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Mr. Robot is a great example of two genres, cyberpunk and the cyber-thriller. In fact, it's often both at once. But how do you tell them apart? NoveList Book Squad will take you from n00b to l33t in three easy steps!
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Before we start, consider the similarities: - Both employ tropes from other genres (such as hardboiled fiction or spy novels) to examine the effects of advanced technology on a global society,
- Both include lots of technical details and strive to make them plausible and accurate.
- Both are interested in the inner workings of complex systems, small (circuit boards) and large (megacorporations)
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Cyberpunk is a subgenre of science fiction. Near-future, post-industrial dystopian settings are the norm, as are tech-savvy anti-heroes whose motives are murky at best (even to themselves). Cyber-thrillers are techno-thrillers in which sympathetic protagonists must save the world from threats posed by bleeding-edge technology and those would would misuse it.
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Although they're portrayed as loners, cyberpunk protagonists are not alone: they've often got a robust, if underground, social network of like-minded individuals that they can contact in a pinch.
Similar to other forms of suspense, cyber-thriller protagonists tend to be ordinary citizens who are in over their heads. They're on their own because they're on the run and can't trust anyone.
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Is the protagonist trying to overthrow a corrupt establishment (cyberpunk) or restore the status quo (cyber-thriller)? - Cyberpunk takes a strong anti-government and anti-corporate stance -- in the future, these are usually one and the same!
- Cyber-thrillers focus on neutralizing the influence of bad actors (traitors, terrorists) within essentially good institutions (the government, the military)
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If you like...Mr. Robot (Includes nonfiction!) This flyer collects books that may appeal to fans of Mr. Robot, as well as readers interested in topics such as emerging technologies, cybersecurity and digital surveillance, hackers, Internet culture, cyberterrorism and hactivism. As always, LibraryAware customers can swap out any and all titles to reflect library collections.
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I hope you've enjoyed this concise crash course in cyber-fiction. Are there other genres, subgenres, or microgenres you've always wondered about?
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All this and more can be yours
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