With this exclusive io9 reveal, at last we've got a solid glimpse of William Gibson's long-awaited novel,The Peripheral, coming out October 28. This is the first time in two decades that the author of Neuromancer has written a book set in the far future.


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Gibson himself is ecstatic about the cover, and explained why to io9 via email:

Brushed stainless steel. If you have a steady hand, you can use a green 3M pad to emulate this finish, on a piece of polished metal, but if you get a scratch on it later, you have to re-polish it and re-do the whole piece. I like how very thin this sheet of steel seems to be, like a single-edged razor blade, and how the arc of grinder-sparks behind it might also be Fourth of July fireworks.


The cover was designed by Rich Hasselberger. Putnam's Executive Art Director, Lisa Amoroso told io9:

What I can tell you is that after trying to capture the essence of the story in a literal way, creating an austere, cool and edgy package says much more than being literal. The focus of type as shapes and color on page reflecting off of a brushed metal foil comes together to indicate to the reader that this is important and new for Gibson readers, both old and new.

Here is a description of the book from publisher Putnam:

Where Flynne and her brother, Burton, live, jobs outside the drug business are rare. Fortunately, Burton has his veteran's benefits, for neural damage he suffered from implants during his time in the USMC's elite Haptic Recon force. Then one night Burton has to go out, but there's a job he's supposed to do—a job Flynne didn't know he had. Beta-testing part of a new game, he tells her. The job seems to be simple: work a perimeter around the image of a tower building. Little buglike things turn up. He's supposed to get in their way, edge them back. That's all there is to it. He's offering Flynne a good price to take over for him. What she sees, though, isn't what Burton told her to expect. It might be a game, but it might also be murder.


Gibson has teased this book for a while, and even read a portion of it to a rapt audience in New York last year . We can't wait to read the whole thing!