SOLVED. 80's MG Sci Fi about downloading information into our brains. [s]

[Adam]

Hello all, I am trying to find a book I enjoyed as a pre-teen in the late 1980's. The book was set in the future, and involved a social structure in which the privileged classes had access to a learning method in which information was downloaded through a cable directly into their brains (kind of like in the Matrix or Johnny Mnemonic). That is the only thing I remember for sure.

It seems like there was a caveat to the learning method where if it was done too quickly, there was risk of brain damage, but one of the main characters got "addicted" to the method and wanted to learn more and more quickly.

I don't remember too much more about the book but I would love to find it again, I know this isn't much to go on but I appreciate anyone who takes the time to look at this.

Thanks!

[Diane]

I think you mean Tad Williams' book Otherland Volume One "City of Golden Shadow" . It begins with children who become addicted to the net. There was something called a canula attached physically to them that held them captive in virtual reality. Do the names John Dread, Felix Jongleur or The Grail Brotherhood sound familiar to you? Even if it isn't the book your looking for I really found it interesting. There are four other books as this was a series.

[Lisa]

Here is Dianes suggestion. Otherland: The City of Golden Shadow

[Adam]

Diane and Lisa, thank you for that suggestion but that is not what I am looking for, City of Golden Shadow was published in 1997, several years later than the one I am looking for (I read the book in the 80's). That also looks like a book intended for an older audience- mine was more of a pre-teen/early teen type book. I'm pretty sure it was in my school library.

[Kris]

A guess - Dream Bite by Ken Catran?

Adam, what did people learn when downloading? Did it include martial arts? Where they referred to as computer games?

Did people get trapped in a virtual reality environment? Or was the risk limited to brain damage?

[Adam]

Hi Kris, thanks for the suggestion, but that's not it either, Dream Bite was published in 1995.

In the book I'm looking for, the information people were downloading wasn't anything like virtual reality or combat type stuff (remember, this was in the 80's and computers were just barely making an appearance in people's homes). It was just regular "book knowledge", but I seem to remember that the technique/hardware, etc. was only available to the privileged classes- it was a luxury. I don't remember any virtual reality elements at all- just a risk of brain damage if the technique was used too much or too fast.

I wish I remembered more about the plot, but the informational download via cable thing stuck with me, and I remember thinking that the information transfer methods in both Johnny Mnemonic and the Matrix both were inspired by this book, as were many others it would appear.

Adam

[Brittany]

My guess is Neuromancer by William Gibson. It was published in 1984. But now that I think of it, it does have drug addiction, which is probably not appropriate for a school library.

[Kym]

Another possibility - Devil on My Back by Monica Hughes?

[Adam]

KYM YOU ROCK THAT IS IT!!!!!!!!!!!!! Devil on my back!

Oh my, reading the reviews for that book it started coming back to me- the "packs" being plugged in, YES!!!!!!!!

Ordered a copy, can't wait to read it again. Thank you so much to everyone who took the time to read this and provide input!

Adam

[Kym]

Glad we could help Adam :)