"Colin Laney works data bases, knowing intuitively how to find the signature that a particular person inadvertently leaves behind in the net. His abilities landed him a key job at Slitscan helping to expose the seamy side of celebrities' lives. Yet when his investigations lead to the suicide of one of his subjects, Laney rebels -- and finds himself looking for a new job in twenty-first-century Tokyo.

"Teenager Chia McKenzie loves Rez, one half of the band Lo/Rez. It doesn't worry her that he's the same age as her mother: things like age, time, history don't have much significance in the digital world she inhabits. Rez has an ardent fan club in Chia's home town, and when they start to hear strange rumours about his latest affair, she's the one who's picked to go and check it out.

"Rei Toei is the beautiful, mysterious (and entirely virtual) media star adored by all Japan: the idoru. Rez says he's going to marry her, but how can he if she doesn't physically exist? Finding out what's going on between them is Laney's new assignment, and it turns out to be his toughest yet.

"Tokyo, almost destroyed by a stupendous earthquake and now recreated, has become subtly different. Ghosts are everywhere in its all-pervasive neon fog, between the towers and amidst the buildings that seem to change shape as you look at them. The very nature of reality seems different here, and it's possible that the idoru is as real as she wants or needs to be. Certainly she's real enough to put all their lives in danger, even as she breaks their hearts." [jacket blurb, UK hbk, 1996]

Idoru
(Putnam's website entry... *note: please let me know if this URL changes)

Idoru
(possible entry at the University of Idaho cyberpunk site... uncertain if there)

Interview with William Gibson by Jack Womack
(a look at Idoru on the Barnes & Noble site)

William Gibson's Yardshow
(officially sanctioned homepage... slow loading...
*note: this link takes you to the new address... here's the old Idoru entry URL.)