Sorry for the late recap, I think I’m still a little starstruck, but for those of you wondering how the William Gibson reading went: it was great. As Jessamyn said when she saw him in Seattle earlier in the month:

Gibson is poised and interesting. He’s a good reader, he’s used to crowds, and he tells funny stories and deftly answers even the most stupid questions. I am always happy when I see writers treating the peanut galleries that show up at these things with respect. I mean, it’s sort of wry and hip to be snarky when the hundredth person asks you where you get your ideas, but it takes a special talent to answer that question in a way that is not only interesting for you, but interesting for your audience. Everyone feels richer for the experience. Gibson had that kind of class.

Only ten people or so got to ask questions because the B&N people were determined to hurry things along—half of the questions were just plain dumb, the worst of all from a guy who suggested Gibson should change the way he writes his dialogue; he hadn’t been talking for five seconds before everyone realized what he was up to and a massive collective groan rolled through the room. I’m sorry, Mr Gibson, but New York being New York we have a surfeit of self-absorbed idiots, their numbers only rivaled by those in Los Angeles and D.C.
Anyway, I got to talk to him after all for a few minutes while having my books signed, amazing because when confronted with people I’ve long admired my brain usually turns into mush and I become incapable of conversation. I asked about the wild tie he was wearing (“It’s apophenia,” was the answer) and apologized because I knew his hand must be cramping already, but I brought some other books along and would he mind signing them as well? Especially Idoru, my favorite of all his books. He said no, actually he was very glad to see them and especially happy because Idoru‘s his favorite one too. Which I already knew from reading his blog but it was still nice to hear that from him in person.
I finished reading Pattern Recognition when I got home that night, having picked it up at the store and gotten halfway through it while waiting for the reading, and after one read through I think it’s safe to say it’s my second favorite Gibson, sandwiched between Idoru and All Tomorrow’s Parties. The denouement was a bit disappointing, too fast and rather too easy, but I liked it nonetheless and recommend it highly, even if you’ve never read any Gibson before, and especially if you’ve never read any good science fiction before or are one of those silly people who totally avoid the genre because you think it’s all about men in space suits tinkering with gadgets and fighting aliens. Pick it up, you won’t be sorry you did.