I read the original novel, and most of the short stories/novellas, back in the day when "cyberpunk" was new and hot. I've always enjoyed this retrospective, and I think I'll go read the rest of the cyberpunk canon after this.

 

Sterling describes the experience of writing this stuff as "[when] I finally gnawed my way through the insulation and got my teeth set into the buzzing copper wire." Reading it was like that, too, the first time, and I still get that sharp metallic taste even today.

 

I think I'll read Eclipse next.

Lol, I've gotten to the part where Abelard gets talked into taking an extended EVA and says to the bugxxxx dude he's talking to, "No drugs, man. I don't want any drugs." and the dude goes, "No. man, you can't take drugs. If you take drugs the Sun won't talk to you."

Bwahahahahaha.