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Not what I expected from Gibson; the book is set around 2002 (9/11 plays a major role), and on the one hand it's supposed to be futuristic Sci-Fi (it's a Gibson, after all), but on the other hand, it's full of references to outdated technology, making it feel a bit old.

I mean, it's hard for me to seriously take a book as Sci-Fi or cyberpunk when the heroine is using an ancient Mac which she has to plug into a landline to go online. There's lots of name-dropping in the book (famous brands and so on), but it's elegantly tied into the plot, so it doesn't feel like The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo in that respect. That said, there are other obvious parallels, not the least of which is the young wiry-thin female heroine.

Reading it now, in 2012, parts of it feel a bit strained and overwrought -- like Gibson was really trying to impress with convoluted prose. But that's not something I'd say about the book as a whole: Many of the descriptions are striking and fun to read (the Moscow subway stations, for example).

All in all, this is a nice book, but don't expect anything earth-shattering. An okay read.