The Peripheral: A Side Note or the Next Big Thing

Science fiction author William Gibson has long since established himself as one of the greatest living voices in his genre, having received numerous awards and accolades for several of his novels. His newest novel, The Peripheral, though has yet to be determined as either his next great success or proof his waning vision.

   For a science fiction writer, their lasting merit is often determined by what they get right about the future. In his most famous novel Neuromancer, Gibson has been hailed for the startlingly accurate portrait of the future he painted back in the 80s. Yet, the version of the far future that Gibson spends the most time with is already stated in the novel as not going to happen.

The basic setup of the novel is that thanks to the some computer anomaly invented by person unknown, a select few people can communicate with the past, however since the moment the future people started changing the past the two timelines broke off, so there is no chance of any butterfly effects, changing their presence. So essentially it becomes like a game for enthusiasts so see who can control the world first. It is more personal than it sounds, but when determining whether to buy a science fiction book, most people want to know what the actual sci-fi aspects are to it.

As a book itself, it is an interesting read, the characters are unique and engaging, and surprisingly enough they get an almost happy ending, if at the very least an optimistic one. These lighter endings are becoming increasingly rare for the genre and most novels now in general. Gibson is definitely a master of telling you a little less than you need to know. Which is a great technique because it keeps an aspect of mystery to the world he created, but it also takes away from the book a little because there are questions that just never get answer and plotlines that just peter out to nothing.

All in all, The Peripheral has a lot to say about where we are now, as a society, and where we are going, and it’s all wrapped up in an entertaining read.