Boogey Man gets him first.

  • @LifeAtLandsEnd

    @LifeAtLandsEnd

    15 күн бұрын

    Author: Ben Sloane, Titles: 1 Horn: Hot Zone Mar-1990, 2 Blown Dead 3 Outland Strip 4 Ultimate Weapon

  • @jacotromp59581
    @jacotromp59581Ай бұрын

    Scavengers Reign. It's one of the most magnificent "cyberpunk" TV Shows I have ever seen. It's 12 episodes, so beautiful, the French artist Moebius would have lost his mind seeing it (in the best kind of way). The alien planet they created on it, and the "animals" is from the most gorgeous to the horrifically scary. It has scenes so calming and others beyond terrifying. It is on MAX, but they canceled season 2. Netflix bought it and will release it on 31 May 2024. If it's successful there, it will get a second season. PLEASE watch it. We need to tell studio's that this is what we as cyberpunk fans want and need. #scavengersreign

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Ok I will add it to the queue of recommendations :) Looks good !

  • @torq21

    @torq21

    25 күн бұрын

    It really is a remarkable show and I highly recommend it but I didn't think of it as cyberpunk in the slightest.

  • @AxeMan808

    @AxeMan808

    22 күн бұрын

    It's Fantastical Hard Sci-Fi. Not a touch of cyberpunk other than keeping secrets and....spoilers avoided.

  • @esotericmissionary
    @esotericmissionaryАй бұрын

    Cyberpunk 2077: Edgerunners slowly creeps out of the room and into the shadows, notes in hand....

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I will review it eventually ! Its certainly not overlooked though, and has amazing characterization. It was actually the series which sent me down the Cyberpunk rabbit hole !

  • @danyael777

    @danyael777

    Ай бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 Welcome to the shadows, chumski. Wherever you go, always shoot straight, conserve ammo and never ever cut a deal with a dragon. o7

  • @Concord003

    @Concord003

    Ай бұрын

    ​@@danyael777 Yes! That! And geek the mage first!

  • @vincenthernandez1646
    @vincenthernandez1646Ай бұрын

    Count Zero laid the foundation of Cyberpunk’s (the tabletop game and 2077) solo. Turner is a solo.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I never thought of it that way ! That's actually really cool, yea turner is the original solo

  • @JeremyLevi

    @JeremyLevi

    Ай бұрын

    Big time. Similarly John Shirley's Eclipse trilogy is clearly the genesis of the Rockerboy role.

  • @noisepuppet
    @noisepuppetАй бұрын

    I chanced across both Gibson's and Stephenson's first novels at a bookstore one day in September of 1984, a lucky day the likes of which I've never been able to hit again. I'd say that Gibson is an unsurpassed prose stylist when he really goes for it, and he has his own ways of using highly specific details in his scene-setting, and he makes new or unusual concepts the story's centerpiece to an unusual degree. As to his characterization, he plays very close to archetype, yielding up some iconic characters, and they really feel like people who have their own agency and make choices independently of what the plot may require. At the same time, I always felt that he does what a lot of sf writers do, which is tell you the character when he could let you observe it. I don't mean that as a huge complaint, since he's my favorite sf writer for decades, maybe of all time. Just a thing I've noticed.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I have often heard that Gibsons voice is very clear in his books. I agree, the prose and the style of writing he uses is very unique and I think excellent. Admitively, it can be confusing !

  • Ай бұрын

    How much do you think that a true to his later books? I am thinking of Pattern Recognition and Spook Country here that I have read, not his latest works.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I haven't read any of his later works, but from what I gathered while doing furhter research for this video it remains true.

  • @chrisrobinson196

    @chrisrobinson196

    16 күн бұрын

    I struggled with Pattern Recognition and gave up 44 pages in (I still remember that number 10+ years later), as I felt like I was reading a bad pastiche of Gibson's unique style in the Sprawl and Bridge trilogies. It was like how I'd write if I was pretending to have Gibson's earlier edge. Kind of burnt me out of trying Spook Country, though it still sits on a shelf with the rest of Gibson's stuff. In could just be me though, and in particular I'm aware that as I get older I have less patience for the "keep absolutely everything that's going on a mystery" plot style.

