Johnny Mnemonic (Paperback)

~ Inc. Cinevision (Author)

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

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 164 pages
• Publisher: Ace Trade (June 1, 1995)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 044100234X
• ISBN-13: 978-0441002344
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.1 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,473,046 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars interesting, July 11, 2002

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

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.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Good short story turns into cliche-ridden screenplay, April 19, 2000

By A Customer

The short story Johnny Mnemonic is one of my favorite short stories, and I was very excited when I heard they were making a movie of it. This was before I knew that good stories don't necessarily turn into good movies. The movie has several problems, including a screen-play that has a few too many genre cliches. Hard-core fans of William Gibson may have enjoyed spotting elements from his previous work, and in my opinion it is these hard-core fans who will enjoy this film the most. This book here has the short story (good) and the screen-play (interesting for Gibson fans and people who enjoyed the film).