[BasilPH]

The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. It merges science and storytelling in an amazing way, I can highly recommend it. The books are long, but they didn't seem like it.

Neuromancer by William Gibson. The book that started cyberpunk. I love the genre, but I think it's well worth a read just to see how he can craft a world with language. I sometimes found it hard to understand what exactly was happening, but the vibe was always crystal clear.

[kabdib]

Those are really good choices. I re-read the Mars trilogy every couple of years, though the differences between the book's timeline and our own are getting a little embarrassing :-)

Here are some early "cyberpunk" books that people may not be aware of. I'm using a loose definition of stories where networked computers play a major role, the characters are technologically sophisticated and from the shady edge of society, and there's a caper of some kind.

John Brunner, The Shockwave Rider (1975)

Thomas J Ryan, The Adolescence of P-1 (1977)

Vernor Vinge, True Names (1980)

John M Ford, Web of Angels (1980)

I've left a few out (e.g., Heinlein's The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Bester's The Computer Connection) because they're not really "punk".

[nl]

True Names is an amazing read.