  • @user-nr1py1xe9o
    @user-nr1py1xe9oАй бұрын

    Not really forgotten.. Apple is making a series

  • @brendanmcnally9145
    @brendanmcnally9145Ай бұрын

    Good Job! Well Done! It's been too long since I've the trilogy, or any subsequent gibson, so I have nothing to add besides I like what you just did!

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you :)

  • @karmatraining
    @karmatraining16 күн бұрын

    I sure AF haven't forgotten reading it in the 90's

  • @themagikian4237
    @themagikian42378 күн бұрын

    Great presentation, thank you for that. I look forward to reading Count Zero in the summer.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    7 күн бұрын

    thanks :)

  • @johnLee-bb2do
    @johnLee-bb2do6 күн бұрын

    I have always thought that Count Zero was equal to Neroumancer, so thank you for giving it some airtime. Several times, I have suggested to other YTubers that I review Count Zero would be welcome, but it always seems to fall on deaf ears. The story is just as compelling but tighter. In Neuromancer, by necessity, he focused more on the world-building. For me, Neuromancer took three to four reads to get it, and Count Zero took about two😀. What makes Count Zero (and Neuromancer) especially interesting is the question of AI and its impact on society. I would love to see a review of The Algebraist by Banks.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    5 күн бұрын

    I will for sure check it out, I have a very long list at the moment but I'll add it to the queue :)

  • @johnLee-bb2do

    @johnLee-bb2do

    5 күн бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 Now that I am on a roll, for me, Gibson spoiled SiFi. Because he is such a superb prose stylist. And let's face it, not many SiFi writers are at his level. That is why I mentioned Banks. Keep it up--thanks.

  • @Riecheck
    @Riecheck2 күн бұрын

    Thanks for making this video. I LOVED Neuromancer and for some reason Audible recommended Mona Lisa Overdrive afterwards and I didn't realize it was out of order until I was almost done with it. I was pisssssed but decided to just skip out on Count Zero because of how I didn't really enjoy Mona Lisa Overdrive. I'll go back and read Count Zero now!

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    2 күн бұрын

    It's excellent and posibbly the best of the three !

  • @MrMacMan23
    @MrMacMan23Ай бұрын

    I like how you told me a story without having hit the plot details specifically. Makes me able to consider reading it now

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Thanks man ! I try to be vague so I dont give too much away :)

  • @YOUCANTDOTHATONTELEVISION
    @YOUCANTDOTHATONTELEVISION25 күн бұрын

    Yes! I love Count Zero and have been developing visual material for it for a few years. Trying to feel out the right vibe for some of its key scenes.

  • @dominozaur98
    @dominozaur986 күн бұрын

    From where do you take these are comic slides? They are so awesome and i want more of these

  • @DerekCFPegritz
    @DerekCFPegritzАй бұрын

    Count Zero turned me into a Goth. Well, actually, I kinda already WAS, but--being that I grew up in rural southwestern Pennsylvania--I didn't really have a name to put to it, until I read that novel and said: "Hey, those guys are a gang I would totally run with."

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Haha, i love a good origin story: 'So I read this book once...'

  • @OgamiItto70
    @OgamiItto7028 күн бұрын

    I've always liked _Count Zero_ the most and _Neuromancer_ the least of the "Sprawl Trilogy" and I've always been surprised at how little recognition for excellence it gets. But then I'm a guy who thinks that _Return of the Jedi_ is the best-directed Star Wars film to date, surpassing even _The Empire Strikes Back_ for filmmaking acumen. _Monalisa Overdrive_ is also a masterpiece that doesn't get the recognition it deserves.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    27 күн бұрын

    Mona Lisa overdrive is a really strong final entry to the trilogy for sure, just like Return of the Jedi ! Generally I think conclusions are hard to execute and critized harder than than the rest of the series. So yea !

