Best Biopunk Books
Biotechnology
Biopunk is a rather young subgenre of science fiction. Biopunk is concerned primarily with biotechnology and the ways in which it can be utilized. While actually being a branch of cyberpunk, biopunk isn’t interested in information tech so much as it is in biotech.
As such, biopunk has become a staple sci-fi subgenre today and it is read with much passion by many. What we will be concerning ourselves today with will be what the best biopunk books are.
Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld
Leviathan Series
Leviathan SeriesSydney resident Scott Westerfeld is a terrific sci-fi author whose work we really enjoy. One of the most inventive tales and the best biopunk book that Scott has weaved is Leviathan, which was released in 2009.
Alexander
The main character of Leviathan is Alexander and he is a prince that should soon be inheriting the throne. However, things back home have gone a bit awry as the people don’t seem to be shouting words of praise, but of execration.
Deryn Sharp
Deryn Sharp, our other main character, is a common woman, though her looks – by way of her own subterfuge – do have a resemblance to a male’s. Deryn is trying to get into the British Air Service, but with the fast-approaching Great War, her path might cross that of Alexander and who knows what that’ll bring.
The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Cross-Genre
Cross-GenrePaolo Bacigalupi is a brilliant novelist, without a doubt. Paolo’s written tales that don’t always fall into just one genre or subgenre as his 2009 best biopunk novel The Windup Girl can be taken as both a steampunk tale and a biopunk one, as well.
Anderson Lake
The main character is Anderson Lake. Anderson lives in Thailand and is employed as a manager with his main interest in the corporation he works for. As Anderson is walking the Bangkok streets towards the markets in search of something, he comes upon Emiko. Emiko is a member of the new people, meaning that Emiko is an engineered individual.
Just What They Need
Just recently, Emiko was thrown on the street by her former employer, with her dreads and anxieties only growing. As fate would have it, Emiko might just be what Lake needs and Lake might be just what Emiko needs.
Unwind by Neal Shusterman
Civil War
Civil WarThe various accolades and awards that Neal Shusterman has been the recipient of surely tell the story that he is one great writer. In our opinion, Shusterman’s 2007 book Unwind is one of the best biopunk novels that we’ve come upon.
In Unwind, there was a civil war – a sequel to the USA’s first. The decision made in light of its end had to do with reproduction, mainly that from the moment a child has been conceived to its thirteenth year of age, its life is not to be violated.
Unwound
However, from age thirteen to age eighteen, the mother and the father can choose to have their kid be unwound, meaning that their organs would be given to a variety of donors, ensuring that life doesn’t have an end in this sense. Three children, Connor, Risa, and Lev are one of the few that have stood up against the state mechanism, but will their efforts be fruitless?
The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells
Legendary Classic
Edward Prendick
A gent by the name of Edward Prendick has just found himself washed up ashore after his ship fell victim to the sea’s might. As the man is now on an unknown island in the Pacific Ocean, he comes to learn that the island’s lord, reader, or master is a certain Doctor Moreau. As the tale is woven with tenebrous secrets, curious and odd beings, and a terrifying conclusion, Edward finds himself fighting for his life. Without a doubt one of the best biopunk books that one can pick up.
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan
Takeshi Kovacs Series
Takeshi Kovacs SeriesRichard Kingsley Morgan is a Londoner with one of the sharpest minds in the biopunk writing circles nowadays. While we’re living in the 21st, Altered Carbon is set in the 25th century.
Thing of the Past
As a time beyond ours, many technological advances have been made. For one, the consciousness of an individual can be kept completely in the brain, then inserted into a different body, so that death is a thing of the past. The protagonist, Takeshi Kovacs, was murdered at a prior time, however, the last time he died was the more painful one.
Race Against Time
Now in a new body, Takeshi finds himself in an intimidating race against time to find out the truth about a matter that could very much change the world. A book that we recommend wholeheartedly in our best biopunk books review.
Ware Series by Rudy Rucker
Awesome Series
Awesome SeriesRudy Rucker’s Ware series is one of, if not the best source if one is looking to get into biopunk writing. The order in which the Ware series books ought to be read in is as follows:
- Software, published in 1982
- Wetware, published in 1988
- Freeware, published in 1997
- Realware, published in 2000
In the Ware series, Cobb Anderson was the man that made the so-called boppers. The boppers were sentient robots that surmounted mankind, while Cobb is nothing more than a drunk nowadays.
Giant Consciousnesses
The boppers, as it turns out, have the intention to appropriate all human consciousnesses with theirs into one giant one. As the series progresses, the sentient robots that rise all offer a medium through which Rudy can critique the status quo and he does it with flying colors.
Ribofunk by Paul Di Filippo
Short Stories
Short StoriesPaul Di Filippo has put out more than a hundred superb short stories that we can’t help but be mesmerized by. Ribofunk is in our opinion among the best biopunk books that we’ve come across. It is comprised of thirteen short stories, all of which contain the wit, sharp writing, and smooth prose style of Di Filippo.
Biology Everywhere
The most prominent science in the Ribofunk dimension is none other than biology. It is not always an advanced tech society, but biology plays a large role that one can’t help but be entranced by the inventiveness and creativity of Paul. Definitely a worthwhile read.
