Neuromancer

by Chuck Russell, William Gibson · 1984

Neuromancer is a seminal science fiction novel that defined the cyberpunk genre. The story follows Case, a former elite data-thief whose nervous system was crippled as punishment for crossing the wrong people, leaving him unable to access cyberspace. Recruited by a mysterious employer for a high-stakes heist, Case teams up with Molly, a mirror-eyed street-samurai, to target an immensely powerful artificial intelligence. Set in a near-future world dominated by corporations and ubiquitous computing, the novel explores themes of technological advancement, societal decay, and criminality. It is a foundational work that introduced concepts like cyberspace and jacking in, and it serves as the first entry in the Sprawl trilogy.