Cyberpunk: The Pocket Essential

Pocket Essentials is a dynamic series of books that are concise, lively, and easy to read. Packed with facts as well as expert opinions, each book has all the key information you need to know about such popular topics as film, television, cult fiction, history, and more. Often considered to have been the creation of William Gibson in his seminal novel Neuromancer, the subgenre of cyberpunk can be traced back into the history of science fiction from the 1950s to the late 1970s, and emerged in reaction to the world of the 1980s. Cyberpunk is a mix of hard science fiction, noir plotting, punk attitude, and the cutting edge of culture. This book looks in detail at the movers and shakers in the cyberpunk movement, from the early days of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling through feminist and British versions of cyberpunk to the post-cyberpunk or cyberpunk-flavored fictions of Neal Stephenson, Greg Egan, Jeff Noon, and Jack Womack. It also examines important cyberpunk films including Blade Runner and The Matrix.