Terra Kaffe - Shop now
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Over 4 million titles. Learn more
OR
$7.99 with 20 percent savings
Digital List Price: $9.99

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Audiobook Price: $13.62

Save: $6.13 (45%)

You've subscribed to ! We will preorder your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships & Subscriptions
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Shockwave Rider Kindle Edition

4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 534 ratings

In a world drowning in data, a fugitive tries to outrun the forces that want to reprogram him, in this smart, edgy novel by a Hugo Award–winning author.
 
Constantly shifting his identity among a population choking on information, innovation, and novelty, Nickie Haflinger is a most dangerous outlaw, yet he doesn’t even appear to exist. As global society falls apart in all directions, with corporate power run amok and personal freedom surrendered to computers and bureaucrats, Haflinger is caught and about to be re-programmed. Now he has to try to escape once again, defy the government—and turn the tide of organizational destruction, in this visionary science fiction novel by the author of
The Sheep Look Up and Stand on Zanzibar.
 
“Brunner writes about the future as if he and the reader were already living in it.” —
The New York Times Book Review
 
“When John Brunner first told me of his intention to write the book, I was fascinated—but I wondered whether he, or anyone, could bring it off. Bring it off he has, with cool brilliance. A hero with transient personalities, animals with souls, think tanks and survival communities fuse to form a future so plausibly alive it as twitched at me ever since.” —Alvin Toffler, author of
Future Shock
 
“One of the most important science fiction authors. Brunner held a mirror up to reflect our foibles because he wanted to save us from ourselves.” —SF Site

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This book has always been popular with the techy-geeky crowd, but, since it was first published in the '70s, it missed out on the cyberpunk revolution of the '80s. It's too bad, because this is a compelling story of a future world tied together by a universal data network, a world that could be our tomorrow. It's a tense place filled with information overload and corporate domination, and nearly everything is known about everybody. Except Nickie Haflinger, a prodigy whose talents allow him to switch identities with a phone call. Nickie plans to change the world, if only he can keep from getting caught.

Review

"When John Brunner first told me of his intention to write this book, I was fascinated...A hero with transient personalities, animals with souls, think tanks, and survival communities fuse to form a future so plausibly alive it has twitched at me ever since."

-- "Alvin Toffler, author of Future Shock"

"Brunner writes about the future as if he and the reader were already living in it."

-- "New York Times Book Review"

"A compelling story of a future world tied together by a universal data network, a world that could be our tomorrow."

-- "Amazon.com review"

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00J5X5M42
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Open Road Media Sci-Fi & Fantasy (April 1, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ April 1, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 5.2 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 290 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.2 4.2 out of 5 stars 534 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
John Brunner
Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
534 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers

Customers say

Customers find the book thought-provoking and enjoyable to read. They appreciate its prescient look at the Internet, privacy, and society before it existed. However, opinions differ on the writing style, character development, and pacing. Some find the writing well-crafted and easy to follow, while others feel the writing is unprofessional or weird. There are also mixed reviews about the character development, with some finding them compelling and engaging, while others consider them one-dimensional.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

21 customers mention "Thought provoking"21 positive0 negative

Customers find the book thought-provoking and interesting. They say it provides insightful and brilliant extrapolation about what makes people valuable. The novel demonstrates the state of society after the information technology tsunami. Readers appreciate the vivid imagination, compelling storytelling, and well-developed characters.

"...global surveillance, and cultural oppressiveness are well fleshed out carry the story...." Read more

"...A quick read, and interesting. who, or what determines who, or what we are?..." Read more

"Great sweetthinking, and behavioral and motivational characterization...." Read more

"...Technology run amok...this is a must read for all futurists and fans of the science fiction genre. 4 stars!!!!" Read more

20 customers mention "Enjoyment"20 positive0 negative

Customers find the book enjoyable and thought-provoking. They say it's worth reading, a great book and an excellent film. The story is remarkable and prescient. Readers also mention it's underrated and inexpensive on Kindle.

"Just reread this book again after many years. It is still greatly enjoyable and neatly predicted much of todays world" Read more

"...If you enjoy cyberpunk or dystopian future stories, it's worth a read." Read more

"This is an underrated piece of work. Crichton said it was his least favorite work,but I enjoyed the heck out of it...." Read more

"...; by John Brunner is a story that is quite simply stunning and remarkable. Prescient, erudite, intense, all to real, and disturbing...." Read more

4 customers mention "Internet knowledge"4 positive0 negative

Customers appreciate the book's knowledge of the internet. They find it a prescient look at the Internet, privacy, and society before the internet existed.

"...Prescient, erudite, intense, all to real, and disturbing...." Read more

"...Brilliant imagination talking about 1. the internet before it exists and 2. hackers that can write new identities to hide from 3...." Read more

"A prescient look at the Internet, privacy, and society -- from before the Internet was invented!..." Read more

"Prescient but dated..." Read more

9 customers mention "Writing style"6 positive3 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the writing style. Some find it well-written and interesting, describing it as a quick read. Others mention that the writing is a bit ham-handed, written in a weird format, and unreadable.

