All Tomorrow's Parties, by William Gibson (Penguin, £6.99 in UK)

Hailed as the king of cyberpunk, William Gibson returns with his latest novel in paperback, All Tomorrow's Par- ties. As provocative as ever, Gibson gives a dark view of the future which combines the elements of Y2K fever with a touch of Illuminatus conspiracy and an awe-struck respect for technology. Laney, used as a guinea pig for experimental drug testing in a federal orphanage, can absorb and process data like a computer. With his powers he has seen the future. He sends his friend, ex-cop Rydell, on a mission to San Francisco to meet up with Rei Toei, a beautiful singer who exists only in virtual reality. Together they are Laney's last hope for the world. Set in a Bladerunner-esque landscape, the story moves between Japan and the US, in a society that is crumbling under the weight of a not-so-brave new world. Reading like a manga book, Gibson shows us humanity on the brink of evolution.