Judgmentfish

I am right now nearing the end of my fifth reading.

I agree, but the way he reacts leans toward the violent. He cares and that drives him to get stabby in, as you say, a world where survival traits are selfish. He's probably one of the best, in terms of being a good human, characters that Gibson created.

Last night, in the middle of said night, for no reason I can no remember, I was thinking about Rydell and it occurred to me he may have a little of the psycho in him. Not pathological, but in the way that his "simply going for it" often involves violence. I want to see if anyone else feels this way. In the course of The Bridge Trilogy, he does the following: -Shoots Turvey in the head after Turvey fires a single-shot weapon. -Kills one of the mercs firing on Fontaine's pawn shop. OK, these are both explicable but.... -He threatens the cable store proto-hipster by sticking a tool up his nose for no better reason than Rydell is just in a shitty mood. -He threatens to feed Lowell to the cops who, he says will grease his sorry ass. So, a death threat. -He goes through firearms training FATSS with a shit-eating grin. Gibson does remark this isn't 'cause Rydell is crazy, though. -He drives Gunhead through the gate and over all the furniture when he "goes for it." Not, I'm guessing, SOP. So, yeah, he's not Molly-level violent, but he does seem to lean toward "violence of action" like Burton and his boys. Thoughts?

I'll check as I go through. On page 167 of the ARC, I have not yet seen that. He does say how very much Anton, the brother, didn't want to go to the clinic. I can definitely see it having kind of "subdued" him, mentally/psychologically. Not angry anymore. No shooting Peris because they dance better than him.

Oh, very interesting. I rather thought he referred to the way in which Flynne and her people had been subsumed in the very thing they fought, that corruption and the "funny", in whatever form, would get every good person in the end, whether they knew it or not. But this also works, I think, in conjunction. We eventually become part of the system we fight, despite our best, say cyberpunk-like, railing against. Systems always win. I assume he actually told you, yeah? So this is semi-official even though he doesn't like to necessarily weigh in on what readers take away. Edit: Your explanation also explains the underscoring of the chap title. Yeah, makes sense the more I think about it. Hadn't caught that he was sober the first few reads. Room 101 and Clockwork Orange, but happy, like Disneyland With the Death Penalty.

Still no transcript or audio? I'd love to see whatever chapter he read. Oh well. Guess I wait with the rest of the punters.

Into my fourth read, it somehow just occurred to me that Netherton winds up in Putney at the end. Putney is the location os the rehab clinic Lev wants to send him to earlier in the book. The last chapter is titled Putney to, I think, underscore that he's had the procedure done to cure him of his alcoholism. Had not caught that until now. Have you spotted things you missed in earlier reads?

I am 100 pages into my fourth reading.

I know Bill read a chapter from the new book in LA. Does anyone have a recording or transcript of that? Thanks!