Advanced technology, dehumanised and gritty social order, and anarchist heroes come together to build the dystopia of Cyberpunk books. Enter into the orbit of futuristic chaos with these 4 books recommended by Kunzum’s bookseller, Divye Bhagwani.
Our booksellers are aptly readers too—and for bookseller/sci-fi geek, Divye Bhagwani, Cyberpunk is fascinating sub-genre. From computer hackers to crony capitalistic organisations, the genre depicts a world where humans are being replaced or excessively controlled by dangerous technologies—guiding the collapse of social structure. With a tradition of scepticism, social criticism and flavor of anti-authoritarianism, the nihilistic punks in the cyberworld are also popularly knows as “computerised freedom fighters”. They insist that their crimes are in the public interest and for the common good.
Dive into the complex characters of dystopic realms with these four books. All of them are available at Kunzum. You can also Whatsapp on +91-8800200268 to order.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Neal Stephenson coins the word “Metaverse” in this seminal work of cyberpunk. The protagonist, Hiro, is a pizza delivering guy who jumps back and forth between a dystopian LA and the metaverse. Plunging in the bandwagon of new computer virus that’s striking down hackers everywhere, he races along the neon-lit streets on a search-and-destroy mission for the shadowy virtual villain.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Arguably the most important work of cyberpunk literature, Neuromancer follows a data thief on his adventure in the Matrix, an organisation that handles massive data in virtual reality. Famous works of fictions like The Matrix and Altered Carbon are all built on the legacy of this book.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
This bleak novel imagines a much more dystopian and desolate side of cyberpunk, where much of reality has been pushed aside by capitalistic corporations through the use of simulacrum. In the usual Dick style, the novel treads the fine line between reality and non-reality to weave a touching story about humanity and empathy.
The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester
Bester’s novel is a precursor to the cyberpunk literature movement. In this pulse-quickening story, Bester charts the growth and development of an unforgettable protagonist against a brilliantly realized backdrop of a war-torn, hyper-kinetic future solar system.
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