In Cyberspace everyone can hear you scream

"Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation ... A graphic representation of data abstracted from the banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding."

In 1984 William Gibson invented the word cyberspace in his seminal novel Neuromancer and today, nearly 25 years later, a growing and significant number of people are spending increasing amounts of time and money inside 'computer generated constructs', whether they be perhaps the most analogous to Gibson's idea of cyberspace (Second Life), game-like (World of Warcraft) or social (facebook).

So when we first started dabbling in Second Life we quickly realized that something interesting Penguin could do would be to bring William Gibson into this strange new place, a place he seemed to have predicted and described years ago (though he disputes this). Unsurprisingly many of the older residents of Second Life are hardcore sci-fi and cyberpunk fans and dotted around the virtual landscape are a number of sims with a  suitably dystopian theme.  And perhaps now we have a great opportunity to connect an author and his fans in a totally new, and in this case totally appropriate, environment.

Over the next few weeks - to celebrate and, yes, promote his new novel Spook Country - we're planning a range of William Gibson activities in Second Life; we're screening his fine and strange movie No Maps for These Territories; there's a competition to design an avatar for the man himself; we're giving away shipping containers packed with Gibson goodies and at the beginning of August, William Gibson himself will be coming into Second Life to read from Spook Country and answer questions.

If you want to join in, log into Second Life, join the Penguin Readers group or get in touch with me virtually by sending an IM to Jeremy Neumann. We're looking forward to sharing a consensual hallucination with you.

Jeremy Ettinghausen, Digital Publisher

UPDATE: WILLIAM GIBSON APPEARS TONIGHT (2ND AUGUST) IN SL AT RIVERSRUNRED AT 12PM slt WITH AUDIO STREAMS AVAILABLE IN OTHER LOCATIONS. IM JEREMY NEUMAN FOR DETAILS.

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Comments

[Gwyneth Llewelyn]

This is simply fantastic news, Jeremy! After so many years pestering Gibson to come to SL and chat with the residents, you've managed to do much more than that :) I truly hope this will work well and encourage Gibson to come more to SL...

After all, he "invented" cyberspace ;)

[Memetic Engineer]

"we're giving away shipping containers packed with Gibson goodies"

Full size 40 foot long Shipping Containers ??

[Ordinal Malaprop]

I wonder his opinion on the interpretations that have been made of aspects of The Difference Engine?

[Andrew McKie]

I'd be interested to hear more about this, but I don't use IM. should I just get on to the press office?

[Colbie]

For more on this, check out the amusing story of Gibson's first, anonymous visit to SL at http://www.uksfbooknews.net/2007/07/09/penguin-uk-to-mount-william-gibson-themed-second-life-expedition/ and http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/?p=4544

[Rumblelizard]

This is so exciting! I'm looking forward to meeting the virtual Mr. Gibson.