Cyberpunk (Science Fiction)
Created 2023/03/05. You can skip to the list of posts below.
Subgenre of science fiction. Wikipedia has a good article about and definition of Cyberpunk that I generally agree with. When I think of or refer to it I usually have the written works in mind, novels and short stories.
On balance I really like cyberpunk SF. I've read a lot of it over the years and for a time made a project of tracking down some of the less well-known works in the genre. There are things I find difficult about it now, particularly some of the uglier themes / tropes borrowed or held over from pulp detective and crime fiction. Having said that I think there's a lot of value to be found in cyberpunk, especially if you look beyond the three or four books most frequently recommended (and disregard most of the movies).
Something that I picked up listening to the AnarchySF podcast discussion of Shadowrun is that cyberpunk fiction often depicts a world where interesting outsiders, people who don't fit with normal everyday ("corporate") life, can find a way to make it, a way to survive. I find that element of the style inspiring and relatable; it's probably why I like it so much.