Getting Started in the Cyberpunk Genre: Top Books to Read

[This is an updated version of a script for one of my YouTube videos, which can be found here.]

The cyberpunk genre is one of my favorite genres, not only in books but also in visual media. I love the aesthetic you typically see within this genre in games like Cyberpunk 2077 and Deus Ex. And, of course, I love the movies and TV that delve into this genre as well, like The Matrix, Blade Runner, Edgerunners, Altered Carbon, and so much more.

In this article, I will go over three essential cyberpunk reads to get started within the genre. I’ll also mention a couple of honorable mentions that you can check out as well if you are really digging this genre.

Now, when it comes to books, I know there is a fluid definition of cyberpunk. So, for the purpose of this article, I’m going to use a very simple definition of high-tech and low-life.

So, what are my 3 essential picks for this genre?

1. Neuromancer by William Gibson
2. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
3. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick

Each of these 3 books can be considered cyberpunk, but I can tell you that each read is an entirely different experience.

So, if you’re ready, let’s dive into it.

High Tech & Low Life

What does this even mean? To expand on this a little bit, cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction that focuses on high-tech, such as AI, cybernetic body modifications, virtual reality, and other computer-based technology that is commonplace in society. Lowlife means a decaying dystopian world filled with vandals, outcasts, and, in other words…punks! These individuals are usually fighting a losing battle against an elite few vying for control or ruling corporations that are only growing. 

Neuromancer, Snow Crash, and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep fit within this definition, but what are their similarities, what are their differences, and most importantly, what can you expect to find in your read-through?

Neuromancer

I first wanted to start with the book that pioneered the genre Neuromancer by William Gibson. This book was published in the 1980s when the concept of the internet and computers was still pretty unknown to many people.

This book even popularized the word “cyberspace,” which is now a core component in many cyberpunk books and media. Cyberspace refers to the data-driven landscape we know as virtual reality, which is becoming increasingly mainstream in our world today.

So Neuromancer…high tech and low life? Yes, absolutely. Both of these elements play a huge role in the story.

So, what is Neuromancer all about?

In this story, we follow our main character, Case, a cyber cowboy and hacker who is recruited into a group to infiltrate a heavily guarded corporation within cyberspace and confront a rouge AI.

Many of these words, like hacker, AI, and cyberspace, are pretty common today, but this book came out at a time when this concept was unheard of, so this story was way ahead of its time.

But this sounds like a storyline that could fit in Cyberpunk 2077s narrative.

The world-building in this book is pushed to the absolute max, immersing you into a gritty neon-drenched world that feels very similar to Night City in Cyberpunk 2077. What’s funny is that there is a city in Neuromancer called Night City.

Technology surrounds you on almost every page, from cybernetic implants, beauty enhancers, cyberdecks that transport you into cyberspace, holographic projections, and so much more.

I really enjoyed reading this book, and I can’t wait to re-read it soon and get into the sequels within this series, which is called The Sprawl. Also, this book is only 250 pages, so it’s not a huge commitment if you want to try it out.

One thing I do want to note, though, is that it did take me a little bit to really get into this story. I re-read the first 50 pages about three times to fully grasp what was being said.

Snow Crash

The next book I want to mention is Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. Is this another story about high-tech and lowlife? Yes, yes, it is.

Snow Crash was an absolute wild ride for me, especially for our main protagonist. And uh… guess what? Our main protagonist’s name is Hiro Protagonist. It’s not an easily forgettable character name.

In this story, we follow Hiro, a freelance hacker who also delivers pizza for the mafia, who happens upon a virus that can potentially throw society into chaos.

Yeah, a lot is going on here!

This book is another example of a story being ahead of its time in terms of the virtual reality landscape, known in this story as the Metaverse. Sound familiar? This book came out in the early 90s, but it described many of the virtual chat rooms we see today, like VR Chat, Facebook’s Metaverse…, and more soon to come.

This story heavily focuses on the genre’s corporate ruling element, where huge corporations put humans’ needs on the back burner and are simply out for more power and profits.

