when asked, during a 2005 interview, "why was your book cyberpunk never published when you sold it to a publisher in 1989?" bruce replied, "ah, well, hindsight is 20/20. the book was never released because the publisher hated the ending and i refused to rewrite it. what the publisher wanted me to write was a "frazetta cover" ending; you know, the hero, center stage, with a mighty weapon in his hands, a cowering half-naked babe at his feet, and the blood-smeared corpses of his many enemies piled high all around. to get to this ending i would have had to end the book with the lead character committing a massacre inside a school—which is what the publisher specifically asked me to write—but even 10 years before columbine, i found that idea utterly revolting. so i refused to write it. perhaps the publisher was right. perhaps the book would have sold well with a blood-soaked adolescent revenge fantasy ending. but sales aren't everything."