Neuromancer
William Gibson · first published 1984 · ISBN 9780441569588
Case, a washed-up computer hacker, is hired to break into an artificial intelligence system alongside Molly, a street samurai with mirrored eyes and surgical reflexes. Together they navigate cyberspace (the term Gibson invented) and real-world Tokyo underworld on a mission whose stakes expand as the story unfolds.
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Essential Science Fiction Novels
Neuromancer did for cyberpunk what Foundation did for space opera. It shaped how technologists and writers imagine AI, virtual reality, and human-machine interfaces. For understanding modern SF and its technological orientation, this novel is indispensable.