Cyberpunk – Bruce Bethke review
This is “the” novel that coined the term “Cyberpunk”.
This short story reads more like “Ferris Buelers Day off” crossed with “Wargames”. (Weird .. both of those starred Matthew Broderick).
You can feel the early 80’s influence throughout the story, which is not surprising.
You can get a hold of the original short story at the Cyberpunk Database – Cyberpunk or from Bruce Bethke’s own site. It can be considered donationware.
The general story:
Young kids, computer wizkids, are planning some stunts that the old folks (aka parents, society) just don’t understand. Like most cyberpunk literature, it focuses on how people gain power through knowledge, although in this tale, the power of the family unit is also present. I don’t want this to sound like a drama novel, but it’s just so .. 80’s I guess.
It’s definetly worth a look, this is how Cyberpunk got coined.
Rating: 8/10