Mona Lisa Overdrive
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Mona Lisa Overdrive is a Cyberpunk novel by William Gibson published in 1988 and concludes the The Sprawl trilogy which is formed of Gibson's prior novels, Neuromancer and Count Zero. It takes place eight years after the events of Count Zero and is set, as were its predecessors, in The Sprawl. The novel was nominated for a the 1989 Hugo award.
[edit] Plot summary
It is formed from several interconnecting strands and also features characters from Gibson's previous books (such as Molly Millions, the razor-fingered mercenary).
One of the story lines concerns Mona, a young prostitute who has a more-than-passing resemblance to famed Simstim star Angie Mitchell. Mona is hired by shady individuals for a 'gig' which later turns out to be part of a plot to abduct Angie.
The second story focuses on a young Japanese girl, daughter of a Yakuza boss, sent to London to keep her safe while her father engages in a gang war with other Yakuza members. In London she is cared for by one of her father's retainers who is also a member of the London Mob. She also meets Molly Millions, who takes the girl under her wing.
The third story thread follows a reclusive artist who lives in the 'Rust Belt', a large expanse of deserted factories somewhere near Chicago. A convicted car-thief, he spends his days creating large robotic sculptures. He is hired by an old friend to look after the comatose 'Count' (Bobby Newmark), who is hooked into a super-capacity cyber-harddrive called an Aleph.
The final plot line follows Angie Mitchell, Simstim star and the girl from the second Sprawl novel Count Zero. Angie, thanks to brain manipulations by her father, has always had a close subconscious affinity for the Matrix, but drugs provided by her production company have altered her brain.
[edit] In popular culture
Mona Lisa Overdrive is also the name of a piece on The Matrix Reloaded soundtrack, performed by Juno Reactor at the Wachowski brothers' request and under their supervision. Furthermore it is the name of an early 1990s American industrial band as well as the name of an album by the Japanese group Buck-Tick.
