Who Would Like This Book:
If you love gritty, high-octane cyberpunk with a dose of post-apocalyptic badassery, "Hardwired" is an essential pick. The world is packed with dogfights, cybernetic upgrades, and a dystopian vibe that's iconic for the genre. Think: maverick mercenaries, heavy hardware, and a pair of leads - Cowboy and Sarah - who feel genuinely real and compelling. Fans of early cyberpunk, military sci-fi, and anyone into dystopian action with well-fleshed-out characters will find a lot to enjoy here.
Who May Not Like This Book:
If you’re not a fan of military-style action, 1980s sci-fi vibes, or you’re looking for deep, philosophical musings on technology, this one might leave you cold. Some readers have called out dated elements - like the way phones work - and felt that certain cyberpunk tropes (now common) feel predictable if you’re familiar with the genre. There’s also early-era problematic representation and a few scenes that might put off modern readers.
About:
Hardwired by Walter Jon Williams is a cyberpunk thriller that presents a somewhat dark vision of earth's future. The novel details the attempts of a few individuals to remain free in a world dominated by evil human overlords and new technology. Set in a post-apocalyptic urban cyberpunk landscape with elements of military SF and western, the book follows deeply flawed heroes navigating through inhuman circumstances and engaging in high-octane adventures.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include instances of violence, outdated representations of transgender individuals, and may contain some dark themes common in dystopian fiction.
Has Romance?
The romance in Hardwired is present yet understated, focusing on a realistic progression built on respect and friendship.
From The Publisher:
ears ago, the last desperate hopes of Earth were crushed as corporate Orbital blocs ruling from on high devastated the planet's face. Today, the autocratic Orbitals indulge in decadent luxury far above the mudboys, dirtgirls, zonedancers, and buttonheads who live out violent lives of electronic distraction and dependence amid the flooded, ruined cities and teeming slums of a balkanized America.
But there are heroes; those who would stand against the Orbital powers and keep freedom's cause alive. Two such heroes are the metal-eyed ex-fighter pilot turned panzer-driver Cowboy, and Sarah, the cybernetic assassin desperate to find a better life for her drug-addicted brother. Together, Cowboy and Sarah embark on a high-octane odyssey across the shattered face of the American west.
From Walter Jon Williams comes Hardwired, the hard-hitting, seminal classic that feels as prescient today as when it was first published. Like a steel-guitar fueled Damnation Alley, as directed by Sam Peckinpah, Hardwired demonstrates how Williams's singular vision helped defined the cyberpunk genre.
Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.
Ratings (6)
Incredible (2) | |
Loved It (2) | |
It Was OK (1) | |
Did Not Like (1) |
Reader Stats (24):
Read It (6) | |
Want To Read (8) | |
Not Interested (10) |
1 comment(s)
Got most of the way through then realized this book is really boring. Needs more tank delivery dude, less sad lady and her sad brother.
What can you read after
Hardwired?
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