[anderspitman]

Just wanted to add my voice to the author's plug for Rainbows End (book). Although I didn't find the story especially engagin, the technological ideas and perspective on VR were inspiring. Bonus if you're into genetics or bioinformatics at all (similar to Jurassic Park in that respect).

[anigbrowl]

Seconded. I ended the book very impressed with Vernor Vinge's ideas but found the story and writing almost insufferable. I tried it again a few years later and had the same experience. If it were a movie, it would win all technical oscars and blow lots of minds.

Neuromancer, on the other hand, has aged astonishingly well. Even though Gibson is a sort of awkward writer, I believe in the people he writes about. If it were a movie, it would bomb but the actors would say it was the best work they ever did.