Molly Millions (also known as Sally Shears, Rose Kolodny, and others) is a recurring character in stories and novels written by
William Gibson
William Ford Gibson (born March 17, 1948) is an American-Canadian speculative fiction writer and essayist widely credited with pioneering the science fiction subgenre known as cyberpunk. Beginning his writing career in the late 1970s, his ear ...
, particularly his
Sprawl trilogy
The Sprawl trilogy (also known as the Neuromancer trilogy) is William Gibson's first set of novels, and is composed of ''Neuromancer'' (1984), ''Count Zero'' (1986), and '' Mona Lisa Overdrive'' (1988).
The novels are all set in the same fictio ...
. She first appeared in " Johnny Mnemonic", to which she makes an oblique reference in ''
Neuromancer
''Neuromancer'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American-Canadian author William Gibson. Set in a near-future dystopia, the narrative follows Case, a computer hacker enlisted into a crew by a powerful artificial intelligence and a traumatis ...
'' (where she is referred to as "Molly" with no last name given). She later appeared in ''
Mona Lisa Overdrive
''Mona Lisa Overdrive'' is a science fiction novel by American-Canadian writer William Gibson, published in 1988. It is the final novel of the cyberpunk Sprawl trilogy, following ''Neuromancer'' and ''Count Zero'', taking place eight years afte ...
'' under the name "Sally Shears".
Character history
In all three stories, Molly is a physically tough (but not instantly imposing) bodyguard/mercenary
cyborg
A cyborg (, a portmanteau of ''cybernetics, cybernetic'' and ''organism'') is a being with both Organic matter, organic and biomechatronic body parts. The term was coined in 1960 by Manfred Clynes and Nathan S. Kline.Rastafarian enclave aboard a space station.
A useful contact for dealing with gangs and black market elements, she tends to show little remorse for the opponents she ruthlessly dispatches in the course of her objectives. In fact she shows few deep emotions towards anyone outside of hatred, suspicion or amused contempt. Nevertheless, Molly is always regarded throughout the book as a loyal, morally strong character, opposed to the progressing decay of human relations in the world Gibson depicts.
An exception to her cold, somewhat cynical approach to life was her relationship with Johnny (of " Johnny Mnemonic"), for whom she still mourned at the time of ''Neuromancer''. This is part of the personal history she relates to its protagonist, Case, in addition to the revelation that she worked as a "meat puppet" (a
prostitute
Prostitution is a type of sex work that involves engaging in sexual activity in exchange for payment. The definition of "sexual activity" varies, and is often defined as an activity requiring physical contact (e.g., sexual intercourse, non-pe ...
) in a "puppet parlor" (a
brothel
A brothel, strumpet house, bordello, bawdy house, ranch, house of ill repute, house of ill fame, or whorehouse is a place where people engage in Human sexual activity, sexual activity with prostitutes. For legal or cultural reasons, establis ...
where people lend out their bodies while maintained in a blanked-out state) to pay for her considerable cybernetic enhancements.
Another
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true meaning ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individual's o ...
, used when she rents a hotel room in ''Neuromancer'', is "Rose Kolodny", the name by which the Turing Police refer to her. The Turing Police may have simply gotten the name from the hotel's registry, but it is sometimes speculated to be her original name. The later trilogy books speculate that she is "SINless", having been an unrecorded birth and never having been issued a "Single Identity Number". This would give her the advantage of being more difficult to track in the cyberspace environment. Critic Larry McCaffery asserts that the name "Molly" is a reference to her status as a gun moll.
William Gibson has stated that he derived inspiration for the character from the image of Chrissie Hynde on the cover of the first
Pretenders
Pretenders may refer to:
Film
* ''Pretenders'' (2018 film), an American drama film
* ''The Pretenders'' (1916 film), a lost American silent film
* ''The Pretenders'' (1981 film), a Dutch film Literature
* ''Cemetery Girl – Book One: The P ...
album.
Augmentations
Molly's metabolism, sensory input, and reflexes are artificially heightened by means of electronic implants and other advanced medical procedures. She has razor-sharp retractable blades underneath her fingernails, each double-edged and four centimeters in length. Appearing at first glance to be wearing mirrored sunglasses, Molly has in fact had her eye sockets sealed with vision-enhancing mirrored lenses, installed by the skilled black-market surgeons of Chiba City. To accommodate the inset lenses her tear ducts have been re-routed to her mouth; on the very rare occasions she cries, she either spits out or swallows the tears. She never lets others touch the lenses as it would leave messy fingerprints requiring extra cleaning.
Portrayal in other media
The 1995 film version of '' Johnny Mnemonic'' replaced Molly with a character named Jane who did not have modifications to her eyes or to her fingers. Jane did share the modified nervous system but used a single razor attached to the tip of a flexible spring rod as a weapon.
In the 2003
BBC Radio
BBC Radio is an operational business division and service of the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) which has operated in the United Kingdom under the terms of a royal charter since 1927. The service provides national radio stations cove ...
adaptation of ''
Neuromancer
''Neuromancer'' is a 1984 science fiction novel by American-Canadian author William Gibson. Set in a near-future dystopia, the narrative follows Case, a computer hacker enlisted into a crew by a powerful artificial intelligence and a traumatis ...
'', Molly was played by the English actress Nicola Walker. Sasha Grey took on the role in ''Case'', a six-hour dramatic contemporary adaptation of the novel staged in
New York City
New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...
in November 2009.
Literary analysis
The character has been described as one of Gibson's most complex characters.
References in pop culture
Molly is the subject of a song called "Mirrorshades" by the group
Information Society
An information society is a society or subculture where the usage, Content creation, creation, information distribution, distribution, manipulation and information integration, integration of information is a significant activity. Its main drive ...
* William Gibson, ''Burning Chrome'' ("Johnny Mnemonic"), 1986,
* William Gibson, ''Neuromancer'', 1984,
* William Gibson, ''Mona Lisa Overdrive'', 1988,