Agency
Cover of first edition
AuthorWilliam Gibson
CountryUnited States
GenreScience fiction
PublisherBerkley Books
Publication date
January 21, 2020
Pages496
ISBN110198693X
Preceded byThe Peripheral 

Agency is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer William Gibson, released on January 21, 2020.[1]

It is a 'sequel and a prequel'[2] to his previous novel The Peripheral (2014), reusing the technology from the novel to explore an alternative 2017 where Hillary Clinton won the 2016 Presidential Election.[2] The story line further explores the concept of "the jackpot", a back-story element of The Peripheral.

One plot is set in the alternative 2017, with a young woman named Verity testing a new form of avatar software developed by the military, for a start-up in San Francisco. A second plot line involves people in a post-apocalyptic 22nd century meddling with 2017.[2][3]

CBC Books listed Agency on its list of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020.[4] It had originally been planned to be published in January 2018.[2]

References

  1. ^ "Agency by William Gibson". Penguin Random House. Retrieved April 20, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c d Alter, Alexandra (April 25, 2017). "Sci-Fi Writer William Gibson Reimagines the World After the 2016 Election". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  3. ^ Kean, Danuta (April 26, 2017). "New William Gibson novel set in a world where Hillary Clinton won". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved April 28, 2017.
  4. ^ "47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020". CBC Books. February 5, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2020. Here are 47 works of Canadian fiction to watch for in spring 2020.


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