History Main / PostCyberpunk

* TadWilliams' ''Literature/{{Otherland}}'' tetralogy, which shares much of the tone and content with .hack despite being set in the late 21st century.

* In Neal Asher's ''Literature/ThePolity'' novels, the protagonists are loyal to a benevolent autocratic government controlled by advanced artificial intelligence, and the universe is coming close to TheSingularity. Essentially, the series takes the scope of SpaceOpera (with particular influence of TheCulture), but gives it the gritty tone of CyberPunk.
* Creator/WalterJonWilliams's more recent books (''ThisIsNotAGame'', ''DeepState'') are definitely in this genre (of the TwentyMinutesInTheFuture variety).
* Arguably, ''{{Uglies}}'' by Scott Westerfeld.

* Walter Jon Williams ''This Is Not A Game'' and it's sequel ''Deep State''.

* DavidBrin's ''TheTransparentSociety'' is an attempt by the author to convince the world that we have a choice between technology creating a utopian society or dystopia. The first can only be brought about by embracing technology and making it available to all. The second by attempting to fight technology, because the technology is so useful that it cannot be resisted, attempting to limit its availability to proper authority means that it will be available only to proper authority and to the rich and powerful and to the criminal class that knows how to access and use it illegally. Essentially, it straddles the divide between CyberPunk and PostCyberPunk and argues that the two are the inevitable result of our choices now.

* CoryDoctorow:

* The third edition of R. Talsorian's ''Cyberpunk'' RPG is set in a Post-cyberpunk world. The irony of a post-Cyberpunk game called "Cyberpunk" is not lost on anyone.

* ''Anime/{{Patlabor}}''

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' straddles this, having evolved along with the genre. The original 1989 game was a typical CyberPunk dystopia, with evil megacorps running things. By the 4th edition, the corps are generally more neutral and there are far greater threats than them. while still dystopian, its far less so than the earlier edition.

* Arguably ''{{Inception}}''. It has some of the hallmarks of cyberpunk- burnt out protagonist and powerful Japanese CorruptCorporateExecutive who hires him to brainwash a business rival, but the Japanese guy turns out to be not so bad and is actually trying to ''prevent'' a monopoly, the protagonist gets better, [[MindScrew sort of]], and the brainwashing plays out as EpiphanyTherapy.
** Extraction/inception itself is simply a different take on hacking in {{Cyberspace}} only with dreams instead of computers. Inception mostly achieves post-cyberpunk status by avoiding the '80s-influenced ''look'' of cyberpunk, not the story and feel thereof.

* Yesterday (aka the 2004 Korean movie)

* Elizabeth Bear's Jenny Casey trilogy.

* Rudy Rucker's Postsingular jumps back and forth a bit, but ultimately ends on a post-cyberpunk note, with the characters fighting for freeware.

* ''FreeMarket'' (based on ''Literature/DownAndOutInTheMagicKingdom'') is bright and shiny and just plain awesome about how future technology will be. It does really crank up the "humans will be humans" aspect with an entire social structure/economy based around how much people like you, similar to Facebook.
** Viva la adhocracy!

* CthulhuTech is very much a post-cyberpunk setting, and despite the [[CosmicHorrorStory nature of the universe]], has a government that despite its flaws is trying to save humanity, an economy which is approaching post-scarcity with nanofactories and the D-Engine, and themes of transhumanism (though not of the kind that you [[BodyHorror necessarily like]]).

* TabletopGame/SufficientlyAdvanced, a game almost entirely about how far flung future technologies effect society and how ideas change the world, has so much hope and wonder at what science can achieve that even the more disturbing cultures, like those that use meshes to make everyone a willing slave of everyone else, are able to sit down with the rest and have a civil discussion about why their way of life is the most moral and correct.

* The ''DotHack'' franchise.

* QuestionableContent. On the surface, it looks like a story about a group of friends just going about their daily lives and being snarky. And then you see the [=AnthroPCs=], which are basically {{robot}}s that function as pets and home computers, although it's not always clear just how that's supposed to work. The [=AnthroPC=] characters run the range from CuteMachines and RobotGirl to EatingMachine and at least one KillerRobot. There is even a chart showing the MechanicalEvolution of the setting.

* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' series is perhaps an extreme example of Post-cyberpunk characterization. The main heroes are just normal kids with families and friends, who happen to also restore order to the Digital World, not to mention forge unbreakable bonds of friendship with sentient computer programs capable of materializing in the physical plane. Also, there is a important focus on relationships as much as world saving. It is, however, worth noting that this applies primarily to ''Anime/DigimonTamers''; the other series, while nominally science fiction, are largely fantasy in genre [[PaperThinDisguise and wearing science fiction Groucho Marx glasses]].

* ''DennouCoil'', which is best described as "''GhostInTheShell'' [[InTheStyleOf as done by]] HayaoMiyazaki".

* ''ChaosFighters II-Cyberion Strike'' and ''ChaosFighters: Cyber Assault-The Secret Programs''. However,[[spoiler:the guardians (similar to navis in MegamanBattleNetwork) are originally designed as virtual humans, but due to crimes the research project switched its focus to develop fight able guardians so that the crimes can be solved quickly.]]

* ''VideoGame/{{Flashback}}'' has you playing a government agent who must stop an alien invasion. [[WretchedHive New Washington]] is delightfully dystopian, and at one point you must [[DeadlyGame compete in a televised deathmatch for money]].

* The Terran society in ''{{Starcraft}}'' is a crossover between this and SpaceWestern.

** ''VideoGame/DeusExInvisibleWar'' is even more so; the previous game [[spoiler:turned out to be a ShaggyDogStory because ''all three endings happened'' - the uber-AI was born crippled, the Ancient Conspiracy returned to power, and the world was reduced to a series of high-tech enclaves in a ruined wasteland.]] But again, the heroic characters have the opportunity to change things for the better - and to decide what "better" is for themselves; [[spoiler:give everyone enhancements and voting control over an AI overlord, resurrect the old democracies, get rid of all the crazy technology, or let the chaos give birth to {{Ubermensch}} who will colonize the universe without fear.]]

* ''TabletopGame/{{Shadowrun}}'' straddles this, having evolved along with the genre. The original1989 game was a typical CyberPunk dystopia, with evil megacorps running things. By the 4th edition, the corps are generally more neutral and there are far greater threats than them. while still dystopian, its far less so than the earlier edition.
* SufficientlyAdvanced, a game almost entirely about how far flung future technologies effect society and how ideas change the world, has so much hope and wonder at what science can achieve that even the more disturbing cultures, like those that use meshes to make everyone a willing slave of everyone else, are able to sit down with the rest and have a civil discussion about why their way of life is the most moral and correct.

* ''Fates Worse Than Death'' features a setting where cyber isn't quite as popular, and implants help, but don't turn you into a {{ChromeChampion}}. Corporations are powerful, but not omniscient, and guns are tightly controlled, leaving more space for switchblades. Above all, everyone has a place in society, including gang members! Actually, especially gang members, as gangs are less of crime groups and more of mutual protection societies when the government isn't willing to keep the order and safety (which is how many gangs started anyway in the real world, making this {{OlderThanFeudalism}}).

* ''SummerWars'' is a shining example of this, what with the fact that a virtual world is the thing that connects everything together. Not to mention the TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture setting.

* Creator/WilliamGibson's ''Literature/BigendBooks'' (trilogy?) moves the other {{Ur}} CyberPunk author into this territory. Although, ''Literature/SpookCountry'' (written against the background of TheWarOnTerror) is on the [[SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism bleaker end of the scale]], just not {{dystopian}}.

* ''Literature/HaltingState'' and ''{{Literature/Rule 34}}'' by Creator/CharlesStross both are ''TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture'' with a debatably amoral view of technology.
** The first part of ''Literature/{{Accelerando}}'' also fits [[spoiler:(until the [[AiIsACrapshoot AI overlords]] turn [[TheSingularity the Solar system into computronium]])]].

