All Tomorrow's Parties is the third book in William Gibson's "Bridge trilogy". Like its precessors, All Tomorrow's Parties is a science-fiction novel set in a postmodern, dystopian, cyberpunk future. Some credit William Gibson with writing the most clear-cut examples of the Science Fiction genre known as cyberpunk, as well as coining the term cyberspace. ... William Gibsons Bridge trilogy, sometimes called the San-Francisco trilogy, is his second trilogy, after the successful Sprawl trilogy. ... Berlins Sony Centre in Potsdamer Platz reflects the global reach of a Japanese corporation. ...

Synopsis

Because of its prismatic, fractured style, it is difficult to describe a common, unifying plot within All Tomorrow's Parties. However, three separate but overlapping stories can be identified if the continual appearance of pivotal characters are taken as narrative anchor points. The San Francisco Bridge, the overarching setting of the trilogy, functions here as the narrative 'bridge' between these three stories and it is on the (literal) bridge that these individual stories eventually collide.

The first story features former rent-a-cop "Berry" Rydell, the protagonist of Virtual Light. Rydell quits a temporary job as a security guard at the Lucky Dragon convenience store to run errands for atrophied computer hacker Colin Laney who lives in a cardbox box in a subway in Shinjuku, Tokyo. As a child, Laney was forcibly administered an experimental, mind-altering drug called 5-SB. As a result, Laney has developed a strange ability to identify patterns within vast tracts of media information. From studying these patterns or "nodal points", Laney is able to form predictions. He foresees a crucial historical shift which may precede the end of the world. In particular, Laney predicts that media baron Cody Harwood of powerful PR firm Harwood Levine, will attempt to manipulate this historical shift to shape the world to his liking. Therefore, Laney enlists Rydell to travel to San Francisco where the next nodal point will unfold, in the hope of stopping Harwood. William Gibsons Bridge trilogy is his second trilogy, after the succesful Sprawl trilogy. ...

The second story concerns ex-bicycle messenger Chevette Washington, also from Virtual Light, who is on the run from her ex-boyfriend. She escapes to San Francisco's bridge community which was her former home, to find refuge and revisit her past. She is accompanied by Tessa, an Australian media sciences student. Tessa is filming a documentary on "interstitial communities" and visits the Bridge for this reason. William Gibsons Bridge trilogy is his second trilogy, after the succesful Sprawl trilogy. ...

The third story follows a mysterious, left-handed swordsman named Konrad. Although Konrad is employed by Harwood, he appears to follow his own orders. In particular, Konrad aligns his movements with the Tao, the spontaneous, universal energy path of the Taoism philosophy. Taijitu For the people, see Tao people. ... For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ...

Secondary characters include Silencio, a mute boy who is fascinated with watches, holographic girl Rei Toei and Japanese anthropologist Shinya Yamazaki (both from Idoru) and Fontaine, the pawn-shop owner and friend of Rydell and Chevette. William Gibsons Bridge trilogy is his second trilogy, after the successful Sprawl trilogy. ...

Characters

Konrad

Konrad is portrayed as a mysterious, oddly philosophical corporate assassin. He is a retainer of sorts for media baron Cody Levine although his employer does not seem to issue specific orders, nor does Konrad demonstrate a willingness to obey. Konrad's professional relationship to Harwood is therefore a peculiar one; none of them truly needing the other but remaining nonetheless for collateral reasons.

Konrad is described as a slim, middle-aged man with short, grey hair and a vaguely academic resemblance like that of a professor. He wears a dark green woolen coat, dark grey pants, black leather shoes and round, gold-rimmed glasses.

Little is revealed about Konrad's past. There are, however, hints of a previous army service (some of his actions are described as 'military') and his nostalgic, jaded view of cities suggests that his work has taken him to many places around the world.

Konrad's chief characteristic is his alignment with the Chinese existential philosophy of Taoism. Throughout the novel, he continually appeals to the Tao to guide and interpret his actions. He is highly trained in the art of Argentine knife-fighting which he learned on a beach in Cuba. His weapon of choice is the tanto, a shorter version of the Japanese katana sword. He carries the tanto concealed under his armpit using a magnetic clip which grasps the blade, leaving the hilt swinging freely. His skill with the weapon is absolute and is continually compared to the sublime, transcendant, thoughtless skill of an enlightened martial artist. Konrad is said to possess a lost love, a blonde-haired, blue-eyed woman named Lise, who haunts his dreams. For other uses of the words tao and dao, see Dao (disambiguation). ... A Tantō (短刀) is a Japanese blade or small sword. ...