The Dervish House by Ian McDonald
Eskiköy
EskiköyIan McDonald is an author that was born in the year of 1960 and from his debut novel, he is still able to amaze us. Istanbul, a city in Turkey, is doubtlessly one of the most enchanting cities one can ever visit.
In The Dervish House, Turkey is a European Union member with even larger size than that of today. In Eskiköy, a district of Istanbul, lies the Dervish House.
Six Characters
Here we see the entwining lives of six characters. A dishonest trader, a boy aged nine, a dealer of art, a former economist, a marketing graduate, and a slacker come together in a tale brimming with the mysticism, the ominous secrets, and the daunting intrigue that colors Istanbul. Certainly, one of the top biopunk booksthat we love.
Blood Music by Greg Bear
Beloved Author
Beloved AuthorSan Diego, California-born Greg Bear is in the ranks of the leading sci-fi figures of today. One only needs to pick up one novel of Greg’s to see why he is so beloved and, if our word has any merit, that one book ought to be the 1985 book Blood Music.
Vergil Ulam
A man bearing the name of Vergil Ulam has succeeded in creating a cellular form of matter which is more useful than the lab rats usually utilized. However, to do this, Vergil was forced to take a step above the restrictions imposed upon him. He soon is fired from his position, but he is not going to let his invention go to waste. What Vergil does next is something that will stay with the reader for a long time.
Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear
Kaye Lang
Kaye LangAnother entry on our list of the best biopunk books from Greg Bear is Darwin’s Radio, published in 1999. In this mesmerizing world, we meet Kaye Lang.
Lang is a molecular biologist with one of the most fascinating and subversive theories of his time. Lane theorizes that olden – think thousands of years old – diseases and ailments that are present in the human DNA have the potential to come back to life.
Deadly Virus
While in theory, Kaye thought it a fascinating potentiality, when it actually does happen, it seems that everyone is in over their heads. A so-called hunter of viruses discovered a disease akin to the common cold or flu is killing mothers that are pregnant and the babies they bear. Without a shadow of a doubt, Darwin’s Radio is among the best biopunk books we’ve read.
Schismatrix Plus by Bruce Sterling
Indispensable
IndispensableSixty-six-year-old excellent novelist Bruce Sterling is the best biopunk book for anyone getting into biopunk literature. The 1995 published Schismatrix Plus is an indispensable read and one that will change the way that the reader perceives some things.
Factions
In Schismatrix, the mechanists are aristocrats of olden times, ones that have endured for so long by way of advanced tech and life extension. The shapers, on the other hand, are revolutionaries that have been modified on the genetic level and have been trained and conditioned in a number of ways.
War for the Schismatrix
The mechanists and the shapers are in a war for the Schismatrix, with the shapers slowly losing. On the other side of the galaxy, a man named Abelard Lindsay seems to be the only hope that mankind has, but he has his own troubles in the form of terrifying battles. Can he make it back in time?
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Genetic Alterations
Genetic AlterationsAldous Huxley is a giant in the sci-fi and literary world even today. Huxley’s works are a matter of much discussion and many studies have prodded into the intricacies of his works. One of Huxley’s most well-known novels and one of the top biopunk books is Brave New World.
Brave New World shows us a futuristic world where the citizens have by and large been genetically altered. The overwhelming majority of the world adheres to the rule: ten cubic centimeters heals ten gloomy sentiments.
Heartrending Tale
The pill they take is called soma and it takes care of any stresses that they might have. However, it also negates the sensible, meaningful side of man. When a man who lives outside of society finds himself in this society, Aldous conveys a tale as harrowing and heartrending, yet exceedingly genius as the best of them.
Holy Fire by Bruce Sterling
Post-Humans
Post-HumansAnother entry by the great Bruce Sterling is his 1996 novel Holy Fire. In Holy Fire, we are witnesses to a very interesting world.
The life span of people has skyrocketed, with most living at the very least a hundred years. However, the so-called post-humans are the domineering force in the world with their affluent lifestyle and indomitable power.
Mia Ziemann
Mia Ziemann is a ninety-four-year-old that has adhered to the healthiest of ways so that she can live a long, yet timid life. However, by living this timid, yet lengthy stretch of life, she’s lost the “holy fire” that allows one to be inventive, creative, and more importantly to love. Then, seemingly like a miracle, Mia is young once more and has a chance to subvert the very world she lives in. One of the best biopunk books that money can buy.
When Did Biopunk Start?
The archetypal Biopunk novel is considered by the many to have been The Island of Doctor Moreau by H. G. Wells, which was published in 1896.
What Is the Difference Between Cyberpunk and Biopunk?
Cyberpunk is a genre far more focused on the advancement of society in terms of information technology, while Biopunk is centered around the alterations and modifications that can be made to the very biology of a being.
What Is Biopunk?
Biopunk is a subgenre of Science Fiction which is concentrated on biotechnology and the ways that it can impact the lives of humans and the world as we know it.
Robert Hazley
Robert is a science fiction and fantasy geek. (He is also the best looking Ereads writer!) Besides reading and writing, he enjoys sports, cosplay, and good food (don't we all?). Currently works as an accountant (would you believe that?)
