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comment by OftenBen
OftenBen  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·    ·  parent  ·  post: Let's create a list of essential scifi books

The thing that I like about it is that it perfectly captures this wild-wild west feeling in biotech during the 80's and 90's. I think our expectations of genetic engineering and different kinds of 'consumer biologicals' are far more realistic now, and we've lost a lot of the wonder associated with this kind of science.





user-inactivated  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

If you like that, you should check out The Windup Girl.

tehstone  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I have yet to find any other books that compared to The Windup Girl, it was a great read.

kleinbl00  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Neuromancer was Windup Girl 30 years ago. The cultural aspects of it, with a heapin' helpin' of Cold War Paranoia, are the basis of Islands in the Net by Bruce Sterling (also 30 years old).

That's why I recommended Windup Girl - it's one of the few books out there that isn't older than everybody reading this.

tehstone  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I started Neuromancer and just could NOT get into it.

kleinbl00  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

I won't force you. My wife didn't dig it much either. Gibson is decidedly cold, but so's Bacigalupi in my opinion.

OftenBen  ·  3365 days ago  ·  link  ·  

Beat you to that one I'm afraid. It was a really fun read.