Welcome to the future where flying cars, neon lights, cyber enhanced humans dominate the skies and streets. Large screens cover buildings, artificial intelligence and cybernetics come to life.
This annotated bibliography will show books that have been made into shows or movies and books who have heavily inspired films that we are worth reading and watching.
Thursday, June 11, 2020
Akira
Publisher: Dark Horse, 2000
Annotation:
The book takes place in Tokyo Japan 2019 after the city was destroyed in World War 3 from dropping atomic bombs on Tokyo by the Japanese government. The book follows a bike gang leader Kaneda who finds himself caught up with the government and supernatural forces.
The pacing of the graphic novel is a mix it has its slower moments like building up the intensity of the story as well as its fact paced elements having a lot of dialogue. The story line exerts a psychological feel when reading with the tone of the story being gritty and foreboding.
This manga was eventually made into a animated movie in June 1991, The manga was organically published in 1984.
For more Information:
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Battle Angel Alita
Publisher: BIZ Media LLC, 1995
Annotation:
This book is set several centuries in the future A cybernetic doctor by the name of Diasuke Ido one day finds a head a head of a cyborg in a scrapyard and decides to rebuild the cyborg naming her Alita. She can’t remember anything or what happened to her the only clue she has is her instinct for fighting. She now on the journey to uncover her past and truly know where, what and who she is.
The pacing of the book is fact with characters being quickly revealed and has flashbacks. The story line emphasis on situation and events that happened within the book, the book has a rich background within its universe which gives the book a more detailed world.
This manga/ Graphic novel was adapted into a film in 2019
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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Author: Philip K. Dick
Publisher: February 26th 2008 by Ballantine Books
Annotation:
Set in San Francisco in 2021 in a world where nuclear destruction and World War has caused the world to plunge into darkness with radioactive dust covering the entire world. Science has prevailed and have created human like androids almost impossible to recognise them as androids. Rick Deckard a police officer is tasked to seek out and deactivate rogue androids living among the humans.
The book published originally in 1968 was the bases for the critically acclaimed 1982 “Blade Runner” which has been a cult classic to this day.
The books gives a great perspective of the characters having a good descriptive nature to the book as well as good dialog between characters, the book is also gritty and foreboding.
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Ghost in the shell
Publisher: Bark House Comics, 2006
Annotation:
Set in the mid twenty first century in Japan. It follows the members of Public Security Section 9 a special task force to counter terrorism and cybercriminals. When Major Kusangi tracks a trail of one hacker called "The puppet Master" it leads her down a rabbit hole. Who is this mysterious hacker and what does he want?
The book is fasted paced with more dialogue then description having characters revealed quickly. The story is more towards character centered has it does focus mainly on the main character. The story plays heavily into psychological themes.
This Manga/ Graphic novel has spawned many of media including TV shows, movies. It has cemented is grasp in the sci fi and cyberpunk genre as a whole and is a must read for anyone getting into the genre.
For more Information:
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iBoy
Publisher: Puffin Books, 2010
Annotation:
Teen Harvery a normal teen one day wakes up from his coma to discover that he has fragments from his broken phone in his brain giving him superpowers making him able to hear phone transmissions and see digital signals. With his newfound powers he goes on the hunt to find out why he was in Acoma.
The story is fast paced with its plenty of dialogue between characters, book is plot centered, with multiple characters whose lived intertwine.
The show on Netflix called iBoy was based on this book
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Johnny Menmonic
Publisher: HaperCollins , 1996
Annotation:
Set in 2021 Johnny has over gone brain implants making him capable of downloading and storing people’s memories into his brain. One day while working out of Beijing he is asked to deliver a package to the US consisting of hundreds of gigabytes in his head, but it’s too much for him to handle and will destroy him unless he it is removed within a few days.
This book was adapted into a film in 1996 called " Johnny Mnemonic". The book was originally published in 1981
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Judge Dredd: The Complete Case Files 01
Publisher: Reblesson/2000AD, 2006
Annotation:
This is the first book in the series of the books stand along story.
In the year 2080 the world has become a barren wasteland with the majority of humans living in Mega cities with millions of people, crime is rampant, criminals and robots causing chaos within the streets. The only one stop these criminals is Judge Dredd one of the toughest, a police officer with judiciary powers.
This Comic book/graphic novel was adapted to different kinds of media including Tv shows and movies
For more Information:
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Google Books
Metropolis
Publisher: Wildside Press, 2003
Annotation:
Set in the great city of Metropolis where the rich to make the calls and the working class is oppressed living underneath the city. The story follows around Freder a privilege young man who is son to Joh Fredersen the one controlling the city mediates between the rich and the others, he stumbles upon a young women who was leading a group of working class children showing them around the city. Freder descends underneath the city only to have visions of machines making him question what is really going on.
The book was first publsihed in 1925 and was made into a movie later in 1927 with great reception.
The story is well written with a slow pace to the book with more focusing on the character.
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Booktopia
Neuromancer
Publisher: Ace, 2000
Annotation:
Henry Dorsett Case one of the best in the business of data thief being a talented computer hacker. His pass employees’ sets out revenge against him damaging his nervous system. He is given a chance to do one last job being hired to take on a powerful artificial intelligence.
Award winning writer William Gibson considered the grandfather of writing cyberpunk as given us “Neuromancer”. A book that has inspired countless movies and tv shows like The Matrix and Stranger Days .
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Tron
Author: Brian DaleyPublisher: New English Library 1982
Annotation:
Kevin Flynn a computer programmer one day finds himself transpoted into a mainframe of a computer. He attempts to get back out finding himself face to face to programs and different softwares during his attempts to get back to the real world he meets Tron a rebel program.
A classic when it comes to anything sci-fi/cyberpunk Tron is well written, fast paced with character interactions and with great descriptive dialogue to give the world life. This is a must read for anyone getting into cyberpunk.and sci/fi.
The moive was released in 1982
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