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 in the cyberpunk genre. Because of this, it is often referenced as a seminal work of the genre. The story also contains elements of transhumanism, anarchism, and even hints about The Singularity. It was awarded the Prometheus Ha...
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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 in the cyberpunk genre. Because of this, it is often referenced as a seminal work of the genre. The story also contains elements of transhumanism, anarchism, and even hints about The Singularity. It was awarded the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2007.
The story follows the progress of a group of disaffected computer wizards who are early adopters of a new full-immersive virtual reality technology, called the "Other Plane". Forming a cabal, they must keep their true identities -- their True Names -- secret to avoid prosecution by their "Great Adversary" -- the government of the United States.
The protagonist is one of these wizards. Known as "Mr. Slippery" in the Other Plane, his True Name is Roger Pollack. When a new "wizard" arrives in the Other Plane and begins...
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