If there are any good contemporary science fiction books for me to recommend, it would probably be Snow Crash. It neatly blends together a mixture of absurdist post-modernism and clever science fiction, in such a way that you can not be help giggling at the sheer badassery of the scenario.
We're talking about a future where middle class America lives in self-contained 'Burbclaves' with perfectly manicured gardens and guarded from outsiders by power armour wearing thugs. Where the author predicted a virtual reality 'Metaverse' populated by 3d avatars, filled with tasteless displays of wit such as giant anthropomorphic penises; analogous to the anarchy that is the present day internet. Where the main character is a samurai-sword-wielding pizza-delivering half-japanese computer hacker named Hiro Protagonist.
Also worth reading is Cryptonomicom, mainly because of the author's ability to blend together many systems of society, such as finance, legality, and information warfare into a rollicking adventure through the jungles of the Phillipines.
We're talking about a future where middle class America lives in self-contained 'Burbclaves' with perfectly manicured gardens and guarded from outsiders by power armour wearing thugs. Where the author predicted a virtual reality 'Metaverse' populated by 3d avatars, filled with tasteless displays of wit such as giant anthropomorphic penises; analogous to the anarchy that is the present day internet. Where the main character is a samurai-sword-wielding pizza-delivering half-japanese computer hacker named Hiro Protagonist.
Also worth reading is Cryptonomicom, mainly because of the author's ability to blend together many systems of society, such as finance, legality, and information warfare into a rollicking adventure through the jungles of the Phillipines.