The ware tetralogy
by Rudy Rucker · first published 2010
83% recommend17% critical
Why HN recommends it
A fast, funny cyberpunk series full of robots and odd inventions. Its imaginative, thought-provoking tone suits fans of old-school high sci-fi.
Summarised by Claude from recommending comments
"It starts with Software, where rebel robots bring immortality to their human creator by eating his brain. In Wetware, the robots decide to start building people, and people get strung out on an insane new drug called merge. By Freeware, the robots have evolved into soft plastic slugs called moldies and some human "cheeseballs" want to have sex with them. The action redoubles when aliens begin arriving in the form of cosmic rays. And with Realware, the humans and robots reach a higher plateau"--Cover p. [4].
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Rudy Rucker's Ware tetralogy[1]. I've actually not read the 4th book, though (yet). A fantastic tale, with lots of robots. And icecream trucks... [1] http://amzn.com/1607012111
on “Neuromancer, 30 years old this month” ↗On this tangent, I want to recommend the Ware Tetralogy by Rudy Rucker. Rucker did a lot of work on cellular automata in his day.
on “Ask HN: What book changed your life?” ↗Another addition would be Rudy Rucker's Ware Tetralogy.
on “Hard comp-fi reading list” ↗…Gene Wolfe’s series, starting with Shadow of the Torturer. Can’t explain this one, just read it. Wolfe was an engineer, he helped to create the machine for manufacturing pringles. Bonus: Rudy Rucker’s Ware Tetralogy. A hilarious and thought-provoking cyberpunk book. The author is a Mathematics professor who worked at Autodesk for some time in the 80s. 2nd bonus: Sherlock Holmes, all of Poe’s work and all of H.P.…
on “Ask HN: What are some must read books?” ↗…a book from the 19th century at the same time. EDIT#2: okay, a bunch of people seem to be reading this right now, must be even more popular than i thought. Neal Stevenson - Diamond Age Rudy Rucker - Ware Tetralogy (old-school cyberpunk / high-scifi. i read Juicy Ghosts by Rucker last year and really dig his extravagant ideas. I had trouble understanding Juicy Ghosts at times, but the concepts that man is able to…
on “Ask HN: What are you reading?” ↗I'm surprised no one has mentioned anything about Rudy Rucker, whose blog this is from. Some credit him with authoring the first cyber punk novel, which was titled 'Software.' It's the first in his 'Ware Tetralogy' (Software, Wetware, Realware, Freeware) which I'd certainly recommend checking out.
on “Memories of Kurt Gödel” ↗Thanks for this Rudy. I remember enjoying reading the Ware Tetralogy as a teen in the 90s. I wonder how well it holds up today. Might have to put that on my re-read list.
on “Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology (1986)” ↗Reminds me of the fictional, implausible drug called "Merge", from Rudy Rucker's book "Wetware", the first book in the Ware Tetralogy: https://www.sffchronicles.com/threads/549301/ Vertigo, Mad Mountain Man: The first book in Rucker’s Ware Tetralogy was okay but I had this to say about the ending: The end was simply dreadful; it…
on “The comb jelly can fuse with another (including nervous and digestive systems)” ↗For anyone unfamiliar with Rudy Rucker, he's a computer scientist and sci-fi author among other things. Many credit his book "Software" (first of the four part "Ware Tetralogy") as the first real work of cyberpunk (1982) (imo it works for many definitions, but Neuromancer is closer on general vibe and came out in '84). In any case, he's got a unique style full of interesting…
on “The fourth dimension: Toward a geometry of higher reality (1984)” ↗