Neuromancer

Neuromancer by William Gibson (1984) 288 pages

This originated the term Cyberpunk. It is a hard-boiled crime novel with a heist as the central plot device. It takes place in a futuristic world that would inspire the Blade Runner movies and The Matrix movies. Designer drugs, genetic manipulation, violence, and virtual reality are present everywhere. The main character Chase, while working to plant a computer virus as part of the heist, has to navigate three layers of virtual reality. The technobabble, made up terms for the future technology and the slang used in talking about it, is pretty dense. It was a struggle to find my bearings in the beginning. What is a noun and what is a verb in the sentence? From context, I'm pretty sure this is a noun. But is it a person, place, or thing? It is a bit shocking being dropped into this world, and each scene moves along very quickly. Eventually, I did become more accustomed to Gibson's use of language and went along for the fast-paced ride.
 

Micro

 Micro by Michael Crichton with Richard Preston (2011, 563 pages)

As I read more Michael Crichton, I realize some parts of the story are predictable. His characters are a little flat, and he clearly has a problem with greedy authority. But his science is incredible.

A group of graduate students are lured to a biotech company, Nanigen Microtechnologies, in Hawaii, with the idea of potentially hiring them out of grad school. It seems too good to be true. The students are shown incredible micro-computer technology they didn't even think possible.

Unfortunately, the horrors of the Hawaiian jungle are closer than they thought. Thankfully, they're biology students and can use their knowledge of flora and fauna to navigate. But knowledge can only get you so far when hostile ants are bigger than you, spider webs aren't easily shaken off, and hawks fly above.

It actually gets pretty scary at times -- the small things creeping around the Hawaiian jungle that pose no threat to us at our size, are terrifying and deadly at micro-human size.

Would have been four or five stars for great sci-fi, but lost stars for characters. If you liked Jurassic Park, you'll probably like the concepts in this book!

★★★☆☆