Interstellar: A Science Fiction Guide

● Cyberpunk

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Sub-genre #8 : Cyberpunk

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What is Cyberpunk?

Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, noted for its focus on "high tech and low life" and taking its name from the combination of cybernetics and punk. It featured advanced technology such as computers or information technology coupled with some degree of breakdown in the social order.

"Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous data sphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body."

Cyberpunk plots often center on a conflict among hackers, artificial intelligences, and megacorporations, and tend to be set in a near-future Earth, rather than the far-future settings or galactic vistas found in novels such as Isaac Asimov's Foundation or Frank Herbert's Dune. Much of the genre's atmosphere echoes film noir, and written works in the genre often use techniques from detective fiction.