I Like Cyberpunk

Now the comment from Vania on the last post forced me to admit that the xeromag link is a bit dodgy but ONLY if you surf away from my link - thats your choice! I'm certainly not into xero and its more grubby emphases, but I am into cyberpunk which was one of the original foci of the magazine.

Cyberpunk is a sci-fi genre. The name is derived from - you guessed it already - cybernetics and punk. The term was originally coined by Bruce Bethke as the title of his short story "Cyberpunk," so you can read an example by clicking on the link. Cyberpunk is dark sci fi usually set in anarchic societies with a lot of high tech wetware in evidence (cybernetics).

So yes, films like Matrix and the groundbreaking Bladerunner are examples of cyber punk on the big screen. Johnny Mnemonic would be another less well known example.

Its all very anti establishment, with lots of hackers, faceless corporations, mercenaries, AI's and androgynes. One of my favourite writers is William Gibson. His Neuromancer is perhaps the most well-known work in this field. And the quote down a few posts from Bruce Sterling is also classic cyber punk. If you like edgy fantasy, chances are you'll like cyber punk. But it tends to be a bit more "heady", gritty and downright disturbing. Most often though its funny with its dark satirical overtones. I like laughing when I read.