Author John Shirley was involved with the American punk rock scene, and he expertly captures the attitude and pathos of the movement in his novel, City Come A-Walkin', ground zero for the cyberpunk movement. This is a book filled with angst and passion, heart and soul, and a desire to do things differently. Because of this, I would not hesitate to say that this is the most punk of all the genuine cyberpunk I've read. It is real punk, down to its very core, and contains the ethos that made the movement a vital part of modern society. It is not punk in surface only; it doesn't simply go through the motions touching upon all the things a cyberpunk novel is supposed to.
Some may read this now and wonder just what is so cyberpunk about it? There are no modems, no A.I., no V.R., no hacking, and none of the stuff that made Shadowrun so cool in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is not a neo-noir in the vein of Bladerunner, and it does not deal with techno-jargon like Gibson's Neuromancer. Because it does not date itself with either of these conventions it is actually far more timeless. One of the problems with cyberpunk is that the genre is often overly concerned with the very near future; because many of these novels rely so heavily on tech and jargon that has become dated, they feel anachronistic and tired rather than forward-thinking and daring.
Shirley's novel is cyberpunk because of its themes, and how it deals with the ideas of modern urban living, not because of the tech. City Come A-Walkin' is so concerned with the ideas of the proverbial city that the city - in this case San Fransisco - itself becomes a character, quite literally. Just imagine if the city you live in were able to manifest itself into a single entity possessing the collected conscious of all its inhabitants. What kind of person would your city be? How would the zeitgeist of your city shape and form its persona? Depending on your location, this could be a frightening proposal.
One of the best things about City Come A-Walikn' is its hero, Stu Cole. He's written in an interesting and realistic manner. He is a reluctant hero, one drawn into the danger and adventure against his will, but he is neither a whiner, nor a complainer; he is neither Shinji from Neon Genesis, nor is he Snake Pliskin. He is reluctant because he questions the morality of his actions. That he struggles with the violence he causes is a wonderful trait, one that is sorely missing from many subsequent cyberpunk stories.
Do the ends justify the means?
Cole receives his directives directly from City - the avatar, the physical manifestation of the city and its inhabitants - and so to question his commands is to question the very zeitgeist and memes of San Francisco's populace. By questioning City's motives, thus, in a way, turning his back on the city itself, Cole becomes isolated and afraid in the very confines of his home, the place that at one time granted him sanctuary and safety.
He is a character charged with a mission and he follows through because he is a man of his word. Cole straddles a fine line - he is both anti-establishment, and a man with responsibility and integrity. He doesn't want to mess things up simply because it's the punk thing to do, he wants to shake things up to bring about beneficial change. He's just a dude who loves the city of San Fransisco and its people. In this, Shirley deftly echoes the ethos of the early punk rock movement. Before it became just another fashion, or en excuse for the youth to cause a raucous, the movement served a genuine social purpose.
And so, too, does this book; itoffers up the best of both worlds. It is endlessly entertaining, action packed, and exciting, while it is also thought provoking and intelligent. Most of all though, it is well written; Shirley shows a maturity here that is refreshing. I was a little hesitant to jump into this; as the first of its kind I thought it might be a little weak and less than memorable, perhaps a book only worth its historical roots in the genre. I quickly realized that my hesitation was unnecessary - City Come a Waklin' is a book to be tackled head on with blazing enthusiasm.