"The Shockwave Rider (Kindle Edition) by John Brunner A quick read, and interesting...." Read more

"...Some of the writing is a bit ham-handed (I don't think Brunner displays a deft hand when it comes to interpersonal relationships), but the more..." Read more

"...The writing style is fluid, the atmospheric backdrops stunning, the science both encouraging and unsettling...." Read more

"...a British author educated in the previous millennium, so this is written well...." Read more

7 customers mention "Character development"4 positive3 negative

Customers have different views on the character development. Some find the characters thought-provoking and engaging, while others feel the dialogue is confusing and one-dimensional.

"Action is well-paced, characters are intelligent, as is the dialogue. A good, solid sci-fi read." Read more

"...Characters are cardboard, plot twists seem random, the low level plot is ok I guess but nothing special; I guess the computer stuff was pretty..." Read more

"...A great SF story of a future that could've been. Thought provoking with characters you can care about." Read more

"John Brunner is a great mind, poorly edited..." Read more

3 customers mention "Pacing"2 positive1 negative

Customers have mixed opinions about the pacing. Some find the science encouraging and intense, with emotional content and frightening parallels to modern times. Others consider it unconvincing, with an unconvincing dystopia and lack of direction for the good guys.

"..."1984" this story will grab you with its eclectic verbiage, emotion, and prophetic storyline...." Read more

"...there's something wrong with modern society, so there's an unconvincing dystopia, and lots of dialogue and inner monologue aimed at the reader to..." Read more

"Excellent early cyber punk with frightening parallels to modern times..." Read more

Despite influencing cyberpunks, not one of Brunner's best novels
3 out of 5 stars
Despite influencing cyberpunks, not one of Brunner's best novels
John Brunner (1934-1995) is widely seen as having anticipated both the internet and computer worms with this novel, as well as problems of a world in which we are all connected via information. (The term "worm" is actually taken from this novel.) "The Shockwave Rider" (1975) was apparently an influence on the cyberpunk SF movement of the Eighties (Gibson, Sterling, Rucker, and others), and as testimony, this edition has an introduction by Pat Cadigan, one of the cyberpunk authors.So there's that.I only just now finally got around to reading it, and I am underwhelmed. The Sheep Look Up (1972) (see my review), Brunner's novel of ecological devastation, is among my favorite books of all time. "Stand On Zanzibar" (1968), his Hugo Award-winning novel, is also fantastic. But "The Jagged Orbit" (1969) and "The Shockwave Rider," which are often grouped with the other two as part of a "Club of Rome Quartet" dealing with social issues of their time, I don't find to be nearly as good.Brunner's key influence was Alvin Toffler's bestselling "Future Shock" -- hence the title. The idea is that in this near-term future everything is moving too fast, causing people to become sick. Realizing that nuclear weapons have made conventional war obsolete, a knowledge race has replaced the arms race. The protagonist is taken as a boy by the government because of his high intelligence to a special secret "school" where he is trained and developed to be part of a brainpower arsenal as super-smart leaders emerge in countries around the world. (Brunner missed the mark by a million miles on this one!)He escapes once he realizes how he is being used, and evades capture through a combination of his intelligence and a super-high computer clearance that he uses to obliterate any record of his string of jobs under assumed names. The character is given several outraged speeches, both anti-authoritarian and arguing for "holism" over analytical separation. One of the major flaws to me was that the love interest seems at first to have some sort of special intelligence herself, but by the end is reduced to nothing more than a girlfriend/damsel-in-distress.There is a dramatic dénouement which involves digital data and which may have inspired Wikileaks.If you are interested in Brunner's novels, I recommend both "Stand On Zanzibar" and "The Sheep Look Up" over this one.(verified purchase of the Gollancz SF Masterworks edition from Amazon)
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on August 6, 2024
    Just reread this book again after many years. It is still greatly enjoyable and neatly predicted much of todays world
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 3, 2016
    John Brunner is arguably the innovator of the cyberpunk genre (think Neuromancer or Count Zero from William Gibson, or Neil Stephenson's Diamond Age or Snow Crash).

    The Shockwave Rider tells a story of a dystopian future, where every aspect of daily life is controlled by corporations, humans are slaves to their station in life, and there's no hope or escape. One man has found a way to fight the system, to hide who he is by altering his identity, and makes multiple attempts to change the system for the better. His backstory is filled in as the book progresses, how he came to be who he is and why he is able to do the things he is able to do.