  • @RogueBoyScout

    @RogueBoyScout

    26 күн бұрын

    I'm glad there is some love for ROTJ. I like Empire, don't get me wrong. But ROTJ just is a perfect movie in itself. If you think about it. Someone could pick it up as their first Star Wars film and watch it completely without knowing anything about the first 2. To me, that just shows great writing and direction. And it annoys me that it doesn't get that love. And the Ewoks are not that Bad. pepple act like they are the main protagonists at times. But I do find SW fans to be ironically very trend following sheeple types in their cynicism about everything SW. I love Solo. Sue me.

  • @alyxikakos
    @alyxikakosАй бұрын

    I have re-read the trilogy every 2 to 3 years and always find new excellence. Count Zero used to be my least favourite, but the last few read throughs have definitely brought me to the side of it being the stronger of the 3 books. Great video!

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you so much for watching the video ! Yea its my favorite of the three for sure.

  • @mdlahey3874
    @mdlahey3874Ай бұрын

    Absolutely agreed! I love the whole trilogy, but "Count Zero" really is "the jewel in the crown". 🤗

  • @snoo333
    @snoo33324 күн бұрын

    thank you, i did not know about these books. just watched my nephew play cyber punk.

  • @magvad6472
    @magvad6472Ай бұрын

    Im glad someone highlighted it, reading that trilogy Count Zero was a treat from beginning to end in a way that Neuromancer couldn't because of its closed POV and fever dream sexually driven world expansion and Mona Lisa was a bit too disconnected albeit both are still incredibly enjoyable. Count Zero, for me, was just so well written, clean, clear from the start and each plot added so much texture to the world. It's really a masterclass in world building through POVs while making each character compelling and each POV unique through their context. Count Zero is probably my favorite non-modern sci-fi novel, I need to reread it but I came out of every reading of it floored and excited and satisfied. I binged the heck out of it. Im still vibing more with this new wing of Sci-fi in the 'new-weird' movement going on with books like the Area X trilogy...but damn if the Sprawl Trilogy hasn't influenced me greatly.

  • @michaelcortez1531
    @michaelcortez153113 күн бұрын

    The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner

  • @docgca
    @docgcaАй бұрын

    The first chapter of Count Zero is perfect

  • @stevenperry9762
    @stevenperry9762Ай бұрын

    I remember my excitement when I first cracked Count Zero. I was not disappointed, not at the first read, but the many after.

  • @ConeFlower-gx2qk
    @ConeFlower-gx2qk24 күн бұрын

    I fell in love with Neuromancer as a recovering drug addict with a super complicated relationship with a drug addict Asian woman while living in Atlanta and remember chain smoking Chinese cigarettes the whole time I read it. I gotta tell you if you’re gonna read Neuromancer for the first time read it while doing all of those things with your life

  • @lpanebr
    @lpanebrАй бұрын

    I recently read the trilogy and completely agree.

  • @ejohnson1767
    @ejohnson1767Ай бұрын

    I have read Neuromancer but not Count Zero or Mona Lisa Overdrive. I will have to add it to my read list. Great video.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I hope you enjoy it, and thanks for the comment :)

  • @computer_toucher

    @computer_toucher

    Ай бұрын

    Both his trilogies are pretty good and recommended

  • @SteveNaranjo
    @SteveNaranjoАй бұрын

    I want to buy that trilogy, those specific books (with those specific covers), does anyone knows where can I get them? Or the ISBN?

