Science Fiction - Cyberpunk - Christchurch City Libraries
Jack yourself into a dystopian world where low lives and high tech collide - often in a disastrous fashion. Cyberpunk stories explore the twisted intersection of humanity and robotics, set against an explosive and gritty backdrop, rife with social decay. If you're into worlds where hackers, artificial intelligence and shady megacorporations coexist, these are the books for you. A Christchurch City Libraries list.
The city of Neo Songdo is a testament to the failure of rampant capitalism. Poverty, crime and degradation are concealed by a thin veneer of augmented reality while residents are kept distracted by a massively popular online game. Somewhere in the…
Cyberpunk noir at it's very best, Altered Carbon explores the concept of transferrable conciousness in disgustingly dark detail. Our reluctant antihero, Takeshi Kovacs, is shunted into an unfamiliar body and forced to investigate the murder of an…
Perhaps the most influential cyberpunk author to have lived, Philip K. Dick's name is synonymous with the genre. In this classic, a bounty hunter charged with "retiring" androids finds that the line between man and machine isn't as clear as one…
There's a psychopathic murderer on the loose in a near-future Middle-Eastern slum. As depravity and vice continue to reign free, Marid, a local detective-for-hire, is sent to hunt the killer down before they strike again. With phenomenal…
Sample some of Cory Doctorow's best work in this colourful collection of short stories. While they might be packed with jargon, deciphering the meaning behind the technobabble should be an easy feat for anyone living in today's iPad society. Buckle…
This urban cyberpunk Sci-Fi story features a human population plugged into virtual reality simulations, a potent designer drug and a computer virus threatening it all. Snow Crash is packed full of satire and amusing characters alongside some…
In the first book in his 'Rift' series, Peter Watts uses his experience as a marine biologist to explore the lengths humanity will go to in seeking alternative energy sources. A group of biologically modified humans are sent to live in the depths…
Dramatic, suspenseful and richly detailed, 'City of Golden Shadow' is set in a not-so-distant future where virtual reality has become a fully integrated part of everyday life. When children start to become trapped in the network - all clues point to…
Philandering CEO, Guy Matthias, has a big problem on his hands. Despite his megacorporation boasting an algorithm that can purportedly determine an individual's action, behaviour and fate - someone has ended up murdered by a robot in an entirely…
A wealthy tech entrepreneur's wife disappears under mysterious circumstances. Years later, he reintroduces his 'wife' to the world using the latest advances in A.I. to reconstruct both her personality and body. This enigmatic new woman is a source…
A political lobbyist, representing the world's most powerful technology and energy executives, finds that his choices have put a target on his back. As his personal privacy is compromised by activists working to manipulate markets and hijack…
In the year 2144 medicine is only available to those who can afford it. For everyone else, there's people like Jack - a drug pirate who fills prescriptions for the poor from her submarine. When a bad batch of product leaves her customers fatally…
Our protagonist in this read is Rex, a genetically enhanced dog, equipped with weaponised technology and given a level of intelligence similar to a human. This intelligence makes him a deadly instrument of war—but also makes him begin to question if…
