July 13, 2009

Hackers and Hacking in Science Fiction

n the course of researching how SF has looked at computers, software, and hacking, I’m looking for science fiction novels and shorter works about computer/network hackers. Movie references are welcome as well, especially any that people might think are particularly realistic or thought-provoking.
Here’s what I have so far.
1970’s
The Shockwave Rider, John Brunner

1980’s

Neuromancer, William Gibson

Count Zero, William Gibson

“Burning Chrome”,William Gibson

Ender’s Game, Orson Scott Card
In his early days in Battle School, Ender exploits a deliberate input-sanitation vulnerability to create bogus accounts on the Battle School computer.  Orson Scott Card used to programming articles for Creative Computing, the seminal publication of personal computing.

1990’s

Synners, Pat Cadigan

Snow Crash, Neal Stephenson

The Long Run, Daniel Keys Moran

The Last Dancer, Daniel Keys Moran

The Matrix, Wachowski Brothers

Hackers, Iain Softley
Added at the suggestion of commenter Ericka

2000’s

Diamond Age, Neal Stephenson

Cryptonomicon, Neal Stephenson

Little Brother, Cory Doctorow

Halting State (Ace Science Fiction), Charles Stross

Charles Stross is one of the most technically adept SF writers, and his books in general contain the most accurate or plausible depictions of software that anyone has yet published.

Digital Fortress: A Thriller, Dan Brown

Added at the suggestion of commenter Matthew. An excellent negative test for SF-ness. The Maguffin in this book is some sort of universal crypto thingy, so implausible that I did in fact throw the book away when I came to it. An SF book with this tone would have to account for the crypto in some way, whereas in thrillers, the guns, subs and planes have to be right, but the science is under no such constraint.

Posted in Books, Writing Comments
  • johntill
    An interesting list. I'll have to pick up some of these.
    Some suggestions that by no means indicate whether or not I LIKED them:
    Otherland by Tad Williams (1997) - all sorts of hackers in there

    Star Trek - TOS - Kirk haxxord the Kobayashi Maru test (referenced in WoK, 1982, and the Start Trek book series, 1989)

    I half remember something in Heinlein - maybe Time Enough for Love? Sorry I can't be more helpful there.

    How about Johnny Mnemonic, the short-story, also by Gibson where they essentially hack Johnny's brain with the dolphin?

    Dogfight - Gibson and Swanwick. It's included in the burning Chrome compilation, I think, but I recall reading it in Analog in the early 80's maybe. Tho the copy of Analog might have been much older. I liked the way the software was downloaded into people's brains. Don't know if it fits your criteria or not.
  • skottk
    Johnny! It's been so long!
    There was no shortage of Star Trek talk at WorldCon, believe me. I don't
    think that anyone brought Kirk up in my panel on malware, though.

    SK
  • johntill
  • johntill
    Yeh, I was scrolling thru my Facebook friends while taking a break
    from laying out integrated process workflows yesterday and saw your
    link to your blog. It got my interest.
    How'd you get on a panel at WorldCon? Have you been in print and I
    didn't realize it?

    How're things in general going? Getting ready to send the kids back to
    school? Are you still at CCC?

    - JT
  • skottk
    I'm not in print yet, but you can get on panels by volunteering. I offered
    to do a preso on real hacking for SF writers, and they gave me the panel in
    lieu.
    SK
  • Digital Fortress! A fantastic instruction manual in what computers, government programs and scientists are NOT like.
  • Definitely not realistic, but there is the movie "Hackers". It's a delight of cheeze.
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