    Some of the writing is a bit ham-handed (I don't think Brunner displays a deft hand when it comes to interpersonal relationships), but the more general over-arching themes of government-corporate partnership, social stratification, global surveillance, and cultural oppressiveness are well fleshed out carry the story. If you enjoy cyberpunk or dystopian future stories, it's worth a read.
    25 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on April 5, 2020
    The Shockwave Rider (Kindle Edition) by John Brunner

    A quick read, and interesting.

    who, or what determines who, or what we are? In a world run by computers and politics gone awry, how can anyone claim to be an individual? And what happens when you peel away the lawyers to reveal the slimy underbelly?
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on January 28, 2025
    This is an underrated piece of work. Crichton said it was his least favorite work,but I enjoyed the heck out of it. The film adaptation starring George Segal was quite good. Recommended!
  • Reviewed in the United States on May 28, 2024
    Great sweetthinking, and behavioral and motivational characterization.
    A bit dated since it was obviously written before cellular phones were everywhere.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2014
    "The Shockwave Rider" by John Brunner is a story that is quite simply stunning and remarkable. Prescient, erudite, intense, all to real, and disturbing. With similarities to "Catch Me If You Can" and Orwell's "1984" this story will grab you with its eclectic verbiage, emotion, and prophetic storyline. The writing style is fluid, the atmospheric backdrops stunning, the science both encouraging and unsettling. Technology run amok...this is a must read for all futurists and fans of the science fiction genre. 4 stars!!!!
    10 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on November 19, 2018
    I will be honest - my actual review is 4 stars instead of 5. This amazing book has been so ignored by the Sci Fi community that I am bumping it up to 5 stars.

    Near future Sci Fi is difficult to pull off because if the book stays around long enough the predictions will be disproved. Brunner managed to get a lot of his predictions right. "Tapeworms" and "phages" predicted computer worms and viruses. The hacking and lack of privacy looks correct. We are on the verge of the "genetic optimization" prediction. "Economic Obsolescence" looks correct. Social paranoia from lack of trust from unprecedented data flow looks a lot like the political climate we have today. Globalization also looks like the world of today. Even having organized criminals in government sounds like today. ;-) The hacking of "Delphi Pools" seem a lot like the hacking that is currently in financial markets. Even the over specialization seems correct.

    So why is this book ignored? It doesn't even have an audible book yet. I get the impression that John Brunner was not liked by the Sci Fi community.
    26 people found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on July 11, 2014
    Action is well-paced, characters are intelligent, as is the dialogue. A good, solid sci-fi read.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Hanslo Fritterich
    5.0 out of 5 stars John Brunner saw our today, our future.
    Reviewed in Canada on April 25, 2024
    Written in 1975!? Could have been written tomorrow.

    John Brunner saw our today, our future.

    Memo to self (and all) READ MORE BRUNNER!
  • MWC62
    5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 5, 2013
    In terms of predictive, social sci-fi John Brunner is an author without peer. Everything else is in his shadow. This novel is one of the loose 'future shock' trilogy along with 'The Sheep Look Up' and 'Stand on Zanzibar'. Extrapolated fron Alvin Tofflers 'Future Shock' accademic treatise of the late 60's the trilogy is spookily accurate at predicting the world of now, the 2010's. 'Shockwave Rider's' primary focus is on the internet, hackers, viruses and governemt control and manipulation; and whilst the predicted technology and future here is a little different to what we have, it's certainly so close as to make no difference. But it's not predicting technology where Brunner stands out, it's predicting the culture and zeitgeist. Great sci-fi will expand your understanding of the world you live in and teach you something without being preachy or didactic and this book does that. I've read 'Zanzibar' which is in the SF masterworks series, and I'm just about to embark on an oversize large print version of 'Sheep' which is the only version available and what surprises me is that Brunners work is so hard to get hold of and is mostly out of print. This to my mind is a crime and a failing on the part of the publishing industry...perhaps his work is too seditious and too terrible and real for general consumption. Brunners work is REQUIRED READING!!!!!!
  • Florian
    5.0 out of 5 stars Super Science Fiction
    Reviewed in Germany on March 17, 2013
    Fast vierzig Jahre alt und top-aktuell. Nicht ganz einfach, wenn Englisch nicht die Muttersprache ist, lohnt sich aber. Da kommt der Wurm her...
  • batman
    4.0 out of 5 stars visionnaire
    Reviewed in France on March 14, 2005
    Ce roman se passe dans un futur hypothètique, vers 2020. Les Etats-Unis ont été profondément marqués et transformés par un immense temblement de terre qui a gravement touché la Californie.
    C'est l'histoire d'un enfant très doué, remarqué par un institut de recherche (un "Centre"), et qui va subir, comme plusieurs autres, une formation spéciale. Cette formation va lui permettre de développer ses facultés intellectuelles et ses capacités d'adaptation. Cette formation n'hésite pas pour cela à placer l'enfant dans des situations très stressantes. 10 ans plus tard, l'enfant est devenu un jeune homme et... s'échappe. Ses facultés d'adaptation extra-ordinaires font de lui un caméléon qui peut changer d'identité comme il veut, et il peut assumer n'importe quelle identité/personnalité. A noter que ce roman a été écrit en 1975, bien avant l'apparition du feuilleton "le caméléon".
    Notre caméléon tente donc de rester libre et de combattre le système politico-social en place, qui repose sur un immense datanet.
    Un roman visionnaire, malheureusement pas très bien écrit. Mais le sujet est très fort, et toujours très actuel.
  • Frank7
    4.0 out of 5 stars Did he have a conduit to the future?
    Reviewed in Canada on July 9, 2020
    Brunner as always is stunning in how accurate his predictions of social and political change. One would do well to take serious note of his ideas, and use them to understand and respond to our current world order.

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?