Johnny Mnemonic [Paperback]

William Gibson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 1995

The award-winning author of Neuromancer brings his acclaimed talents to the screen in a March movie release, starring Keanu Reeves. This special edition features his screenplay and the original story on which it's based. Johnny's a 21st century smuggler with a computer chip in his head--24 hours to complete his mission.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Johnny Mnemonic is based on a story published in Gibson's collection of short fiction, Burning Chrome Fans will have the opportunity to see Gibson's imagination morph from short story to screenplay. In this special trade edition, which includes both the screenplay for the film, starring Keanu Reeves, and the original short story, Gibson fans will be allowed a rare glimpse at the evolution of the creative process.

Johnny Mnemonic takes readers into William Gibson's dark, slick cities of the future. Johnny is a 21st-Century smuggler. Data is his contraband. And he's got plenty of it. In fact, he has way too much. Caught in a situation he could not easily get out of, Johnny over-loads the computer-chip in his head. The data is white-hot and he has twenty-four hours to down-load or else he's fried. As he rushes to his destination, he realizes that an army of Yakuza killers is on his trail; they want the data he possesses--and they are willing to take his head to get it. In a non-stop, action-packed race against the time-bomb in his brain, Johnny's only allies are a cybernetic dolphin and a gorgeous girl streetfighter with a hardwired taste for violence.

From Booklist

With a few notable exceptions--2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner science fiction movies have not matched the innovative visions of their literary counterparts, either thematically or stylistically. If Hollywood heeds its call, Johnny Mnemonic, the movie, may inspire a new maturity in cinematic sf. Gibson's seminal short story, "Johnny Mnemonic," introduced his now familiar cyberpunk universe (later popularized by the huge success of his first novel, Neuromancer, which itself is now in film production) and thus gave rise to a new subgenre that is still sf's leading edge. This book includes the screenplay, illustrated with stills from the movie, and the original short story. The latter recounts the fate of Johnny, who guards an invaluable booty of classified electronic information that is stored in his computer-implanted brain and who is pursued by the all-powerful "Japanese Mafia," the Yakuza. The story is better accompanied in Gibson's superior anthology, Burning Chrome, but hardcore Gibson fans will want to read its screen realization. Carl Hays

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade; First Thus edition (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044100234X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441002344
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #758,091 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, July 10, 2002

By 

Scott Mullen (Perth, Western Australia) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johnny Mnemonic (Paperback)

This was interesting, although I really rather liked the anthology "burning chrome" better (includes the short story.) I thought the screenplay was interesting because I really enjoyed the short story, and was curious to see how such a good short story became such a wretched movie. One item of note was the "rant" of "spider" (henry rollins) that seemed to have been lifted from dennis leary.

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent Short Story, December 9, 2011

By 

J. Ferris "tunawish" (Rio de Janeiro, Brasil) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Johnny Mnemonic (Paperback)

I kind of liked it but then I tend to like offbeat, quirky stories.
I hated the movie but then I'm not a big Keaneu Reeves fan.

If you pay more than $0.99 for this book you'll probably feel cheated.

3.0 out of 5 stars A good enough read, May 30, 2011

By 

Julie (Phoenix, AZ) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Johnny Mnemonic (Paperback)

I enjoyed the writing style, the pot, I did'nt care much for some of the dialogue but my husband didn't have any complaints. He recommended it to me. If he were reviewing it, he'd say it was a solid 4 star short read, I'm more set on 3.5 stars. I don't really have any complaints. Like my title. It was good enough.