Skinner's Room

"Skinner's Room"
Short story by William Gibson
LanguageEnglish
Genre(s)Science fiction
Publication
Published inVisionary San Francisco
Omni
Publication typeExhibition catalogue, periodical
PublisherPrestal
Omni Publication International
Media typeVideo, print (magazine)
Publication date1990
November 1991
Chronology
SeriesBridge trilogy
 
 
Virtual Light

"Skinner's Room" is a science fiction short story by American-Canadian author William Gibson, originally composed for Visionary San Francisco, a 1990 museum exhibition exploring the future of San Francisco. It features the first appearance in Gibson's fiction of "the Bridge", which Gibson revisited as the setting of his acclaimed Bridge trilogy of novels. In the story, the Bridge is overrun by squatters, among them Skinner, who occupies a shack atop a bridgetower. An altered version of the story was published in Omni magazine and subsequently anthologized. "Skinner's Room" was nominated for the 1992 Locus Award for Best Short Story.