Cyberpunk Review » The Shockwave Rider

October 23, 2008

The Shockwave Rider

Review By: Mr. Roboto

Author: John Brunner

Year: 1975

Category: Cyberpunk Books; Proto-Cyberpunk Media

The Shockwave Rider

“First we had the legs race. Then we had the arms race. Now we’re going to have the brain race. And, if we’re lucky, the final stage will be the human race.” - Angus Porter

Cyberpunk before cyberpunk. Before the word was ever coined, John Brunner created a world so close to what we now consider to be ‘cyberpunk’ that it needed to be read to be believed. It has a computer network that virtually… and literally… permeates American society, while secret government projects try to squeeze the best minds for all their knowledge to try to monitor a society uprooted by a massive west-coast earthquake. About all that’s missing are the cybernetic implants, although there are bio-engineered people and animals that seem to behave almost human.

What you have is THEE definitive blueprint of cyberpunk, even though nobody knew it for another decade.

 

Synopsis: The Pacific coast finally experiences “The BIG One” that kills millions and displaces millions more leaving them with nothing to live on except welfare. Meanwhile, the rest of the nation is experiencing their own kind of “overload” as varying levels of data access has left some without a permanent residence while the “privileged” live in their own kind of haven. To help cope (or, more like, to exploit) this flux, the US Government, under control of criminal elements, began programs to identify potentially “gifted” students to cultivate their “wisdom” to further the Government’s cause.

Nicholas Kenton “Nickie” Haflinger is the product of this program. His talents were being wasted in a failed education system where intelligence made you a target of gang violence. At the novel’s start, Nickie is back at his old academy at Tarnover where he is about to undergo a form of interrogation where his memories are replayed on a data-analysis system while he is unconscious. When Nickie was awake, he was subjected to further questioning and moral arguments with Paul T. Freeman, who is another of the program’s “graduates” from a place called “The Electric Skillet.”

Between the regression flashbacks and the moral point/counterpoints, we see how Nickie managed to elude the authorities while making a living (several, actually) using the skills he learned at Tarnover… and why he ran away to begin with.

 

Now for the good stuff! So, how did Nickie manage to elude capture for so long? Among his skill-set is the ability to program the data-net using nothing more than a touch-tone phone (PHREAKY!). That, and a high-level access code he stole. With these tools, Nickie was able able to quickly change identities to avoid being captured by creating… wait for it…

WORMS!

That’s right, worms! Those self-propagating programs that hog bandwidth are the result of this book. Nickie programmed his worms to erase all traces of his old identity and to create new ones when needed. He also creates a “super worm” that discloses information that the government has been trying to keep secret.

 

Another proto-cyberpunk classic for your bookshelf. Make some space next to True Names in your library. The Shockwave Rider is a book that must be in your collection.

This post has been filed under Proto-Cyberpunk Media, Cyberpunk Books by Mr. Roboto.

Comments

October 23, 2008

JesterJoker said:

Brunner freaking rocks. The only definitive cyberpunk thing he didn’t include was Japan. :>

It’s one of his three / four Grim Meathook books, the others being Stand on Zanzibar, The Jagged Orbit and The Sheep Look Up.

October 28, 2008

Rupert said:

Hi, my name is Rupert. I am working on a new Sci-fi project called Kirill, in conjunction with Microsoft MSN and Digital Studios (a little digital studio part of Endemol UK). We would really like your opinion and feedback on the project so far.

Why you? Because I have trawled the internet looking for people who we would want to be ‘the audience’ of Kirill, and we think you may well be one of those people
Here is the link to the video introducing the whole concept and explaining a little more: http://www.kirilluncovered.com/?p=16

Please email me back and I’ll send you more info.

Kind Regards,
Rupert
Rupert@kirilluncovered.com

November 21, 2008

Brian Rich said:

One of my all-time favorites! I read it again every few years….

October 2, 2010

Brian Rich said:

Wow the signal-to-noise ratio just plummeted.

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