3 Virtual Reality Novels You Should Read
The virtual reality boom is upon us. Given how fast the tech is moving it may not be long until we’re able to dive into vivid worlds previously only experienced in our imaginations. Considering VR is a hot topic right now, I thought it was worth looking at some classic novels that will no doubt shape how developers turn science fiction into science fact. If you’re a writer thinking about creating a story in this space, it’s also important to know the greats so you can both get inspired and know what the benchmark is.
So, with that in mind, here are three books about virtual reality you really should read:
- Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
Set in future LA and the online ‘Metaverse’, Snow Crash is a cyber-punk adventure about delivering pizza, sword fighting and the power of language. Stephenson’s term the Metaverse is already being used in the real world to describe what the internet might be like as a virtual reality space. His depiction is likely to be pretty close too — a neon city where people can plug in as avatars that look like anything: “a gorilla or a dragon or a giant talking penis.” Throw in how people will plug in and plug out, what we would do with avatars who die online and how computer viruses could be powerful enough to scramble human brains, and you have some really interesting theory about how real life VR may evolve.
Well worth a read for the vision, in-depth storytelling and twisted humour.
2. Neuromancer by William Gibson
This 1984 book was the first ever to claim the triple crown of sci-fi writing awards — The Nebula, Hugo and Philip K Dick awards. That alone should be enough to make you stand up and take notice. Films like The Matrix have drawn heavily on the ideas set out in the book, making Neuromancer one fiction title that has already influenced how VR is perceived by many. If you’re still not convinced, I’ll leave you with a quote from the book, just to give you an indication of the mastery Gibson has when describing virtual worlds:
“Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts… A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding…”
3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Ready Player One is a story about the hunt for an ‘Easter Egg’ that has been hidden within the world’s biggest simulated reality The Oasis. Cline depicts The Oasis like a galaxy, which has hundreds of thousands of different planets, each with their own theme and set of rules. Depending on your power level (or bank account), some planets are off limits. Others, like school planets, allow no violence. A lot of people see this vision as a very feasible way to construct a virtual reality that would not only be very engaging, but safe and beneficial for its users. Of course, there’d still be Zombie hunting planets for those so inclined.
Ready Player One is well worth the read, simply for the detailed vision of how an entire VR galaxy might be feasible. Throw in a dash of humour, a butt load of 80s pop culture geekery and a well-paced quest narrative, and you have a classic that will be loved by millions for a long, long time.
I wholeheartedly recommend the Audible version, narrated by Medium regular and geek favourite Wil Wheaton. There is also a film adaptation on the way, directed by some guy called Steven Spielberg.
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