this post was submitted on 27 Nov 2024
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Why is Neuromancer so hard to get in to? (feddit.org)
submitted 1 day ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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I just started reading Neuromancer, and finished the first two chapters. Can someone encourage me to keep on reading? It’s just so… disorienting. Very quick scene changes, hard to follow dialogues (who is actually talking?), too much jargon (I have read up on some, to get the gist), … I just feel lost, and doubt I will enjoy it at some point.

I like various degrees of scifi, and many people recommended the book (and the ones following it). I also fought through some harder chapters in Trisolaris, Children of Memory, The Expanse books, CS Lewis‘ Space Trilogy, … but Neuromancer is on awholenother level.

Is it just me? Did anyone else have a hard time with it? Does it get better? Is it worth it?

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[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 day ago (1 children)

I think a lot of the appeal is that it does just drop you right in at the deep end and doesn't set out much of the bigger picture stuff right there at the front. It's not going to be to everyone's liking.

It's got a lot in common with hardboiled stories, except that where your classic hardboiled detective is moving through a world we are somewhat familiar with, Case is moving through somewhere rather more exotic. You might get some benefit from reading Burning Chrome and Johnny Mnemonic which are short stories then coming back.

There is probably something to be said for just visualising rather than trying to understand.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 day ago

As someone with Aphantasia that’s easier said than done 😄