New Releases by Rudy Rucker

It all begins next year in California. A maladjusted computer industry billionaire and a somewhat crazy US President initiate a radical transformation of the world through sentient nanotechnology; sort of the equivalent of biological artificial intelligence. At first they succeed, but their plans are reversed by Chu, an autistic boy. The next time it isn''t so easy to stop them. Most of the story takes place in a world after a heretofore unimaginable transformation, where all the things look the same but all the people are different (they''re able to read each others'' minds, for starters). Travel to and from other nearby worlds in the quantum universe is possible, so now our world is visited by giant humanoids from another quantum universe, and some of them mean to tidy up the mess we''ve made. Or maybe just run things. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

A 60s college student learns he’s a saucer alien in this hilariously intelligent tale of adolescent angst and romance from Rudy Rucker. Conrad Bunger is one of those wild guys you think won’t make it to legal drinking age. But, thanks to the strange powers he manifests in times of crisis—he can change his face, shrink to the size of a thumb, fly around the Eiffel tower, and hand out joints to everyone at the student assembly—not even the most ghastly mishaps interrupt his quest for visions, beer, and love. Gradually, Conrad awakens to his true identity as an energy being from outer space. As if he hadn’t suspected it all along. Now, as he faces his true nature, he learns his ordained purpose: to proceed incognito and to reach the ultimate prize—the Secret of Life. Problem is, he’s having too much fun to keep it together. Even with the government out to kill him . . . Night Shade Books’ ten-volume series with Rudy Rucker collects nine of the brilliantly weird novels for which the mathematician-turned-author is known, as well as a tenth, never-before-published book, Million Mile Road Trip. We’re proud to collect in one place so much of the work of this influential figure in the early cyberpunk scene, and to share Rucker’s fascinating, unique worldview with an entirely new generation of readers.

A-bomb + a slacker prof + a sexy hypersphere = cyberpunk extravaganza in this outrageous, comic, and oddly erotic tale of true love and nuclear terrorism from Rudy Rucker. When Alwin, a disaffected young physicist, takes a vacation in Florence with his wife Sybil and finds himself kidnapped by terrorists, he is soon wrapped up in a potentially world-changing—and utterly bizarre—plot. It’s not just that the terrorists are building an atomic bomb, which they want Alwin to help with, and it’s not just that he is desperately attracted to one of his captors. It’s that they have trapped a weird, four-dimensional creature of hypermatter who happens to resemble, well, a spherical naked woman. And who absolutely oozes mind-clouding, desire-inducing pheromones . . . Before they know it, Alwin and Sybil are both discovering the pleasures and curiosities of the sex sphere, while on the run from the various forces chasing them. But what is the sphere itself, really? Why is it stuck in our dimension? And what does it want in the end? Night Shade Books’ ten-volume series with Rudy Rucker collects nine of the brilliantly weird novels for which the mathematician-turned-author is known, as well as a tenth, never-before-published book, Million Mile Road Trip. We’re proud to collect in one place so much of the work of this influential figure in the early cyberpunk scene, and to share Rucker’s fascinating, unique worldview with an entirely new generation of readers.

“Jim and the Flims is just as quirky and enjoyable as everything else he’s written. Ricker knows how to bring the spark of life to the realm of death.” —Rick Kleffel, The Agony Column Author Rudy Rucker brings his unmistakable style to the afterlife in this mind-blowingly gnarly science fiction surfer novel. A quantum experiment by disaffected bioengineer-turned-mailman Jim Oster has gone wrong, accidentally rupturing the membrane between our world and an afterworld called Flimsy—creating a two-way tunnel that kills his pregnant wife. Jim thinks life couldn’t get worse. Until, that is, he realizes that he’s now facing an invasion of the Flims—subdimensional creatures who resemble blue baboons and flying beets—and that he may be the only one who can do anything about it. Aided by a posse of Santa Cruz surf-punks—one of whom keeps an Egyptian mummy in his basement, and may also be a serial killer—Jim plunges into a mad series of adventures in the afterworld—where he just might be able to find his wife and bring her back to life. . . . Night Shade Books’ ten-volume series with Rudy Rucker collects nine of the brilliantly weird novels for which the mathematician-turned-author is known, as well as a tenth, never-before-published book, Million Mile Road Trip. We’re proud to collect in one place so much of the work of this influential figure in the early cyberpunk scene, and to share Rucker’s fascinating, unique worldview with an entirely new generation of readers.

