[drakenot]

William Gibson is the father of Cyberpunk, not Steam Punk.

Though if Gibson is the father, I might say Bester is the grandfather.

[bediger4000]

Alfred Bester has fallen into obscurity for sure. How do you figure Bester and not Lem as the grandfather?

[flohofwoe]

IMHO Lem's work has a lot of "cyber" but no "punk" in it ;)

E.g. while Lem's future (in his science fiction books) isn't exactly a happy utopia, it's also not the depressing dystopia I would associate with "cyberpunk" - but maybe... "Peace on Earth" might qualify as "robopunk"? :)

[TheOtherHobbes]

Bester and Lem are amazing in their different ways, and it's tragic that both aren't better known.

I wouldn't put one over the other, but I think Bester gets the call because his view was classic mid-century US, and was an obvious influence on Cyberpunk.

Lem had a different more subtle aesthetic.

[Apocryphon]

John Brunner is closer to being a cyberpunk grandfather, imo

[drakenot]

I just remember reading The Stars My Destination from Bester and noticing all these elements:

* Mega-corporations with immense power and influence over all of society (Kodak of Kodak)

* Drug dens offering synthetic designer drugs that made people feel as if they were various animals.

* The protagonist receiving an upgrade to his nervous system, including a tooth-based switch that allowed him to 'speed up' for brief periods.

* Status symbols of the ultra-rich, such as using the most elaborate physical conveyances in an era of effortless teleportation.

I'm probably missing some, but it felt like such a prototype novel to something like Neuromancer and was written in 1956!