Cyberpunk

[Moksha]

Must-reads:

"Mirrorshades" (anthology of short stories)
"Neuromancer" (obviously)

As for the rest of the canon:

I'm not a big fan of Neal Stephenson. And the other Gibson books, and stuff by Brice Sterling, are okay... but never blew me away with the magic contained in Mirrorshades and Neuromancer. And the steam punk stuff never really excited me.

P.S. Is Cyberpunk a dead genre? A leftover from the '80s, when the idea of an information age seemed scary yet romantic?

[12th house]

I've heard Jeff Noon's name (Vurt, Pollen) tossed around as a candidate for inclusion into the cyberpunk canon. Never read his stuff but it's on my Amazon list.

To answer your question, I think there's still a lot to mine from the "information age." I like how Gibson handled it in Pattern Recognition, where the anonymity of the internet provided the "scary yet romantic" role.

[Moksha]

I've heard Jeff Noon's name (Vurt, Pollen) tossed around as a candidate for inclusion into the cyberpunk canon. Never read his stuff but it's on my Amazon list.

To answer your question, I think there's still a lot to mine from the "information age." I like how Gibson handled it in Pattern Recognition, where the anonymity of the internet provided the "scary yet romantic" role.

I like Jeff Noon a lot. Be sure to read Nyphomation... it (sort of) makes sense of the rest.

[echodharma]

For the Purists, after Mirrorshades and Neuromancer, there is nothing else. These 2 books are the truest reflection of the cyberpunk essence. But they were just the start. Touchstones of a new beginning in gritty dirty sci fi.


Paul Difilippo - ribofunk the future isn't metallic it's organic. Good book, Difilippo has other books out but if you don't like the whole SteamPunk thing.....

Rudy Rucker - software, wetware, the hackers and the ants. Math and Computer Prof from California. Good books, focusing on the philosophical, social and political effects of creating life.

John Brunner - Shockwave rider, known as the original cyberpunk novel. True weirdness, He's got a couple more out that are in the same vein.

Vernor Vinge - True names and the opening of the cyberspace frontier.

Walter Mosley - Futureland Who knew the writer of the Easy Rawlins mysteries could kick out some bad ass sci fi

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis. go 500 years in the future where every technological dream has come true while humanity has barely changed and this is what you'd get. comic series now in 10 graphic novels. Enjoy till your eyes bleed.

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, the Diamond age and The Baroque Trilogy. Can't knock it, some of the best writing around.

Bruce Sterling - Schismatrix plus. Outer Space Punk.

[House]

Tad Williams' Otherworld Trilogy, is imo, the genres best work

[Mill_House]

Must-reads:

"Mirrorshades" (anthology of short stories)
"Neuromancer" (obviously)

As for the rest of the canon:

I'm not a big fan of Neal Stephenson. And the other Gibson books, and stuff by Brice Sterling, are okay... but never blew me away with the magic contained in Mirrorshades and Neuromancer. And the steam punk stuff never really excited me.

P.S. Is Cyberpunk a dead genre? A leftover from the '80s, when the idea of an information age seemed scary yet romantic?



As a local Austinite, I love Bruce Sterling!

I cannot however follow Neromancer...I found it a really difficult read!

[Mill_House]

For the Purists, after Mirrorshades and Neuromancer, there is nothing else. These 2 books are the truest reflection of the cyberpunk essence. But they were just the start. Touchstones of a new beginning in gritty dirty sci fi.


Paul Difilippo - ribofunk the future isn't metallic it's organic. Good book, Difilippo has other books out but if you don't like the whole SteamPunk thing.....

Rudy Rucker - software, wetware, the hackers and the ants. Math and Computer Prof from California. Good books, focusing on the philosophical, social and political effects of creating life.

John Brunner - Shockwave rider, known as the original cyberpunk novel. True weirdness, He's got a couple more out that are in the same vein.

Vernor Vinge - True names and the opening of the cyberspace frontier.

Walter Mosley - Futureland Who knew the writer of the Easy Rawlins mysteries could kick out some bad ass sci fi

Transmetropolitan by Warren Ellis. go 500 years in the future where every technological dream has come true while humanity has barely changed and this is what you'd get. comic series now in 10 graphic novels. Enjoy till your eyes bleed.

Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash, the Diamond age and The Baroque Trilogy. Can't knock it, some of the best writing around.

Bruce Sterling - Schismatrix plus. Outer Space Punk.

I am headed to the Library with this list!!

[Ish]

I posted a few of these in the main forum a while back, these are my cyber-punk must reads:

"vurt" by Jeff Noon
"Perdido Street Station" by China Mieville

Several of Gibson's latest efforts are def. worth reading IMO, "Pattern Recognition" was cool.

His 2nd trilogy is good also, "The Bridge Trilogy" is what its called and is comprised of:

"Virtual Light"
"Idoru"
"All of tomorrow's Parties"

I know Octavia Butler has been discussed on DHP, but everything I have read by her I enjoyed.