If Mona Lisa Overdrive is Gibson's heist caper, then Virtual Light is the cops and robbers story. It plays upon the ambiguities of whether the police are good or evil and the concomitant plot twists. In addition, Virtual Light borrows from the tradition of two kids on the lam, running from the villains who are threatening them because they know too much or saw too much.

Chevette steals the virtual light glasses on a whim and then finds that she has information that is crucial to the secret plan to rebuild the city. She and Berry must evade their pursuers in a scenario where they do not know who is friend and who is foe. Even the nice little old lady in the white van turns out to be a spy.

Another primary influence both on the setting and the style of Virtual Light is the...