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44th out of 493 books
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326 voters
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Hardwired (Hardwired #1)
Hardwired features high-tech thrills and unforgettable heroes in the great tradition of William Gibson's Neuromancer. According to Locus, Hardwired is Walter Jon Williams's "best book to date".
Ex-fighter pilot Cowboy, "hardwired" via skull sockets directly to his lethal electronic hardware, teams up with Sarah, an equally cyborized gun-for-h...more
Ex-fighter pilot Cowboy, "hardwired" via skull sockets directly to his lethal electronic hardware, teams up with Sarah, an equally cyborized gun-for-h...more
Paperback, 257 pages
Published
December 6th 2006
by Night Shade Books
(first published 1986)
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This classic piece of cyberpunk's history is all style over substance.
That sounds like criticism, but its not. Its style _over_ substance, not style instead of substance. There's a plot here, and its interesting enough, but its not the point. The point is the flash of neon on chrome and the sound of alcohol-fueled turbines drowning out the chatter of miniguns. Its raw and elegant. I liked the story, but if you're still reading to find out what happens next instead of _how_ it happ...more
That sounds like criticism, but its not. Its style _over_ substance, not style instead of substance. There's a plot here, and its interesting enough, but its not the point. The point is the flash of neon on chrome and the sound of alcohol-fueled turbines drowning out the chatter of miniguns. Its raw and elegant. I liked the story, but if you're still reading to find out what happens next instead of _how_ it happ...more
71 out of 100 for 2010
Honest and for true, this is the best novel to come out of the Cyberpunk movement; every time I read it I pick up on more layers-the way Williams uses myth, the ethical dilemmas the characters face, the postmodernity of the way much of the novel "lives" in the cultural referents of film and other Southwestern novels . . . really an amazing novel.
The novel has two protagonists, Cowboy, a former fighter pilot, and Sarah, a street smart "...more
Honest and for true, this is the best novel to come out of the Cyberpunk movement; every time I read it I pick up on more layers-the way Williams uses myth, the ethical dilemmas the characters face, the postmodernity of the way much of the novel "lives" in the cultural referents of film and other Southwestern novels . . . really an amazing novel.
The novel has two protagonists, Cowboy, a former fighter pilot, and Sarah, a street smart "...more
One of the best cyberpunk classics. For fans of the genre, there is very little new here -- it hits upon all of the tropes -- but the author is a great writer who manages to make his prose poetic without being obscure (as Gibson often is). The author's understanding of technology is thorough enough to paint a post-apocalyptic world with a fair amount of realistic detail, and without resorting to excessive techno-babble.
The real strength of the novel is the characters. Cowboy and...more
The real strength of the novel is the characters. Cowboy and...more
I really liked This Is Not A Game and its sequel Deep State, but hadn't read anything else by Walter Jon Williams. Hardwired was the oldest book the library had and it was very different. Stylistically it was cyberpunk, not a genre I particularly go for. Basically an after the day, corporate domination of the world from orbital space setting up a Damnation Alley blockade run. Lots of drugs, lots of violence, bunches of ideas though - a semi-okay read - not really what I was looking for. Cal...more
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Stephen
rated it
2.0 to 2.5 stars. I really struggled with how to go about rating/reviewing this book as I think it is probably better than a 2 star book and yet I can’t quite say that “I like it” enough to give it 3 stars. As I thought about it, I decided that I could either “round up” to 3 stars and then spend my review basically trashing the story or I could stick with 2 stars and try to be more balanced in my assessment. In the end, “Balance” won.
Written in 1986, this early cybe...more
Note: I just re-read this, and decided to give it an extra star. It's slick and fast and I still like the characters. Big fun from one of the seminal cyberpunk novels
Though it involves a somewhat dark vision of earth's future, Hardwired is a fun, fast-moving cyberpunk thriller featuring flawed heroes.
Considered one of the novels that jump-started the cyberpunk movement (and released not long after William Gibson's Neuromancer helped cyberpunk achieve mainstream status), Hardw...more
Though it involves a somewhat dark vision of earth's future, Hardwired is a fun, fast-moving cyberpunk thriller featuring flawed heroes.
Considered one of the novels that jump-started the cyberpunk movement (and released not long after William Gibson's Neuromancer helped cyberpunk achieve mainstream status), Hardw...more
More than anything else, Hardwired has shown me how bad the author wants to be William Gibson. To Walter Jon William's credit, who doesn't?
Hardwired takes place sometime in the more distant than not future. The Earth is not doing well. The oceans have rise, pollution is rampant, and the nations that are left standing have balkanized. From low earth orbit, the Orbitals, a group of spaceborne corporations, are calling the shots. Governments answer to them as they have the ulitmate in a...more
Hardwired takes place sometime in the more distant than not future. The Earth is not doing well. The oceans have rise, pollution is rampant, and the nations that are left standing have balkanized. From low earth orbit, the Orbitals, a group of spaceborne corporations, are calling the shots. Governments answer to them as they have the ulitmate in a...more
You know the bit in Species where Natasha Henstridge sticks her tongue down Anthony Guidera's throat and out through the back of his head? It won the 1996 MTV Movie Award for Best Kiss, admittedly against a fairly weak field - Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls was a nominee. But all the same.
Anyway, what I wanted to say was: if you liked that scene, then you'll probably like Hardwired too. Just my little tip for the day.
Anyway, what I wanted to say was: if you liked that scene, then you'll probably like Hardwired too. Just my little tip for the day.