This story also heavily focuses on linguistics, specifically how language shapes reality and virtual reality. I really enjoyed this component of the story, as I love it when language is used to further a narrative. I have always found it interesting that language plays a part in almost all aspects of society.

Of course, technology is another strong focus, with virtual reality, skateboard wheels that adapt to the ground, robot killing dogs, body modifications, and more.

I also loved reading this book and would highly recommend it if you are a fan of satirical writing, as there is a lot of it.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

My next pick has to be Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick. Now, this story is sometimes debated if it’s really “cyberpunk,” but I think the best way to describe it is alpha or proto cyberpunk.

This story was cyberpunk before the term became popular from Neuromancer. Also, as an FYI for anyone who doesn’t know, this book inspired the movie Blade Runner, directed by Ridley Scott.

So, does Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep have high tech and lowlife?

Once again, yes!

One of the main components of this story is AI, in terms of androids trying to live their lives outside the enslavement humans place on them. Also, this heavily delves into the dystopian element we find common within the genre, where decay surrounds almost all society on Earth, which is ever-growing with kibble or dust.

Just like in the Blade Runner movie, we follow our main character, Rick Deckard, a bounty hunter who is on the lookout for rogue androids that “pose” a threat to society. It’s his job to “retire” them.

This book is by far the most existential of the three, making you constantly question what it means to be human. There is also a huge religious component of this story that can be interpreted and experienced in multiple ways. There is also a big sensational expose within this story that helps explore ethical and philosophical issues of religion, empathy, and survival.

Something that I thought was interesting is that if you haven’t read the book yet and only watched the movie, you would expect the same environment in terms of gritty neon-drenched streets filled with ads everywhere, but this really was not the case in the book. Gritty, yes! Just not what you see visually in the movie that we expect for something to be “cyberpunk.”

In my opinion, these are the 3 essential cyberpunk reads, and each story is unique.

The overarching element that most stood out to me in each of these stories was actually different.

For Neuromancer, it was immersion.

For Snow Crash, it was character-driven.

For Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, it was thought-provoking big ideas.

Now, what you get out of these stories could be different.

Honorable Mentions

Cyberpunk 2077: No Coincidence by Rafał Kosik takes place in the Cyberpunk 2077 universe but could be read without playing the game. This is a heist-based, action-packed story that delves into almost all the cyberpunk elements we talked about earlier. I really enjoyed reading this story, and if you enjoyed the game at all, I think you would love this book.

My next honorable mention is Thrill Switch by Tim Hawken, which is a self-published cyberpunk thriller about a detective on the hunt for somebody who is on a killing spree, ending the lives of people who are jacked into the virtual reality landscape known as The Holos.

I also have an interview with Hawken on my channel, which you can check out here.

36 Streets by T.R. Napper is an award-winning cyberpunk novel that takes place in a futuristic Vietnam. Full of grit and neon, we follow Lin Thi Vu, an alcohol-addicted gangster, while she’s in the middle of a murder mystery while dealing with complex family dynamics. Plus, there’s an addictive and traumatic VR simulation spreading throughout the city called Fat Victory that might have an underlying purpose.

You can find an interview I had with Napper here.

These were fantastic reads, and I highly recommend that you pick any one of them.

And just like that, we have 6 fantastic cyberpunk books to get you started in the genre. Also, I have to plug it here: I also ventured into the cyberpunk genre with my debut novel, Falling Into Oblivion, coming out in October 2024.

This is a cyberpunk thriller about a detective trying to make ends meet for his family. It touches on many of the tropes and themes you expect to see in the cyberpunk genre, with some twists, of course. Vicious droids, mega corps, brutal gangs, cyber dragons, and more.

I aimed to capture the essence of the lengths people will go to in order to provide for and protect their loved ones. In the story, we follow our main character, Sol Harkones, a detective for the Nox City Police Department. You, as the reader, are dropped into the middle of an ongoing investigation into somebody installing defective or counterfeit modifications that cause people to become permanently brain-dead.

If this sounds interesting, you can check out the book here or follow me on any of my social media accounts. And remember, modifications come at a price…

Hope you enjoyed the article, and happy reading!

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