A very specific subgenre of science fiction is immersive virtual reality, perhaps in a cyberpunk setting. Facebook is now meta and with meta they are ready to give us metaverse experience. There are N number of writers who have visualised the possible future in the world of meta. It’s a subgenre full of possibilities, and we’ve narrowed down 10 books about metaverse you should read.
Facebook is Now Meta – 10 Books About Metaverse You Should Read:
Warcross by Marie Lu
This story follows Emika Chen, a hacker who tracks people who illegally bet on a game that practically the whole world is obsessed with. A glitch on the night of the opening game turns her into an overnight superstar, which snowballs into something much bigger than what she expected. A total page turner with a stellar plot, this one packs a punch.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
A book about humanity’s digital future whose foresight shocked the world, this one’s a masterpiece. It tells the story of a world operating on a global consensus hallucination, which represents all the data in the world. This classic of cyberpunk will draw you into its techno-criminal subculture even though it might seem confusing in the beginning.
The Eye of the Minds by James Dashner
The Maze Runner fame James Dashner also has a lesser known virtual reality series, which looks at the dangers of technology. Michael, the protagonist, is a gamer on the VirNet, an immersive and addictive video game. When another gamer breaks all boundaries by holding people hostage on VirNet and making them brain-dead, things start getting heated up.
Armada by Ernest Cline
In this book, a teenage dreamer cum gamer has an encounter with aliens, and his wildest fantasies become true. Humanity is now going to need him and hundreds of gamers like him to thwart off this threat to humanity. But something about this whole situation feels like a simulation to him. But what could it be? Here, the Thriller ride begins.
The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu
In the present, a boy called Wang gets involved in a virtual reality game called the Three Body Problem which only the most intelligent can beat. This leads him into an operation to find a sinister force which is obliterating scientists. Soon he discovers that duringh China’s Cultural Revolution, a military agency sought contact with aliens and an alien civilization on the brink of extinction agrees to come to Earth.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
This book combines the genres of romance and post apocalyptic science fiction as it tells the story of two friends, Snowman and Crake, who loved the same beautiful girl, Oryx. With intense worldbuilding and an engaging plot, this story is riveting and heartwarming. Also included in the book is virtual reality.
Awaken Online by Travis Bagwell
This book focuses on Jason, who isn’t very happy with his perfect-in-theory life. Soon he finds a means of escapism in an immersive video game. But as the game draws him in deeper and deeper, he sets off on the path to becoming the villain of the game. Plus, he starts discovering that there are weird and unusual things going on in this metaverse.
Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
Set in the near future, this story follows a teenager, Wade, who is obsessed with a virtual utopia called OASIS. The game involves a bunch of puzzles based on the creator’s past pop-culture obsessions, and the prizes are tremendous. But as Wade begins to tread the dangerous territory, he realizes that people are willing to kill for prizes. And to win, Wade must confront the reality in all its ugliness – something he has always been evading.
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
The protagonist of this book, Hiro is a pizza delivery boy in real life but a warrior prince in metaverse. As a new computer virus emerges, he sets off on his journey to battle the villains of the game who are on the verge of bringing about an infocalypse.
Daemon by Daniel Suarez
When a prolific game designer Matthew Sobol dies, humans aren’t the only ones writing obituaries for him. An autonomous computer program he designed also goes active, triggering a series of events that lead to meltdown.
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