The Peripheral by William Gibson
Unless you consider the production of illegal drugs, which Flynne Fisher is attempting to avoid, jobs are few where she lives in rural America. Burton, her brother, is supported by the Veterans Administration because he served in the Marines’ elite Haptic Recon unit and sustained neurological injuries. Flynne makes a living by putting together products at the neighbourhood 3D print business. She earned more money playing for a wealthy man as a combat scout in an online game, but she had to give up shooter games.
The Peripheral by William Gibson
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On the other side of several decades of the end of the world in slow motion, Wilf Netherton lives in London, some seventy years later. There aren’t many have-nots left, and things are generally excellent for the haves right now. Wilf, a successful publicist and celebrity manager, sees himself as a romantic misfit in a culture where looking back in time is just another pastime.
Burton has been doing a side job online as a security guard in a gaming prototype that resembles London except for more strangers. He promised her the game wasn’t a shooter and has Flynne take over shifts. The criminality she sees there is still quite serious.
The meeting between Flynne and Wilf is going to occur. Wilf’s world, with all its opulence and power, will find that some of these third-world figures from the past can be badass, and her world will be completely and irreparably changed.
Two futures are depicted: one that is not too far off and one that is about a century away. In some form, the near future in America is a bit of a mess. An extremely grim economy, an updated version of what the reader assumes to be WalMart, and the drug trade are all present. The further-off future that we see is in London after a catastrophe known as The Jackpot had wiped out a significant chunk of humanity. Flynne resides with her mother, brother Burton, and family. As a result of the trauma he experienced while serving in the American military, Burton is a veteran. He is receiving assistance from the American government because he is not permitted to work.
However, he has secured a position beta testing video game software for a company named Coldiron in Colombia. He begs Flynne to cover for him on the job for a few days when he leaves to join a group protesting a religious institution. He plays the role of security in the game. He instructs Flynne to watch a specific tower and ward off tiny nano-paparazzi-style gadgets. Yet on her second day of work, she sees a murder, and something about it doesn’t sit right with her. We then start the story.
