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Grinder
QUOTE (Fortune)
Yay! I was right! Yet again! biggrin.gif

Master, I apologize for not showing the approbiate level of respect that you deserve beacuse of you age and knowledge. biggrin.gif

I was assuming that he isn't a guard 'cause the thought that he's guarding in a maximum security prison and can post at the same time was so... strange.
Wounded Ronin
I've actually started reading Neuromancer for the first time. When I've completed reading it I may perhaps understand cyberpunk a little better.

That being said I'm glad that Neuromancer has shuriken in it. I'm sure that the damage code for the shuriken is 2D.
hobgoblin
cyberpunk have moved a bit since neuromancer. hell, maybe a better word would be mutated?
that is, if it had a defined form at all at any one time...
Wounded Ronin
A few thoughts about Neuromancer.

1.) How can Gibson possibly claim that elves and trolls from SR make him sick when he writes a character who can conjure illusions? That's just as fantasy magicey.

2.) Molly's fingernails clearly have a damage code of more than L.

3.) Speaking of Molly, I like how she encounters Case, tells him that he's an okay guy for a chapter or two, and then the next thing we know she's inserting parts of him into her labia. WTF? What kind of person, especially a former bunraku puppet who had had disturbing experiences in line with that profession (i.e. the nightmares) would find some skinny drug addicted con man who is going to die of natural causes in about a year on the street and then start having sex with that person?
Mercer
One who wants to sell books?

I mean, self-destructive sexual promiscuity is a symptom of sexual abuse. If years of listening to LoveLines taught me anything, it taught me that. (There would always be at least one call where a 14 year old would be calling up complaining her 22 year old boyfriend won't have sex with her unless they're both doing coke and Adam and Dr. Drew would always make a detailed guess of the type of abuse that would generally turn out to be eeriely accurate. I miss that show.)
Wounded Ronin
Wow. I should have listened to Lovelines.

Another question regarding cyberpunk came into my mind: is Alien 2 cyberpunk? There appears to be an evil corporation, the Weyland Yutani corp. I don't know if it's supposed to be an asian corporation of not. There's dark and drab colors. The Marines are living in sterotypical negative conditions complete with an incompetent lieutentant right out of the Vietnam War; is their lifestyle dystopic? Life is cheap, tech levels are high, but the tech doesn't actually help the little man survive. The corporation controlls the Marines and sends them on a suicide mission and they can't refuse.
SonofaSailor
I'd say aliens 2 has some cyperpunk influences to it for sure.

When you're finished with Neuromancer I highly recommend Snow Crash. If you read any other cyperpunk novels, read Snow Crash.
Wounded Ronin
QUOTE (SonofaSailor)
I'd say aliens 2 has some cyperpunk influences to it for sure.

When you're finished with Neuromancer I highly recommend Snow Crash. If you read any other cyperpunk novels, read Snow Crash.

Yeah, people have said good things about Snow Crash. I'll check it out.
eidolon
Snow Crash is very different from Neuromancer. Just a friendly warning. I almost returned it to the library after the first chapter, but it gets much better after that, and is quite good. I particularly like the way the "matrix" is portrayed in it.
WhiskeyMac
Snow Crash is much better than Neuromancer, however, it's more of a cerebral read than Neuromancer. The Matrix was portrayed great and the dystopic atmosphere is also portrayed excellently. Heck, the dollar is so de-valued that they deal in 10s of thousands for low-end deals.
Mercer
Aliens I would say qualifies. (I mean, its sci-fi, but if the Cyber-Cinema Classics can stretch itself to include Predator, Batman and The Crow, Aliens is an easy reach.) Alien might be more cyberpunky, since the whole crew is being used as fodder and food for something (an insect spirit, making it perhaps more Shadowrunny than CP. Also, uh, spoiler?)

eidolon
QUOTE (WhiskeyMac)
Snow Crash is much better than Neuromancer, however, it's more of a cerebral read than Neuromancer. The Matrix was portrayed great and the dystopic atmosphere is also portrayed excellently. Heck, the dollar is so de-valued that they deal in 10s of thousands for low-end deals.

Eh, I'm not going to argue opinion with you. They're both good, just different.

I made the mistake of starting Snow Crash with preset notions of how it should have been, based on having read Neuromancer and Burning Chrome first. I just didn't want WR to think he was in for more Gibson, when Snow Crash is assuredly not that.
Kingmaker
My understanding is that Stephenson was deliberately poking fun at more traditional cyberpunk, because it took itself too seriously.
kzt
Ya Think? Hiro Protagonist?
mfb
Stephenson's like Weird Al in that regard. he makes fun of things by doing them fantastically better than their originators.
imperialus
a bit of a tangent here but I found a new book that cyberpunk aficionados might enjoy. It's a recent release and I'm only about 30 pages in, but so far it reads very much like Gibson.

Electric Church

Not only that but his website http://the-electric-church.com/ is pretty damn cool.
hobgoblin
well it got one hell of a cover, thats for sure...
Gamble
I just got finished reading The Electric Church and I have to say it kicks ass. Has a more gritty Noir type theme to it but very cyberpunkish in the dystopia type of way. A must read and highly recommended.
Kronk2
I know this is a little off topic, but I really like the way the Dresden Files handles magic. Very shadowy. very cool.
kzt
Yes it does. Sadly it's hugely easier to do that in a book than in an RPG.
Gamble
I just visited the Electric Church's website and it's a little creepy seeing the "Brother" sitting there in the chat room. Just a little creepy...cool nonetheless.
Kronk2
Seems like a good book. I'll have to check it out.
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