I'd say Neuromancer is considered the definitive Gibson book, as well as the definitive cyberpunk novel, so that's a good place to start. Only problem is that it will probably feel pretty dated by now, and it was so influential that, ironically, it might not seem very original (though it was an absolute bombshell 20 years ago). In that sense, Pattern Recognition might give a better sense of Gibson's talent.
Another possibility is the short story collection, Burning Chrome (my personal fave) which is an excellent overview of his early work, and includes a foreword by Bruce Sterling to provide some historical perspective.
The series breakdown like this:
The Sprawl: Burning Chrome (short fiction; some early Sprawl stories) Neuromancer Count Zero Mona Lisa Overdrive
Virtual Light Trilogy: Virtual Light Idoru All Tomorrow's Parties
Then there's his "steampunk" collaboration with Bruce Sterling, The Difference Engine, and the newest book Pattern Recognition. Both are stand-alone novels (Neuromancer and Virtual Light can be read alone, too).
Neuromancer is the one I'd recommend, I guess, though they're all pretty darn good, really. Happy reading. ******************
To seek the sacred river Alph, to walk the caves of ice ...<i>Edited by: AlphSeeker at: 2/10/04 11:15 pm </i>
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