Three teens ride a car across the universe and back. Look out for the flying saucers! "Tipping his hat to Thomas Pynchon, Jack Kerouac, and Douglas Adams, Rucker immerses readers in a fantastical roadtrip adventure that’s a wild ride of unmitigated joy. . . . he ties everything together with internal consistency, playful use of language that keeps his ideas alien yet accessible, and a solid grounding in fourth-dimensional math. This wacky adventure is a geeky reader’s delight."—Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Rucker’s four Ware novels—Software, Wetware , Freeware , and Realware—form an extraordinary cyberweird future history with the heft of an epic fantasy novel and the speed of a quantum processor. Still exuberantly fresh despite their age, they primarily follow two characters (and their descendants): Cobb Anderson, who instigated the first robot revolution and is offered immortality by his grateful “children,” and stoner Sta-Hi Mooney, who (against his impaired better judgment) becomes an important figure in robot-human relations. Over several generations, humans, robots, drugs, and society evolve, but even weird drugs and the wisdom gathered from interstellar signals won’t stop them from making the same old mistakes in new ways. Rucker is both witty and serious as he combines hard science and sociology with unrelentingly sharp observations of all self-replicating beings. This classic series well deserves its omnibus repackaging, particularly suitable for libraries." — Publisher''s Weekly. "Rudy Rucker is one of the modern heroes of science fiction, one of the original cyberpunks. The early cyberpunks only had a few writers who could be meaningfully called punks — writers like John Shirley and Richard Kadrey — but there was only one who could truly be called cyber: Rudy Rucker. Rucker is a mad professor, a mathematician and computer scientist with a serious, scholarly interest in the limits of computation and the physics and mathematics of higher-dimension geometry. But that’s just about the only thing you can describe as ''serious'' when it comes to Rucker. He’s a gonzo wildman, someone for whom ''trippy'' barely scratches the surface. His work is shot through with weird sex, weird drugs, weird brain chemistry, and above all, weird science." — Cory Doctorow

A two-volume steampunk extravaganza. Accompanied by Edgar Allan Poe, a nineteeth-century farm boy travels through the vast interior of the Hollow Earth to present day California.

Collected together in one ebook: every single one of Rudy Rucker''s science-fiction stories, a trove of gnarl and wonder, dating over more than forty years. This, the updated 2021 edition of Complete Stories, includes stories from 1976 through 2021 Along with Rucker''s solo stories, we have collaborations with Bruce Sterling, Marc Laidlaw, Paul Di Filippo, John Shirley, Terry Bisson, and Eileen Gunn.

"Yo, Jack," said Tonel as they lugged two golf bags apiece towards the men''s locker room. It was sunset, the end of a long Saturday''s caddying, Jack''s last day of work this summer. We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.

In 1836, Mason Algiers Reynolds leaves his family''s Virginia farm with his father''s slave, a dog, and a mule. Branded a murderer, he finds sanctuary with his hero, Edgar Allan Poe, and together they embark on an extraordinary expedition to the South Pole, and the entrance to the Hollow Earth. It is there, at the center of the world, where strange physics, strange people, and stranger creatures abound, that their bizarre adventures truly begin.Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which (Software and Wetware) both won Philip K. Dick Awards.As his "own alternative to cyberpunk," Rucker developed a writing style he terms: Transrealism, as outlined in his 1983 essay "The Transrealist Manifesto," is science fiction based on the author''s own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements that symbolize psychological change. Many of Rucker''s novels and short stories apply these ideas.Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas; White Light examines the concept of infinity, while the Ware Tetralogy (written from 1982 through 2000) is in part an explanation of the use of natural selection to develop software (a subject also developed in his The Hacker and the Ants. His novels also put forward a mystical philosophy that Rucker has summarized in an essay titled, with only a bit of irony, "The Central Teachings of Mysticism".

