It's here! Browse the 2024 Penguin Christmas gift guide
Distrust that Particular Flavor

Distrust that Particular Flavor

Summary

Distrust That Particular Flavor - an acclaimed nonfiction collection by William Gibson, bestselling author of Neuromancer

'The future's already here: it's just not evenly distributed'



William Gibson was writing fiction when he predicted the internet. And as his stories bled into reality so he became one of the first to report on the real-world consequences of cyberspace's growth and development.

Now, with the dust settling on the first internet revolution, comes Gibson's first collection of non-fiction - essays from the technological and cultural frontiers of this new world.

Covering a variety of subjects, they include:

- Metrophagy - the Art and Science of Digesting Great Cities
- An account of obsession in 'the world's attic' - eBay
- Reasons why 'The Net is a Waste of Time'
- Singapore as 'Disneyland with the Death Penalty'
- A primer on Japan, our default setting for the future


These and many other pieces, collected for the first time in Distrust that Particular Flavour, are studded with revealing autobiographical fragments and map the development of Gibson's acute perceptions about modern life. Readers of Neal Stephenson, Ray Bradbury and Iain M. Banks will love this book.


'Gibson is a prophet and a satirist, a black comedian and an astounding architect of cool. He's also responsible for much of the world we live in' Spectator

'Part-detective story, part-cultural snapshot ... all bound by Gibson's pin-sharp prose' Arena

About the author

William Gibson

William Gibson is credited with having coined the term "cyberspace" and having envisioned both the Internet and virtual reality before either existed. His first novel Neuromancer sold more than six million copies worldwide, and Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive completed the trilogy. He has written six further novels about the strange contemporary world we inhabit. His most recent novels include Spook Country, Zero History and The Peripheral. His non-fiction collection, Distrust That Particular Flavour, compiles assorted writings and journalism from across his career.
Learn More

Sign up to the Penguin Newsletter

For the latest books, recommendations, author interviews and more