BennyTheJudge

It’s hard to explain why I like so much William Gibson’s books.In his language, in his narrative, in the pace of his stories, in his characters and in the situations he evokes, there is something that resonates with me and my personality.

Thanks to the audio version of WG’s books, I can now listen to them while on the move, so as I walk the streets of London I can immerse myself in my  favourite books.

You need to be careful crossing streets, negotiating a busy junction or a busy pavement.

Initially I had to get used to the style of narration, where there is one narrator for all the characters, but I appreciate the craft, the skills of Jonathan Davis and his ability to modulate his voice in a different way for each character, given each his or her (or its) own personality, it’s own “mark”, making them recognisable.

I found the experience excellent and the quality of the voice narration is so good that very rarely I had to go back in the story to reconnect with the narrative. The biggest problem I had in early attempts with audio books was “disconnecting” from listening the story and spawning a train of thoughts or an external event requiring higher attention and causing a disruptive distraction from the book. With this book and some discipline, I managed to stick to the story almost all the time and never get distracted.

I recommend this audiobook at many levels:

-  because I love the book itself – and it’s not just for SF fans, William Gibson is certainly much much more than a SF writer, he is one of those writers who leave a deep mark in the century(ies) they inhabit.

- because of the excellent quality of the audio and of the narration and the great voice of Jonathan Davis.

Book readers who approach for the first time audiobooks should be aware that they will have to invest their attention in a different way, and possibly find a new and revolutionary way to enjoy their favourite books while doing something else.