It''s 2054, and Phil Gottner doesn''t know where his life is. His girlfriend is hooked on merge, a drug used in ''bacteria-style'' sex. His father has just been swallowed by a hyperspatial anomaly that materialized from a piece of art designed to project images of four-dimensional objects into three-dimensional space. Then, at the funeral, Phil meets and falls in love with Yoke Starr-Mydol, a young lovely visiting from the Moon.Spuring Phil''s advances, Yoke flies to the Polynesian island of Tonga, where she discovers an alien presence at the bottome of the sea. Calling themselves Metamartians, the aliens offer Yoke an alla,a handheld device that gives its owner the power of mind over matter-which, it turns out, is pretty much like having a magic wand.But as Phil pursues Yoke, and the altruistic Metamartians distribute more allas, he begins to suspect that his father''s disappearance and presumed death are linked to the aliens and their miraculous gift. For it seems that the allas are accompanied by a fourth-dimensional entity known as Om, a godlike being who''s taken a special interest in humans. Now Phil and Yoke must solve the mystery of the Metamartians and their god, before humanity uses its newfound powers to destroy itself altogether.Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which (Software and Wetware) both won Philip K. Dick Awards.As his "own alternative to cyberpunk," Rucker developed a writing style he terms: Transrealism, as outlined in his 1983 essay "The Transrealist Manifesto," is science fiction based on the author''s own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements that symbolize psychological change. Many of Rucker''s novels and short stories apply these ideas.Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas; White Light examines the concept of infinity, while the Ware Tetralogy (written from 1982 through 2000) is in part an explanation of the use of natural selection to develop software (a subject also developed in his The Hacker and the Ants. His novels also put forward a mystical philosophy that Rucker has summarized in an essay titled, with only a bit of irony, "The Central Teachings of Mysticism".

Now, in 2053, ''moldies'' are the latest robotic advancement-evolved artificial lifeforms made of soft plastic and gene-tweaked molds and algae, so anatomically inventive and universally despised that their very presence on the planet has thrown the entire low-rent future into a serious tailspin. So the moon is the place to be, if you''re a persecuted ''moldie'' or an enlightened ''flesher'' intent an creating a new, more utopian hybrid civilization. Of course up there, there are other intergalactic intelligences to contend with-and some not so intelligent-who have their own agendas and appetites.Rudolf von Bitter Rucker is an American mathematician, computer scientist, science fiction author, and philosopher, and is one of the founders of the cyberpunk literary movement. The author of both fiction and non-fiction, he is best known for the novels in the Ware Tetralogy, the first two of which (Software and Wetware) both won Philip K. Dick Awards.As his "own alternative to cyberpunk," Rucker developed a writing style he terms: Transrealism, as outlined in his 1983 essay "The Transrealist Manifesto," is science fiction based on the author''s own life and immediate perceptions, mixed with fantastic elements that symbolize psychological change. Many of Rucker''s novels and short stories apply these ideas.Rucker often uses his novels to explore scientific or mathematical ideas; White Light examines the concept of infinity, while the Ware Tetralogy (written from 1982 through 2000) is in part an explanation of the use of natural selection to develop software (a subject also developed in his The Hacker and the Ants. His novels also put forward a mystical philosophy that Rucker has summarized in an essay titled, with only a bit of irony, "The Central Teachings of Mysticism".

The real world is unbearable to madcap inventor Harry Gerber, so he uses his genius to twist the laws of science and create his own tailor-made universe. Master of Space and Time combines high physics and high jinks, blurring the line between science and magic. From a voyage to a mirror-image world where sluglike parasites make slaves of humanity, to trees and bushes that grow fries and pork chops, to a rain of fish, author Rudy Rucker -- two-time winner of the Philip K. Dick Award -- takes readers on the ultimate joyride. But once the gluons at the core of Harry''s creation run out . . . disaster looms for Harry and his friends.

A hipster math prof''s journey to Abosolute Infinity...and back.

The saucer aliens are here. They''re healing the planet. They''ve got to be stopped. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

(Bio-)Mechanische Evolution Die Roboter haben sich auf dem Mond verschanzt, Asimovs Robotergesetze aus ihren Speichern gelöscht und machen jetzt Front gegen die Menschen. Die Menschheit kann sie nicht einfach vernichten, denn sie hat sich zu lange auf die Dienste der Roboter blind verlassen. Sie auszuradieren hieße, fast das gesamte technische Wissen zu verlieren. Die Roboter entwickeln Androiden, die sich optisch nicht von Menschen unterscheiden und in der Lage sind, sich mit menschlichen Frauen fortzupflanzen. So soll die Gesellschaft auf der Erde unterwandert werden. Die Menschen hingegen entwickeln die sogenannte Chip-Hefe, die wichtige Schaltkreise und Hardware überwuchert. Die Evolution endet vorerst in einem Patt ...

