Week 11: Neuromancer

I think one of the most compelling things about the cyberpunk genre is how we are able to explore dense and detailed worlds through the development of the plot itself. Neuromancer is one of those stories that drops you right into the action, almost as if the story was being told in real-time by the protagonist, and we learn about the environment, its rules, its key players, while also experience the progress of the plot. This style of narrative is very different from what you could consider a more descriptive-based narrative such as The Lord of The Rings, for example. Personally, I appreciate the fast-paced style of Neuromancer because every aspect of the story and its worldbuilding feels purposeful and plays a role in the main plot.

The whole cyberpunk aesthetic is also a personal favorite of mine because it creates a fiction that is more realistically attainable, with elements that I believe could exist one day with the advancement of science and technology. But the main selling point is also how realistic and, dare I say, somber and grim the future is portrayed in these stories. Neuromancer shows us what the underworld of a future cyberpunk society would look like, with precarious hotels, cyber-augmented drug lords, and biological toxins used as punishment. The more adult themes of drug addiction, murder, torture, and sex, juxtaposed with this environment, manages to create a unique setting that has been copied time and again in other media. It is crazy to think that works such as Neuromancer can influence games like Cyberpunk 2077 with their rich yet dystopian settings.