William Gibson is considered something of a prophet of the near future, a status he attained with his 1984 novel Neuromancer, which foretold of a world dominated by cyberspace, technology and wanton capitalism.The Peripheral is also set in the future – albeit two versions of it. One has us in the impoverished, dismal backwaters of the United States a few years hence, where the economy centres on 3-D printing, drug-dealing and semi-professional video gaming. The other is located in a post-apocalyptic, near-deserted London 70 years down the line, which, after a series of environmental disasters, is inhabited solely by performance artists, billionaire kleptocrats and their lackeys.These two worlds are linked by a black market technology that allows games hobbyists to reach into the pas
19 February 2015, The Tablet
The Peripheral
Get Instant Access
Continue Reading
Register for free to read this article in full
Subscribe for unlimited access
From just £30 quarterly
Complete access to all Tablet website content including all premium content.
The full weekly edition in print and digital including our 179 years archive.
PDF version to view on iPad, iPhone or computer.
Already a subscriber? Login