  • @planetdisco4821
    @planetdisco482126 күн бұрын

    So I read Neuromancer when it was first published in 1986 and was blown away by it. About two months ago I dusted off my paperback copy of it (which it turns out is a first edition btw) and read it again. Once again I was blown way by it. I cannot believe how well it has stood the test of time. An absolute masterpiece that single-handedly started an entire new genre of science fiction. It’s still so contemporary it could’ve been released last week. There was nothing that even came close to it back when it was first released and IMO there’s only been a few other SF novels that have come close since then. Consider Phlebas by Iain M Banks being one of them.anyway mate thanks for the vid, will dust off Count Zero (probably also a 1st edition lol ) and v]give it another go. I remember being a little disappointed with it as a sequel back in the day but it truly had some big boots to fill…

  • @daruekeller
    @daruekellerАй бұрын

    yeah, Count Zero was my fav too 👍

  • @BrettDalton
    @BrettDaltonАй бұрын

    Count zero was my fav of the series

  • @tray8634
    @tray8634Ай бұрын

    Loved count zero❤

  • @metalnerd1979
    @metalnerd1979Ай бұрын

    please, after doing mona lisa overdrive, do gibsons bridge trilogy.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    It's on the queue :) I'll finish off the series soon !

  • @TheCrimsonLupus
    @TheCrimsonLupusАй бұрын

    **SPOILER** I remember this book years later: especially the scene of the AI "building" art stuck with me - and it is incredibly relevant now. Totally agree on the character and world-building issue - a lot of sci-fi was always just someone running with a cool idea (I love Asimov, but his characters were 2D), the really great sci-fi stories have cool ideas, but with real people in them.

  • @travismason2811
    @travismason2811Ай бұрын

    I read all three books but the only one I can remember is Mona Lisa Overdrive, it turns out. I had to look up the synopsis for the first two and remember the story but thought all of it happened in the last book.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I'd recommend giving them another try, this was my second read of the trilogy and it's honestly better than I remember. Maybe Im just more experience and matured... able to appreciate it more now.

  • @mcorvin9029
    @mcorvin90298 күн бұрын

    I sometimes wonder whether Gibson‘s incredible stories in Burning Chrome and the sprawl trilogy (and those of his contemporaries, eg Bruce Sterling) now seem so prophetic because they wove an imagined world & terminologies that we who read them have since hacked into reality…?

  • @thenerdgaming9129
    @thenerdgaming9129Ай бұрын

    Very nice content, I was just wondering where do you get the artwork from?

  • @kevingriffin3628

    @kevingriffin3628

    Ай бұрын

    I was wondering the same thing. I'd buy books with this kind of cover art.

  • @thenerdgaming9129

    @thenerdgaming9129

    Ай бұрын

    @@kevingriffin3628 Yeah, I was thinking how cool a cyberpunk comic series with this art style would be.

  • @sntxrrr
    @sntxrrrАй бұрын

    The bedrock of my reading history I really should return to the well once again. Given your output I do expect a video on GITS, the true heir to Blade Runner.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    One day, I'll review GITs for sure :) I might actually use that as the title 'True heir to Blade Runner' !

  • @mheiseus
    @mheiseus19 күн бұрын

    I don't get why they havent made these a movie trilogy yet

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    19 күн бұрын

    There is a TV series coming soon :)

  • @mheiseus

    @mheiseus

    19 күн бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 any details??

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    19 күн бұрын

    @@mheiseus It will specifically focus on Neuromancer and is being developed by Apple TV !

  • @mheiseus

    @mheiseus

    19 күн бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 awesome thanks

  • @mistertamura6190
    @mistertamura619016 күн бұрын

    Still disappointed that Chris Cunningham didn't commit to the Neuromancer project.

  • @stonewalldave595
    @stonewalldave595Ай бұрын

    Where does this art come from? Is there a graphic novel of these books? I tried to search for one but other than a very old graphic novel of Neuromancer couldn't find one.

  • @Muscles_McGee

    @Muscles_McGee

    27 күн бұрын

    I was thinking the exact same thing. It's got to be AI art. Really good ai art.

  • @TryExcept-ou5vy
    @TryExcept-ou5vyАй бұрын

    I recognize this guy !

  • @MesiterSode
    @MesiterSodeАй бұрын

    What songs did you use in this video?

