Agency

by William Gibson

  “Very well,” said Netherton, as their sandwiches arrived. “She’s been promoted at her firm, and he’s just now taking his first steps.”

  “Have you seen Ash lately?”

  “We met her new partner,” Netherton said, “who Verity insists on calling a ‘woke’ peripheral. He’s entirely autonomous, not to mention very witty. And has his own assembler-swarm, which Ash claims makes him literally polymorphous perverse.” He wrinkled his nose.

  “Whatever makes her happy,” Lowbeer said, “in these times of ours.”

  THANKS

  Early readers of various stages of the manuscript included Diane Ademu-John, Sean Crawford, James Gleick, V. Harnell, Louis Lapprend, Felicia Martinez, Paul McCauley, Jack Womack, and Meredith Yayanos, all of whom provided crucial assistance and support, of wonderfully varied sorts. I’m very fortunate, and grateful, to know you all.

  Eliot Peper very kindly responded to a last-minute request for some very particular San Francisco microgeography.

  My wife, Deborah, of course, earliest and most regular of early readers, once again endured seemingly endless iterations of the first hundred pages or so, which is A Thing That Happens, in this case more so than usually.

  Susan Allison, editor of the majority of my US editions since Neuromancer, was my editor when I signed the contract for the book which became this one, but had retired by the time this one was finally turned in, her editorial duties having been taken over by Jessica Wade, who then herself did a terrific job.

  Ivan Held, my publisher, was supportive and patient through an unusually long wait, and I am very grateful to him, as ever.

  —July 9, 2019

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  William Gibson's first novel, Neuromancer, won the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the Philip K. Dick Award. He is also the New York Times bestselling author of Count Zero, Burning Chrome, Mona Lisa Overdrive, Virtual Light, Idoru, All Tomorrow's Parties, Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, Zero History, Distrust That Particular Flavor, and The Peripheral. He lives in Vancouver, British Columbia, with his wife.

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