True Names

True Names was the science fiction novella which brought Vernor Vinge to prominence in 1981. It was one of the earliest stories to present a fully fleshed-out concept of cyberspace, which would later be central to stories by William Gibson, Neal Stephenson, Melissa Scott and others (and particularly to the cyberpunk genre).

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Novella - Vernor Vinge - 1981 - Cyberspace - William Gibson - Neal Stephenson - Melissa Scott - Cyberpunk

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The story follows the progress of a group of disaffected computer wizards who are early adopters of a new full-immersive virtual reality technology. Forming a cabal in this other world, they must keep their true identities secret to avoid dire consequences. However a new "wizard" arrives and begins to obtain recruits for a scheme in which domination of cyberspace is used to obtain power in the real-world. The protagonist is one of the wizards who is forced to ally with their "great adversary", the government of the USA, against the newcomer.

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In an epic battle in cyberspace, vast computer resources are commandeered and the characters explore a form of transhumanism, expanding their minds through the machines. The newcomer turns out to be an artificial intelligence program, developed in a government laboratory but neglected after the research was terminated.

Related Topics:
Transhumanism - Artificial intelligence

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