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Cyberpunk
61 books / 227 members / 25 posts
From Wikipedia: "CYBERPUNK is a science fiction genre noted for its focus on "high tech and low life". Cyberpunk plots often center on a conflict among hackers, artificial intelligences, and mega corporations. They tend to be set in a near-future Earth, rather than the far future settings or galactic vistas found in novels like Isaac Asimov's Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. The settings are usually post-industrial dystopias, but tend to be marked by extraordinary cultural ferment, and the use of technology in ways never anticipated by its creators ("the street finds its own uses for things"). Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction."
Cyberpunk in general is not aimed at the "Harry Potter" crowd (i.e., young adult, unsophisticated, etc.). The characters and plot elements in Slant by Greg Bear, for instance, are definitely not teen mainstream science fiction. Cyberpunk has been "mainstreamed" somewhat with the ability of Hollywood to create stunning special effects in movies. The obvious examples are the Matrix movies and Blade Runner.
I enjoy Cyberpunk, notably Gibson, Sterling, Stephenson, di Filippo, and Bear. I find myself rereading these authors instead of picking up new titles. I would like to see a discussion of new/old titles that follow in the vein of the above listed authors. I hope to be inclusive here, including "biopunk" (e.g., di Filippo's Ribofunk), "steampunk" (e.g., The Difference Engine by Gibson and Sterling), and "postcyberpunk" (e.g., Stephenson's The Diamond Age).
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