The Peripheral is now streaming on Prime Video, and it’s fast making a name for itself as one of the breakout new science fiction shows of the fall. Starring Chloë Grace Moretz as Flynne Fisher, a young woman who finds out that the “sim” she’s playing to help her brother has far more to it than meets the eye, The Peripheral hits viewers with a constant barrage of fascinating sci-fi concepts.
If you’ve been enjoying the show so far and are curious about its origins, look no farther. The Peripheral is based on a novel, and we’re here to break down the particulars for you.
Is The Peripheral based on a book?
The Peripheral is based on a novel by legendary science fiction author William Gibson. Widely considered the author who shaped the cyberpunk subgenre into what it is today, including the first use of the term “cyberspace,” Gibson has written numerous novels and short stories, including the classic Neuromancer.
The Peripheral is one of his newer books; it was released in 2014, and marks the first entry in “The Jackpot Trilogy.” The second volume, Agency, was released in 2020. Gibson is still hard at work on the final book in “The Jackpot Trilogy,” and no release date has yet been announced.
This is exciting because it means The Peripheral has a decent runway of source material for future seasons. The show is being produced by Westworld creators Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy. One issue that cropped up on that series is that it started running into problems once it ranged beyond the events of the original 1973 film it was based on. The Peripheral will hopefully have no such issues.
That’s getting a bit ahead of ourselves though. The Peripheral’s eight-episode first season is airing now on Prime Video, with new episodes dropping every Friday.
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