  • @thekeywitness
    @thekeywitness21 күн бұрын

    where are these illustrations from? A graphic novel adaptation?

  • @HenryCasillas
    @HenryCasillasАй бұрын

    🌻

  • @jimbowardoable
    @jimbowardoableАй бұрын

    where's the art from? it's great.

  • @MomirsLabTech

    @MomirsLabTech

    Ай бұрын

    The artist goes by the name Deathburger. He has done prints of the cover arts in the past but theyre usually limited releases.

  • @djdedan
    @djdedanАй бұрын

    Wow I thought it was common knowledge that count zero is a masterwork. Crazy.

  • @marcgraneek1
    @marcgraneek1Ай бұрын

    Do Mona Lisa! Do Mona Lisa!

  • @seanjay9457

    @seanjay9457

    Ай бұрын

    Yea haha he might as well complete the trilogy at this stage

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I'll for sure get around to it. I think there will be two videos in between as I have not started writing about it yet ! I haven't read it in a while but I remember it being a strong conclusion

  • @daviderwin4705
    @daviderwin4705Ай бұрын

    I agree with you. Count Zero was the best book of the trilogy.

  • @sebastiandiaconu1221
    @sebastiandiaconu122115 күн бұрын

    where is all this art from?

  • @rogerc7960
    @rogerc796018 күн бұрын

    Dystopian

  • @mrl9418
    @mrl941828 күн бұрын

    First book I read by Gibson

  • @CyberChud2077
    @CyberChud2077Ай бұрын

    My impression of Count Zero was that it was a more dry, worse paced, and less visually descriptive version of Neuromancer. I'd recommend it to people who found they enjoyed the genuine article of 1st gen cyberpunk, and wanted more.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Respectable

  • @ericepperson8409
    @ericepperson8409Ай бұрын

    Nueromancer is lauded for launching cyberpunk. Great ideas and spots of brilliant writing. But it's end is a bit of a mess. Count Zero comes from a more confident and experienced writer. The story is tight, compelling, and has masterful characters.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    My thoughts exactly.

  • @chadbrewer1234
    @chadbrewer123417 күн бұрын

    You said Bobby takes a different path. Does he? I thought he goes on to be one of the best cowboys?

  • @danyael777
    @danyael777Ай бұрын

    On a sidenote (and a new comment^^) I highly recommend "The Repossession Mambo" by Eric Garcia.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Thank you for your comments ! I have added it to my list of recommended books I must read, its honestly getting too long now haha

  • @cruddddddddddddddd
    @crudddddddddddddddАй бұрын

    I did enjoy Count Zero, but I still think Neuromancer is the superior work. For one, it was the first of the trilogy, so it feels fresher. Probably my main comparison between the two where Neuromancer is the superior is this: The main players in Neuromancer all come together relatively early on, then they advance through the story as a team. In Count Zero and, I believe, Mona Lisa Overdrive (I admit I remember this one the least of the three), you are following these characters on their own, disparate journeys, so it feels more disconnected (even though it's not). I did really enjoy the Turner chapters - he's kind of a badass (dude gets blown up in the first chapter, ends up jacking-in to a jet later on, just some really cool stuff that was fun to visualize). Turner is like the ultimate G.I.Joe, if G.I.Joe existed in a cyberpunk world. As cool as Turner is, Molly fulfills his role in a more classically cyberpunk way in Neuromancer - she comes off not so much as an ex-military mercenary, but as some kind of cybernetically-enhanced, punkish rebel. Her character, and Case, are very successful prototypes for many-if-not-all cyberpunk characters to come after them (I know Johnny Mnemonic was actually the prototype of Case, but that story isn't quite as iconic as Neuromancer, despite being very awesome in its own right). Count Zero is still great, and I'm glad Gibson didn't try to clone the first book or bring Molly and Case back for a new adventure, but I still think it's hard to beat the original. In fact, I don't know if Gibson ever did beat it, solely based on how iconic and influential the first book is. How many Molly Millions have we seen since Neuromancer in cyberpunk-stories? How many Cases? The cyberpunk genre is brimming to full with Molly and Case clones, and for good reason. Like Conan for sword-and-sorcery, or like Gandalf for epic fantasy, Molly and Case are the two archetypes of the cyberpunk genre.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I agree that Neuromancer is far more influencial ! How can it not be, it practically founded the genre. However it is my feeling that Count-Zero is slightly better executed from a characterization point of view. I did a review of Neuromancer recently, and honestly, the more comments I read about it and the more input people give the more I learn more about it's impact. I mean, to me when I first got into cyberpunk, I thought it was a nifty book, but now that I have been deep in the genre for a while now I realize all roads lead back to Neuromancer in cyberpunk.