It's interesting to read dystopian novels from the 80s to see which parts of the future are no longer going concerns 20 years on, and which still are. Oil depletion and global warming still are, but nobody looks for a phone booth anymore. This was a fun read, although one does get tired of books that subscribe to the "only one girl" rule of characterization.
Cyberpunk. Weird... I have bought this book at least 3 times, the last two were stolen years apart. I found it at this great used bookstore and just reread it!! Even better, more relevant now. Cowboy and Sarah take you on a wild ride thru this incredible future with sex trade and drugs out in the open and technology that may very well be on the way!
I bought this novel when it first came out in 1986--the apex of the cyberpunk movement. I wanted to see what this sub-genre was all about & I found it to be as exciting as the key-tar was to New Wave Music. One reviewer summed it up as complete "style over substance" & I think this hits the nail on the head.
The characters were one dimensional & I was incredibly bored with the book. So bored in fact it just solidified my whole hatred for the cyberpunk movement--the "to...more
The characters were one dimensional & I was incredibly bored with the book. So bored in fact it just solidified my whole hatred for the cyberpunk movement--the "to...more
I have had this book on my shelf for ten years. I don't know why I waited to read this book.
I enjoy cyberpunk novels. This has all the ingredients of a cyberpunk novel. Evil Corporations, Implants, Cybernetics, Drugs and the Anti-Hero.
Williams has captured the internal struggle between the common man and "the man", aka the people with the power.
I found it hard to put the book down. The story starts off slow but then slams into to you with full for...more
I enjoy cyberpunk novels. This has all the ingredients of a cyberpunk novel. Evil Corporations, Implants, Cybernetics, Drugs and the Anti-Hero.
Williams has captured the internal struggle between the common man and "the man", aka the people with the power.
I found it hard to put the book down. The story starts off slow but then slams into to you with full for...more
My favorite cyberpunk book (I enjoyed it much more than Neuromancer). Even though some of the technology is a bit dated (lack of cell phones) I still find the story holds up well.
I read this way back in high school and I remember it being less cyberpunk and more adventure tale with some cyberpunk elements to it. Still, it was fun and I don't regret picking it up. Again, good for when you have nothing better to read.
A classic of early cyberpunk that I've long neglected. I've got this one and the sequel, Voice of the Whirlwind. Early cyberpunk was so much better...
I don't remember a lot about this book, but I do have a very vivid picture of the way Sarah assassinates the guy in the first few chapters.
I found this action fiction hard to put down. I really must read some more of this fellow's books.
This is a cutting edge novel with a fabulous ending and a hard core story
one of the original works of the genre it set high standards
Effing great cyberpunk - needs to be made into a movie.
Neuromancer Americana
A fun read, a science fiction 'heavy metal' novel, set in a futuristic postwar america where the huge orbiting corporations rule, and man is literally 'hardwired' to his technology. The writing is fast-paced, the tone is dark and the story is gripping. It's apparently considered to be one of the three 'founding' cyberpunk novels, along with William Gibson's Neuromancer and Bruce Sterling's 'The Artificial Kid'. Definitely worth a read. If you like dark foreboding rollercoaster scifi novels that ...more
I'm usually not one for cyberpunk but Hardwired was simply brilliant. The writing is top-notch with incredibly beautiful and detailed descriptions of even the most mundane things. There is a sense of urgency throughout the book, and the story leaves you with a great feeling in the end. This was an excellent introduction to Walter Jon Williams for me and I'd recommend it to anyone who likes cyberpunk, sci-fi, or just literary greatness.
This is a good selection if you like the cyber-punk genre of scifi. Williams adds his own twist on the type by incorporating a western theme as part of his story. It still has alot of the urban computer tech stuff of all the good cyber-punk stories. The man characters are familar but still they grab your sympathy and you want them to succeed. If you like the genre you will enjoy this story as I did.
Damn.
Another worthwhile effort in horizon stretching. This effort spawned by having read a story in Frankensteins and Foreign Devils that bridges this with Voice of the Whirlwind. Looks like all these years of trying and then trying again are starting to pay off. It makes me wonder what else my persnickety brain has made me miss out on.
Another worthwhile effort in horizon stretching. This effort spawned by having read a story in Frankensteins and Foreign Devils that bridges this with Voice of the Whirlwind. Looks like all these years of trying and then trying again are starting to pay off. It makes me wonder what else my persnickety brain has made me miss out on.
Classic cyberpunk themes and style. This book drips style and cyberpunk sensibility. I liked it for what it was. Cyberpunk tends to age poorly, and this book is no exception. Something of a workmanlike novel, professional but not inspired. Williams can, and has, done better than this.
Hardcore cyberpunk about a smuggler and a bodyguard. Absolutely a crazy maniacal read and quite impressive.
A top notch cyber punk thriller with plenty of military SF added in. A great book. I highly recommend it.
Excellent Cyberpunkt, fast paced action, won't let you sit idle while reading. A definitive recommendation.
This had ALOT of potential, but the end was a bit underwhelming...
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Walter Jon Williams has published twenty novels and short fiction collections. Most are science fiction or fantasy -Hardwired, Voice of the Whirlwind, Aristoi, Metropolitan, City on Fire to name just a few - a few are historical adventures, and the most recent, The Rift, is a disaster novel in which "I just basically pound a part of the planet down to bedrock." And that's just the openin...more
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