Am Ende der Unendlichkeit Felix Rayman lebt im Staat New York und hat den langweiligsten Beruf der Welt: Er ist Mathematiklehrer in einer Provinzstadt. Seine Familie ist zerrüttet, seine Karriere stritt schon seit Jahren auf der Stelle – Was hat Felix also zu verlieren? Er bringt sich selbst das luzide Träumen bei, um komplexe mathematische Probleme zu lösen, und macht so außerkörperliche Erfahrungen. Bei einer davon trifft er auf den Teufel, dem er mit knapper Not entkommt. Sein Retter ist niemand geringeres als Jesus, der ihn um einen Gefallen bittet: Rayman soll Kathy, einer jungen Frau, die im Wochenbett gestorben ist, nach Cimön bringen. Doch wie gelangt man in ein Land, das unendlich weit entfernt ist? Wie besteigt man dort einen Berg, der unendlich hoch ist? Und gibt es das absolut Unendliche eigentlich?

Abstieg ins Innere der Erde Im Jahre 1839 muss der fünfzehnjährige Mason Algiers Reynolds die Farm seiner Eltern in Virginia verlassen, weil man ihn für einen Mörder hält. Dabei war der Tod seines Doppelgängers nichts weiter als ein dummer Unfall! Er flüchtet sich nach Richmond zu seinem Helden, dem trinkfreudigen Edgar Allan Poe, der ihm eine Stelle als Druckerlehrling anbietet. Poe trägt sich mit einem verrückten Gedanken: Er will das Schreiben aufgeben und zum Südpol reisen, wo er durch einen Vulkan ins Innere der Erde absteigen will. Dort, so sagt er, befinde sich die gigantische Hohlwelt, in der die Menschen in Blumen wohnen, seltsame Tiere leben und Raum und Zeit sich einander rätselhaft durchdringen ....

It''s the only alternate universe. Just the one. Thanks to "bluegene", life is long. But out Route 42 near Goshen, it''s also kind of dull. Just the thing to encourage an expedition into the only actual other universe, the place where...but that would be telling. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

One of the most talented contemporary authors of cutting-edge math and science books conducts a fascinating tour of a higher reality, the Fourth Dimension. Includes problems, puzzles, and 200 drawings. "Informative and mind-dazzling." — Martin Gardner.

Deluxe hardback edtion with fourteen color chapter illustrations based on paintings by the author. Biotech has replaced machines. Qrude young artist Zad Plant works with living paint. But Zad''s career is on the skids, and wife Jane has thrown him out. Enter qwet-or quantum wetware. Qwet makes you high-and it gives you telepathy. A cultural evolution begins. But hungry mouths begin popping out of the air and eating people. Zad and Jane travel through a wormhole to confront the aliens. And they meet something stranger than ever imagined. What is the Big Aha? SF master Rudy Rucker''s wildest adventure yet.

Originally published: Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1987.

The honest and intellectually fierce autobiography of one of the most acclaimed voices in science fiction

"The feds aren''t going to fund you anymore. Not when your boss is a self-flattening radioactive pancake." Desperate times call for desperate inventions. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

The original “Mad Professor” of cyberpunk, Rudy Rucker (along with fellow outlaws William Gibson and Bruce Sterling) transformed modern science fiction, tethering the “gnarly” speculations of quantum physics to the noir sensibilities of a skeptical and disenchanted generation. In acclaimed novels like Wetware and The Hacker and the Ant he mapped a neotopian future that belongs not to sober scientists but to drug-addled, sex-crazed youth. And won legions of fans doing it. In his outrageous new story “The Men in the Back Room at the Country Club,” Dr. Rucker infiltrates fundamentalist Virginia to witness the apocalyptic clash between Bible-thumpers and Saucer Demons at a country club barbecue. He shoots erotica into orbit with “Rapture in Space” to explore the future of foreplay in freefall. In his gonzo nonfiction masterpiece “Surfing the Gnarl,” he documents the role of the Transreal in transforming both the personal and the political, distinguishes with mathematical precision between “high gnarl” and “low gnarl” in literature and life, and argues for remaking popular culture as a revolutionary project. And Featuring: PM’s exclusive Outspoken Interview, in which the author explains Infinity, deconstructs his own outrageous film career, answers one Jeopardy question, and (finally!) reveals the truth about Time. All under oath. You’ll never be the same. Is that good or bad? Your call.

Carlo Morse and Jimmy Ganzer pioneered dream-fabbing, but these days people only want to close their eyes to trashy stuff -- not the mention the kids and their fancy imported tech. It''s a good thing Schwartz''s Deli is still the same. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

Like many other stories and novels by Rudy Rucker, "Jack and the Aktuals" is a wild and wooly dramatization of certain principles of higher mathematics, with added talking animals, sentient pencils, and orders-of-infinity nested within one another like Russian dolls. No description can ever encompass the mind-bending experience of reading a Rudy Rucker story. At the Publisher''s request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.