  • @Brootal666

    @Brootal666

    Ай бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 Just want to chime in here, I agree with this, I do think that Neuromancer is the superior story, however, overall, the characterisation was better in Count-Zero. I feel Molly as a character was stronger that Turner, but the other characters, including Case were a lot weaker, just along for the ride. Mona Lisa Overdrive just fell flat for me. Just found your channel, going to have to go through your backlog.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    @@Brootal666 Thanks so much, I hope you enjoy the other videos :) Funnily I thought Case and Molly were great but Riviera and Armitage were really just 'along for the ride'.

  • @morrigangreen2915
    @morrigangreen2915Ай бұрын

    I know Gibson is getting a lot of the credit for creating the cyberpunk genre, but have you read the novel city come walking by John Shirley??

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I have not, but after a quick look, I'll add it to my list. Too many book recommendations from viewers but I'll get through them all !

  • @phillipreay
    @phillipreayАй бұрын

    Schizmatrix

  • @feudist
    @feudist26 күн бұрын

    I don't think that you can really appreciate the Sprawl without reading all the short stories associated with it collected in Burning Chrome, and certainly skipping Count Zero and Mona Lisa amounts to an injustice to Neuromancer and Gibson's overall vision. There was a crazy B-minus sci-fi movie from 1992 called "Nemesis" that was a shoot'em up ripoff mish-mash of Neuromancer, Count Zero and "Bladerunner". It features Hollywood's characteristic incoherent depiction of sci-fi concepts, a low budget(spent mostly on explosions and blanks) and a seriously bad cast...yet somehow...there is entertainment value in seeing so many Gibsonian scenes and concepts smooshed unapologetically into a 95 minute straight to video movie.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    26 күн бұрын

    Ill try check it out !

  • @feudist

    @feudist

    26 күн бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 It's free on KZread,

  • @danyael777
    @danyael777Ай бұрын

    Agree. Not my type of books when they released. (too young, i'm from '77, 1977! I read J.Verne and Sherlock Holmes stories) But i started Shadowrun in the nineties and found Gibson and H. Ellison. CBRPNK!!!

  • @wlewisiii
    @wlewisiiiАй бұрын

    All three books are absolutely utterly necessary to understand the story but if you only read one of them, yes, the story of Count Zero stands alone best.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Agreed

  • @KevinSan88
    @KevinSan88Ай бұрын

    Count Zero had me hooked a lot faster than Neuromancer.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    The same actually, book had me hooked in the first chapter, weird opening for sure.

  • @achishukuteki941

    @achishukuteki941

    Ай бұрын

    To me, It's how the novel is set up by chapter with the story arcs, where, Neuromancer just drops you in the middle of this "world" and you have to feel your way around it. Not to mention, pacing. CZ is more of an "action film" vs NM being a slow-burning noir caper. I had the same notion, as you, when I first read them.

  • @KevinSan88

    @KevinSan88

    Ай бұрын

    @@achishukuteki941 IMHO Neuromancer's characters are kinda strange and/or zoned out, which does a great job of painting a picture of the future world. But they're not as relatable and fleshed out as Count Zero, which is what hooks you in. I agree with Neuromancer dropping you into this beautifully realised world, where you as the reader walk around Chiba waiting for something to happen.

