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Cyberpunk
Yes, I know that it is science fiction and that science fiction does not belong on this site but it did have an influence on other fiction as well and it is related to Slipstream so it is here. Cyberpunk is a branch of science fiction that focuses essentially on the future role of technology, particularly computers, and the relationship between men and computers. There is often an all-encompassing computer-based system oppressing the marginalised members of society and a high-tech cowboy will fight and beat this system. Though there were various antecedents (particularly J G Ballard and Philip K Dick), it essentially started with William Gibson‘s publication of Neuoromancer in 1984. This book became a huge cult hit and then a commercial success. Bruce Sterling, also an important cyberpunk writer, published a cyberpunk anthology, Mirrorshades, which cemented the cyberpunk name and mystique. Writers such as Pat Cadigan, Walter Jon Williams, John Shirley, K W Jeter and, more recently, Neal Stephenson are some of the writers who have been labeled cyberpunk. Is cyberpunk dead? Some have argued that it is, while others have argued that it has become so mainstream, both in books and films, that the label is no longer needed.
Cyberpunk books
Bruce Sterling (editor): Mirrorshades
Pat Cadigan (editor): The Ultimate Cyberpunk
Other links
Cyberpunk Science Fiction: An Overview
Cyberpunk
The Cyberpunk project
Frequently Asked Questions Alt.Cyberpunk
Bruce Sterling’s Idea of What Every Well-Appointed”Cyberpunk SF” Library Collection Should Possess
The Essential Cyberpunk Reading List