I'm looking for something that preserves that rebellious spirit of "The Invisibles", "Snow Crash" or "The Matrix". I don't care much about the setting as long as things are well thought out and it's not "edge for the sake of edge" but there's actual layers of social and economic commentary.
Something that says "yes the world sucks often, people many times suck, but it's also worth doing something to make it better in spite of the challenge."
by AffectionateSet9043
5 Comments
Try *After the Revolution* by Robert Evans.
The City & the City by China Miéville. A story set in two overlapping cities with distinct cultures and legal systems.
The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin. Set in a future where two planets represent contrasting social and political systems, a physicist seeks to bridge the divide.
These Fragile Graces, This Fugitive Heart by Izzy Wasserstein
A Song for a New Day by Sarah Pinsker
Running Close to the Wind by Alexandra Rowland
Neuromancer by William Gibson
Pet by Akwaeke Emezi
A Half Built Garden by Ruthanna Emerys
And, if you want more books that fit your “the world can suck but we can try to make it better” try searching for “hopepunk”
Walkaway by Cory Doctorow
We Are Satellites by Sarah Pinsker. It takes a while for the punk elements to show up. They only appear in the story >!once the daughter grows up.!<
Infomocracy by Malka Older
Blackfish City by Sam J. Miller. Great found family.
The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson. It’s not directly connected to Snow Crash at all, but I like to think it’s set in the future of the world after Snow Crash.
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin
The Galaxy and the Ground Within by Becky Chambers. This is space opera but it definitely has some social commentary and says “the world and people suck but it’s worth doing something.”