  • @achishukuteki941

    @achishukuteki941

    Ай бұрын

    @@KevinSan88 Indeed, I totally agree and to expound on that. Mona Lisa is, to me, is a thoroughly polished novel. I view the trilogy as WG's writing progression. In CZ, he catches his stride. In MLO, WG is in the zone. I could be totally wrong. I've never read, seen, or heard (maybe i should, lol) about Gibson's writing process on this trilogy. I take it for what they are.

  • @KevinSan88

    @KevinSan88

    Ай бұрын

    @@achishukuteki941 I think that with Neuromancer, Gibson had to go to extra lengths to paint a picture of the cyberpunk world which didn't really exist before, not in a neatly packaged form anyway. Someone reading Count Zero and Mona Lisa will already have the picture painted in their mind, so Gibson can focus on other things and the later books are better for it. I have wondered though...if another author had already established the cyberpunk genre before Neuromancer, would NM have ended up being a better book, like CZ and MLO?

  • @LeeCarlson
    @LeeCarlsonАй бұрын

    We are all entitled to our own opinions. "Burning Chrome is one of Gibson's most overlooked works.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    For sure, many dont agree with me, but thats fine and encouraged as this video is purely a review/opinion.

  • @xaphaniariel2797
    @xaphaniariel2797Ай бұрын

    You got sources for that all that art?

  • @luismakeup08

    @luismakeup08

    Ай бұрын

    The thumbnail you say??? Is from deathburger

  • @edwardfletcher7790
    @edwardfletcher77903 күн бұрын

    Yeah, due to his cancers, Virek didn't look very human in the book....

  • @craig.a.glesner
    @craig.a.glesnerАй бұрын

    It’s funny how Fallout:New Vegas has House yet they were really just copying Count Zero. And yeah, it is hella awesome book. Lots of cool stuff.

  • @b.benjamineriksson6030
    @b.benjamineriksson603015 күн бұрын

    I don't agree that Count Zero is overlooked. We who are into the genre certainly haven't overlooked it.

  • @hanniffydinn6019
    @hanniffydinn6019Ай бұрын

    Neuromancer is getting a tv series ! So who knows if that’s a success we might get count zero as a tv series too! 🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯🤯😎😎😎😎😎👍👍👍👍👍

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I saw, I'm really excited for it !

  • @jonbly
    @jonbly3 күн бұрын

    Why did you forget about these books?

  • @danskkr
    @danskkrАй бұрын

    I take it you've not read Bruce Sterling then?

  • @user-in4wr8pi7z
    @user-in4wr8pi7zАй бұрын

    I almost took you up on your offer to disagree, thinking Neuromancer is far from overlooked, until you said Count Zero. I agree it is fairly overlooked. I haven't read it in well over a decade so I can't comment on it being a masterpiece but it's true that outside of hardcore sci-fi fans Gibson's work gets overshadowed by Neuromancer.

  • @christianlingurar7085
    @christianlingurar7085Ай бұрын

    wtf do you mean by "forgotten"?! by whom exactly?

  • @SteveLeCanard
    @SteveLeCanardАй бұрын

    Jumping onto the "where is this art from" bandwagon.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Hey, I get asked this question every video I use this on. I am a Machine Learning Engineer, I also teach people how to program and build AI on my other channel, linked in description ! Images are generated from commercially available and some custom built gen-ai tools. Ill add this to the description. I never generate images of real people, it's all comic book styled.

  • @Leo-sd3jt

    @Leo-sd3jt

    Ай бұрын

    Just a thought but it might be a good idea to make the images downloadable somewhere

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    @@Leo-sd3jt It's a good idea, I'll certainly do it at some stage. To be clear the cover art for the books clearly was not done by any model !

  • @SteveLeCanard

    @SteveLeCanard

    Ай бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 I just really want a Neuromancer trilogy graphic novel in that art style, tbh.

