The Stars My Destination is classic proto-cyberpunk
This might feel like a somewhat obvious recommendation to some, but it flew under my radar until now. Alfred Bester’s The Stars My Destination (originally published as Tiger! Tiger! in the UK) is a 1956 sci-fi novel that some have cited as a precursor to cyberpunk. It’s a work I admit I have some conflicted […]
You need to read the subversive cosmic horror novella The Ballad of Black Tom
Things that H.P. Lovecraft was good at: Creating a mythos. Building atmosphere. Things that H.P. Lovecraft was bad at: Writing dialog. Creating compelling characters. Not being a racist. As a fan of horror in general, I can’t pretend that Lovecraft isn’t an important touchstone. But the man’s blatant racism is also impossible to ignore, especially […]