Shockwave Rider By Brunner Essays - Haflinger, The Shockwave Rider

Shockwave Rider By Brunner There are numerous books on the science fiction market, that deal with the myriad of possibilities involving the technology of the future. John Brunner's book, "Shockwave Rider," is one of the most popular, as well as one of the most famous, books dealing with this issue. Brunner presents many different realities to the reader, and they are all potentially very realistic in terms of the current state of technology. For the most part, Brunner seems to illustrate that technology, as it relates to the world wide datanet, is a good thing. This is not to say that he does not illustrate it as a very negative reality in the world he presents to the reader, but he does indicate that the world wide datanet and technology has great potential to make the world a better place for all concerned. In Brunner's book we have a reality that is incredibly tense, and almost plausible today. The space that the author deals with is filled with endless bits of information (information overload to be more precise), corporate domination, and it appears, just like many science fiction books that deal with the planet earth in the future, everything is known about everyone. there are no secrets from the system. Brunner illustrates this as a reality that is not necessarily very desirable. He plants a character, Nickie Haflinger, onto the scene. As with many books we can look at this character and see the author within. Haflinger is a prodigy whose talents allow him to switch identities with a simple phone call. By the advanced technology and the ingenuity that is completely Haflinger's, we see that the author is not one to be content with the realities that may be a possibility in the future of technology. Brunner clearly illustrates, by the previous description of Haflinger, that technology and the advances within that field, are incredibly beneficial, or they can be. but he is clearly unhappy with the way things have turned out due to the controlling nature of the governments. This is further illustrated in the fact that Brunner's hero is a young man who is bent on changing the world. He struggles to evade the officials and uses all skills available to him, whether inherent skills or technological ones, to the best of his ability, to put an end to the misuse of power that is so much a part of his world which involves the entity of the world wide datanet. Perhaps, one of the most insightful parts of the book comes in the first half, when Haflinger is experiencing flashbacks due to interrogations. It is in these sections that we see the inner mind of Brunner as he deflty illustrates the world and mind of Haflinger. In this part we see many different ethical arguments arise between Haflinger and his interrogators. Not only does it seem as though Brunner is telling a fascinating story, but that he is attempting to enlighten people about the possibilities that may arise due to the growth of technology. He is clearly illustrating that this reality, although fictional, may well be close at hand. Who knows, but we may be able to access the Internet by telephone in just a few years. There seems to be no stopping this type of technology that is bent on bringing communication, and control along with it, to a level where anyone and everyone can become actively involved. These interrogations approach many difficult and intriguing questions. For example, if all the choices of a race are known, where does the freedom lie? Or if those choices, and their end result, can be easily assumed. If a society is so intricately interconnected, almost to the point where there is no individuality whatsoever, what happens when one man or woman stands apart from the crowd? We know full well how such individuals have been treated in a society where we claim to embrace the unique and free minded individual. But to envision such an individual in a place and time when nearly everyone was essentially identical, brings the reader to a position where the truth of such a future is quite stifling and evident. Anyone with any sense would not like to exist in such a world. Brunner is clearly indicating that such a world wide datanet would not be desirable at all. these are very real possibilities and as any good science fiction writer knows, the future is often illustrated as it might be, in an attempt to help eliminate the possibility. The