Author | Vernor Vinge |
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Language | English |
Series | Binary Star #5, ed. James R. Frenkel |
Genre | Science fiction, cyberpunk |
Published | 1981 (Dell Publishing) |
Publication place | USA |
Media type | Novella |
ISBN | 978-0241975589 |
True Names is a 1981 science fiction novella by American writer Vernor Vinge, a seminal work of the cyberpunk genre. It is one of the earliest stories to present a fully fleshed-out concept of cyberspace, which would later be central to cyberpunk. The story also contains elements of transhumanism.
True Names first brought Vinge to prominence as a science fiction writer. It also inspired many real-life hackers and computer scientists; a 2001 book about the novella, True Names: And the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier, included essays by Danny Hillis, Marvin Minsky, Mark Pesce, Richard Stallman and others.[1] It was a finalist for the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1982, and was awarded the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2007.