The Shockwave Rider
#1000 of 2,654 all-time
The Shockwave Rider
John Brunner
7 people recommended it in 5 threads, 2008–2019.
What people on Hacker News said
I'm not a fan of the politics in the novel, but the descriptions of computer networks, cracking and computer worms are pretty impressive for something written in the 1970s.
I found it very prescient when I read it in the '90s. If William Gibson is the father of cyberpunk, I think that makes Brunner the grandfather.
Completely agree on The Shockwave Rider, which I feel is a great precursor to cyberpunk. Extremely prescient book considering it was published in 1975.
The Shockwave Rider, by John Brunner. Read it, compare it to the Internet we have today, and marvel at all he was able to foresee back in 1975.
Where it comes up
- Ask HN: What are the best Sci-Fi books you've ever read? 2018 · 2 recommendations
- The Best Science Fiction Books (According to Reddit) 2011 · 2 recommendations
- Hard comp-fi reading list 2019 · 1 recommendation
- Ask HN: What are the most thought-provoking books that you have read? 2015 · 1 recommendation
- Ask YC: What's the most inspiring sci-fi book you've read? 2008 · 1 recommendation