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Quick answer: If you loved Cyberpunk, read William Gibson's Neuromancer, Count Zero and Burning Chrome, then Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash, then Philip K. Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, A Scanner Darkly and Ubik, and Paolo Bacigalupi's The Windup Girl and Richard K. Morgan's Altered Carbon. All are dark, high-tech science fiction.
Cyberpunk takes its name from a 1983 story by Bruce Bethke. These picks share its hackers and megacorporations.
Table of Contents
Quick Picks at a Glance
| Book | Author | Ages | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neuromancer | William Gibson | Adult | readers who like cyberspace |
| Count Zero | William Gibson | Adult | more Gibson |
| Burning Chrome | William Gibson | Adult | short cyberpunk |
| Pattern Recognition | William Gibson | Adult | contemporary Gibson |
| Snow Crash | Neal Stephenson | Adult | witty cyberpunk |
| Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? | Philip K. Dick | Adult | readers who like ideas |
| A Scanner Darkly | Philip K. Dick | Adult | readers who like sci-fi with edge |
| Ubik | Philip K. Dick | Adult | reality-bending |
| The Windup Girl | Paolo Bacigalupi | Adult | biopunk |
| Altered Carbon | Richard K. Morgan | Adult | older sci-fi readers |
| Little Brother | Cory Doctorow | Teen/Adult | readers who like hacking |
| Ready Player One | Ernest Cline | Adult | readers who like games and nostalgia |
| Walkaway | Cory Doctorow | Adult | post-scarcity politics |
| The Circle | Dave Eggers | Adult | readers who like tech dystopia |
| Cloud Atlas | David Mitchell | Adult | readers who like structure |
1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
Case, a washed-up hacker, takes a final job in cyberspace. The book that created cyberpunk.
Best for: readers who like cyberspace.
2. Count Zero by William Gibson
Three separate characters are drawn into a conflict between corporations and strange new beings in the network. A good second step into Gibson's world, with faster pacing than Neuromancer.
Best for: more Gibson.
3. Burning Chrome by William Gibson
A short story collection that includes the title story and Johnny Mnemonic. A quick way to sample the early cyberpunk style and its streetwise tone.
Best for: short cyberpunk.
4. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson
A marketing consultant with an allergy to brands investigates a mysterious series of internet video clips. A modern, stylish thriller set in the early 2000s.
Best for: contemporary Gibson.
5. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
A pizza-delivering hacker named Hiro Protagonist fights a virus that spreads in both the virtual and the real world. Fast, funny and packed with ideas about language and power.
Best for: witty cyberpunk.
6. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
Rick Deckard hunts androids in a ruined future. Short, strange and thoughtful.
Best for: readers who like ideas.
7. A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick
An undercover narcotics agent becomes addicted to the drug he is investigating. Sad, funny and paranoid.
Best for: readers who like sci-fi with edge.
8. Ubik by Philip K. Dick
Reality decays around a team of psychic agents. Strange, funny and paranoid.
Best for: reality-bending.
9. The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
In a future Thailand shaped by climate collapse and bioengineering, a genetically engineered woman is treated as a servant. A dark, vivid and political novel.
Best for: biopunk.
10. Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Takeshi Kovacs is revived in a new body to solve a murder. Violent and inventive cyberpunk.
Best for: older sci-fi readers.
11. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
Marcus, a teen hacker, fights back after the Department of Homeland Security abuses its power. Fast and political.
Best for: readers who like hacking.
12. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Wade Watts hunts for an Easter egg in a virtual world full of 1980s pop culture. Fast and nostalgic.
Best for: readers who like games and nostalgia.
13. Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
People leave society to live in abandoned places. Idealistic and tense.
Best for: post-scarcity politics.
14. The Circle by Dave Eggers
Mae joins a powerful tech company and is drawn into its culture of total transparency. Chilling and satirical.
Best for: readers who like tech dystopia.
15. Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell
Six nested stories across time, each read by the next. Inventive and moving.
Best for: readers who like structure.
How We Chose These Books
Every pick is a real, widely available book that shares something specific with Cyberpunk: its tone, its themes, its pace or the kind of characters it puts at the center. We mixed well-known favorites with a few less obvious titles, and we noted who each book suits best so you can match it to the reader. Where a book belongs to a series, we list the first volume so you can start at the beginning.
If you are not sure where to begin, start with the first three picks in the table: they are the closest match to Cyberpunk. The rest of the list moves further out, so it works well once you know which part of the original you liked most.
How to Choose
For the foundations, read Neuromancer or Count Zero. For modern cyberpunk, try Snow Crash. For noir, pick Blade Runner's source, Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is cyberpunk?
A genre of dark, high-tech science fiction.
Who started it?
William Gibson, with Neuromancer in 1984, is a key figure.
Where do I start?
With Neuromancer.
Which book here is best for readers who like structure?
Try Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, which suits readers looking for readers who like structure.
Which book here is best for readers who like tech dystopia?
Try The Circle by Dave Eggers, which suits readers looking for readers who like tech dystopia.
Which book here is best for post-scarcity politics?
Try Walkaway by Cory Doctorow, which suits readers looking for post-scarcity politics.