Like the infamous line in Neuromancer about the sky being like a dead TV channel (meaning gray and staticky) and the world quickly shooting by that with widespread cable use so that the association would be with a blank blue screen instead.
Okay, what's the book that referenced this explicitly by having the sky be like a dead TV channel, meaning it was a perfectly clear blue day? Was it another Gibson novel? This is going to drive me crazy now...
It's at the beginning of Neuromancer, Jess.
eta:
Oh, you're asking something else.
Cool thing: Difference Engine made out of Legos.
No,
Neuromancer
was the original -- dead TV = gray. Neil Gaiman repurposed the line (dead TV = blue) for the beginning of Neverwhere. (Thank you, Google!)
[eta - here's his blog entry about it (scroll down to the first email):
[link]
Here's the original book pitch for Spook Country.
Very different from the book that came out, but still has some spoilers.
Fascinating though.
I didn't like Snow Crash, but Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle were delightful.
I love both Stephenson and Gibson but they live in different sections of the Platonic Library that casts shadows into my brain. Or in different shadows, I should say.
:: slots Spook Country into "look forward to" space::
My copy of Spook Country is on it's way from amazon. Of course, I got TCG hooked on him, so I'll probably have to fight him for the copy when it comes in.
I like Gibson a lot more than Stephenson. I've never actually gotten through a Stephenson book, although I intend to eventually. Stephenson rambles too much for me, like he has to get out every tiny bit of information he knows about a subject whether or not it is relevant to the story. I prefer the density of Gibson's writing.
I just checked the book tour dates for Gibson.
He's in downtown San Francisco at Stacey's tomorrow at 12:30.
Then that night he's doing a reading in my neighborhood at 7pm, affiliated with Booksmith. (But in their bigger church venue they use for Big Name Writers).
He's in Seattle tonight. He'll be at Vroman's in SoCal on the 10th.
Chicago on the 13th, NYC the 14th.
That's wacky. He's reading at two of the four stores where I've had book readings.
I'd have thought he'd outgrown them, but maybe he's loyal to certain stores and bookers.
I got a copy of Spook Country at Canada Book Expo in June and just started reading it today so I'm glad to know it's an engaging read.
Embarrassing confession: I've never read any other Gibson. Shame!