Often considered to have been the creation of William Gibson in his seminal novel Neuromancer, the subgenre of cyberpunk can be traced back ito the history of science fiction from the 1950's to the late 1970's, and emerged in reaction to the world of the 1980's. Cyberpunk is a mix of hard science fiction, noir plotting, punk attitude and the cutting edge of culture. At the same time are some of the books open to charges of racism and sexism? Are these just toys for the boys or revolutionary manifestos?

This book looks in detail at the movers and shakers in the cyberpunk movement, from the early days of William Gibson and Bruce Sterling through feminist and British versions of cyberpunk to the post-cyberpunk or cyberpunk-flavoured fictions of Neal Stephenson, Greg Egan, Jeff Noon and Jack Womack. It also examines important cyberpunk films including Blade Runner and The Matrix.