  • @cloyola8889
    @cloyola8889Ай бұрын

    : )

  • @pop9095
    @pop9095Ай бұрын

    Who in their right mind calls Cyberpunk 2077 light on character building?!!?! It's greatest strength is likely just that!

  • @Nevirate

    @Nevirate

    Ай бұрын

    It’s definitely not.

  • @Waferdicing
    @Waferdicing13 күн бұрын

    😗

  • @MykePagan
    @MykePaganАй бұрын

    The opening of this video is a statement of Sturgeon’s Law. 90% of SF has crappy characterization. 90% of all literature has crappy characterization.

  • @federicoest
    @federicoest11 күн бұрын

    Forgotten? its genre difining!!

  • @Ironication
    @IronicationАй бұрын

    Wait, Cyberpunk 2077 characters were underdeveloped? I don't know about you, but they are the most detailed characters I've seen a video game. Must be me, I guess.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    I should have been more clear. This mostly applies to the characters we encounter in side missions and also the fixers. The side missions in PL simply outshines the base game and we get a better feel for all the characters invovled. Mr Hands as well is head and shoulders above all other fixers, except maybe regina.

  • @Ironication

    @Ironication

    Ай бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 Yeah, I agree with that. Recently, I went to the Badlands to do Dakota's gigs and she we pretty frugal with available speech options. Goes to show the time it takes to flesh out characters in an open world RPG.

  • @johnLee-bb2do
    @johnLee-bb2do6 күн бұрын

    The voice on the narration on the presenter has changed? Three days ago, it was a young lady, now it was a young man. Both with British accents? Is the narration AI generated?

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    5 күн бұрын

    No, it's just me: Sean. I am not very good at mixing my audio, youll find in all my videos I have not found a way to make it consistent yet . Also the accent is Irish !

  • @johnLee-bb2do

    @johnLee-bb2do

    5 күн бұрын

    @@ifelse10110 Oh my goodness, so sorry:). Hey, at least I didn't say Australian:)

  • @torq21
    @torq2125 күн бұрын

    I'm going to have to read books 2 and 3 again. I didn't find them nearly as interesting or memorable as Neuromancer.

  • @willp2877
    @willp2877Ай бұрын

    Great video but dude TAG your SPOILERS

  • @computer_toucher
    @computer_toucherАй бұрын

    Hope you got permission from Josan Gonzales to use that thumbnail image, my dude

  • @raphlvlogs271
    @raphlvlogs271Ай бұрын

    can cyberpunk exist in a context without capitalism?

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Good question, it needs to exist in a world with a clear wealth and living standard difference between the most well off and the least. In effect a wealth gap. So systems (whether perfect or imperfect) which produce wealth gaps could prove be the overarching economic system in Cyberpunk. However it doesn't make sense to use another economic system other than Capitalism; its the overarching economic system of our society and the cyberpunk genre is a critique of our society. So capitalism makes sense.

  • @dlvnmedia

    @dlvnmedia

    Ай бұрын

    I could see maybe a story where capitalism has died and it’s the precipice from Cyberpunk to Post Cyberpunk but it would be a weird story I think. Maybe if done half in and half post maybe that could work but It would take a very strong writer to do it none the less

  • @fop8313

    @fop8313

    Ай бұрын

    i dont think it can. cyberpunk was born, in part, as a critique of neoliberal capitalism and most of its recognizable elements are parts of a capitalist system

  • @vargavision

    @vargavision

    Ай бұрын

    Brainstorm. Colossus: The Forbin Project. The End of The World. Neo Tokyo (Anime short stories). City of Lost Children (exquisite cinematography and production design).

  • @johnsutherland5845

    @johnsutherland5845

    Ай бұрын

    Cyberpunk is capitalism at it's most distopic, so, no.

  • @Nevirate
    @NevirateАй бұрын

    Cringeworthy romance scenes? That sounds a lot like Cyberpunk 2077 and it’s community.

  • @ifelse10110

    @ifelse10110

    Ай бұрын

    Fighting words !