Neuromancer

The novel is considered by many to be the first proper cyberpunk novel.

Set in a dystopic, plausible, all-too-near-future, this book explored ideas such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, multinational corporations dominating the world at the expense of the nation-state, and cyberspace (a computer network called the matrix) long before these ideas were fashionable in popular culture. Gibson also suggested the dehumanizing effects of a world dominated by ubiquitous and cheap technology, where violence and the free market are the only things that one can rely upon.

Reference: William Gibson, Neuromancer, published by Ace Books, ISBN 0441569595

External Links

• Study Guide for Neuromancer by Paul Brians of Washington State University (http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~brians/science_fiction/neuromancer)