Recommend a Book to go with FS?

[RookStrike]

I can already tell from the beta that I am gonna love FS. I mean, I haven't had this strong an instinctive reaction to a game since 2008's Sins of a Solar Empire. If there is any justice in the video game world, FS will create as big a buzz as that game.

Anyhoo....

Can someone recommend a cyberpunk novel that would make for a good tie-in to Frozen Synapse? The only cyberpunk book I've ever read is the classic Neuromancer. Is there one out there that deals with quasi-military tactical actions like FS?

Thanks!

[Omroth]

What a great question!

I'm a big sci-fi fan, and the following books are all (a) ace and (b) possibly similar in tone.

Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Gibson's other books, like Mona Lisa Overdrive
Against a Dark Background, by Iain M Banks

But, most importantly, the "Jump 225" Trilogy by David Louise Edelman (which starts with "Infoquake") is a little known but completely fantastic and very unusual cyberpunk book.

[RookStrike]

What a great question!

I'm a big sci-fi fan, and the following books are all (a) ace and (b) possibly similar in tone.

Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
Gibson's other books, like Mona Lisa Overdrive
Against a Dark Background, by Iain M Banks

But, most importantly, the "Jump 225" Trilogy by David Louise Edelman (which starts with "Infoquake") is a little known but completely fantastic and very unusual cyberpunk book.

Thanks so much! Now I can get my reading list in order for FS's release.

[DrazharLn]

I would have recommended Neuromancer in an instant! A pitty you've already read it

Also by Banks is Surface Detail which deals with issues related to FS and is also superbular. I would heartily recommend it.
The Diamond Age (aka A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer) by Neal Stephenson is my personal favourite of all his work and is a great cyberpunk novel, possibly my favourite in that genre.
Finally, Accelerando by Charles Stross is both available online for free (legally) and a superb and clear vision of the future. While not cyberpunk per se, it does concern itself with a number of other FS themes.

Omroth, I've added Jump225 to my mental list of books wot I should read, thanks!

P.S. Halting State, also by Stross, not also available for free, also excellent.

[Omroth]

Looks like we have similar reading tastes Draz.

I did find The Diamond Age to be a bit stilted in it's pace... apart from that loved it.

It's not cyberpunk, but my favorite book of all time is China Mieveille's The Scar, which I heartily reccomend.

[RookStrike]

Wow, I just added a lot of new books to my Amazon shopping list thanks to you guys.

I ultimately went with Count Zero just for the fact that it is the sequel to Neuromancer. After that I think I will try Jump 225 or The Quantum Thief, which is getting rave reviews.

[DrazharLn]

Nice to hear, RookStrike.

The first paragraph of The Quantum Thief's blurb:

[spoiler]


Jean le Flambeur is a post-human criminal, mind burglar, confidence artist, and trickster. His origins are shrouded in mystery, but his exploits are known throughout the Heterarchy— from breaking into the vast Zeusbrains of the Inner System to stealing rare Earth antiques from the aristocrats of Mars. Now he’s confined inside the Dilemma Prison, where every day he has to get up and kill himself before his other self can kill him.


[/spoiler]

Sounds like something I'd enjoy. I like trying out new sci-fi authors, but too often I get burnt with boring, uninspired stuff. I like my sci-fi somewhat hard and with some good characterization. The worst ones (and the ones I seem to get about half the time I just pick a new author at Waterstones) are the ones that have a society like our society now but have space ships. As if massive increase computational ability and technological capacity would leave society unchanged! It's just daft.

Even authors like Heinlein had future society be shaped differently, despite failing to predict the huge rise of computers.

EDIT: That said, I enjoyed Firefly, and that doesn't have the most inspired of settings (wild-west in SPAAAACE, if you haven't seen it).

[DrazharLn]

Let's compare notes

Some of my favourite authors (in no particular order):
Iain M. Banks
Iain Banks (Yeah, I know they're the same guy)
Charles Stross
Alastair Reynolds
William Gibson
Neal Stephenson
Robert Heinlein (Despite his views on women, homosexuals, bisexuals etc; the books are artefacts of their time, in that regard)
Larry Niven (though just for Ringworld, I haven't read any of his other stuff)
Dan Abnett (For when I want some good action sci-fi)
Terry Pratchett

There are some others that I really like, but I tend to forget their names.

Some of my favourite books:
Consider Phlebas, The Player of Games, Transition, Surface Detail - all by Banks
Everything that Alastair Reynolds has written ever.
Singularity Sky, Saturn's Child, Accelerando, Halting State and the Laundry series - by Stross
Neuromancer - Gibson
A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer, The Cryptonomicon - Stephenson
Stranger in a Strange Land - Heinlein (though I am still 200 pages short of the end of this super extended edition I'm reading, so no spoilers)

[Omroth]

Peter F Hamilton is noticably missing from those lists!

[DrazharLn]

Hmm, I've read a couple of Hamilton's novels, but I never got round to reading the last book of the Night's Dawn Trilogy. I liked them, but I haven't read anything by him in a while (years).

[dinhdai88]

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[Kasztanek]

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[Kasztan]

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[abisha99]

Wow, I just added a lot of new books to my Amazon shopping list thanks to you guys.

I ultimately went with Count Zero just for the fact that it is the sequel to Neuromancer. After that I think I will try Jump 225 or The Quantum Thief, which is getting rave reviews.

Hi,

Can you please share the Amazon shopping link?

[Gandalf8]

Hi abisha99,

you asked:

Can you please share the Amazon shopping link?

Actually, you already quoted it in your reply post. Just click on the link "The Quantum Thief".

CU, Gandalf8