Compare Cyberpunk, PunkPunk and PostSomethingIsm. See CyberpunkTropes for tropes found in PostCyberPunk works and shared with its cousin CyberPunk.

Where Cyberpunk is {{dystopia}}n and GrimDark with a disillusionment for Utopian science fiction, PostCyberpunk is positive yet more realistic than both cyberpunk and utopian sci-fi. Where {{Cyberpunk}} is anti-corporate and anti-government, Postcyberpunk is willing to give both parties redeeming features. Where Cyberpunk portrays the future as a CrapsackWorld, Postcyberpunk posits society will probably be about the same, just with cooler gadgets. Where Cyberpunk is futuristic, forward thinking and on the cutting edge...so is PostCcberpunk.

Where Cyberpunk is {{dystopia}}n and GrimDark with a disillusionment for Utopian science fiction, PostCyberpunk is positive yet more realistic than both cyberpunk and utopian sci-fi. Where {{Cyberpunk}} is anti-corporate and anti-government, PostCyberpunk is willing to give both parties redeeming features. Where Cyberpunk portrays the future as a CrapsackWorld, PostCyberpunk posits society will probably be about the same, just with cooler gadgets. Where Cyberpunk is futuristic, forward thinking and on the cutting edge...so is PostCyberpunk.

PostCyberpunk is the [[PostSomethingIsm reaction]] to the DarknessInducedAudienceApathy of Cyberpunk. Of course, PostCyberpunk involves {{reconstruction}} of concepts Cyberpunk deconstructed, or deconstruction of CyberpunkTropes (such as [[DystopiaIsHard the Dystopia]]). The Cyberpunk genre itself was meant as a reaction to utopian fiction popular in the [[TheForties 1940s]] and [[TheFifties 1950s]] while exploring technology's possibility for abuse TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture (tech from ''Franchise/StarTrek'' will just result in ''Literature/BraveNewWorld''), but as the genre itself got so DarkerAndEdgier to the point of being just as ''unrealistic'', it was predictable that Cyberpunk itself will get a deconstruction.

* TadWilliams' ''{{Otherland}}'' tetralogy, which shares much of the tone and content with .hack despite being set in the late 21st century.

* ''KurauPhantomMemory''

* The ''Franchise/{{Digimon}}'' series is perhaps an extreme example of Post-cyberpunk characterization. The main heroes are just normal kids with families and friends, who happen to also restore order to the Digital World, not to mention forge unbreakable bonds of friendship with sentient computer programs capable of materializing in the physical plane. Also, there is a important focus on relationships as much as world saving.

The progression of the genre mirrors how society in RealLife viewed technology. In [[TheEighties the 1980s]], some people argued that the dystopian future of CyberPunk was probable, that technology was not going to improve life; instead it was going to help 'TheMan' institute a world similar to that feared by the likes of [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour George Orwell]], only with more consumerism, mindless hedonism and porn advertising. [[BigBrotherIsWatching Surveillance and computer networks will create Big Brother and make privacy obsolete]]. [[MegaCorp Megacorporations]] were going to stomp out individual rights and enslave creativity for the sake of [[CorruptCorporateExecutive Profit]]. And [[JapanTakesOverTheWorld Japan was going to take over the world]]. In the 1990s and 2000s RealLife, the Internet averted its expansion into Big Brother, on the contrary becoming the manifestation of the First Amendment, allowing free press and ordinary people the freedom and resources to express themselves and share ideas like never before. Giant corporations were still extremely powerful, but they didn't become the big bad guys, and the Internet essentially allowed the masses to [[InSovietRussiaTropeMocksYou watch over Big Brother]]. Additionally, the open-source movement provided a grassroots technological base to ordinary people, who in turn embraced some key open software.

* {{Futurama}}!

* SonicSatAM can be seen as this.

* {{Traveller}} : In a limited form. As intersteller communication is impossible, each planet has it's own net assuming it to be of sufficient technology and each starship has an onboard net.