Notes on 'Marooned in Realtime' (1986) by Vernor Vinge (b. 1944)
The second work in Vernor Vinge’s Realtime (1984-86) series, Marooned in Realtime is an post-singularity work that is instrumental to the history of sf and the history of ideas. Vinge not only helped pave the way for the Cyberpunk movement but he also left a big mark on postmodern space opera. Vinge’s writing has played a pivotal role in the development of singularity literature – having first introduced the concept in True Names (1981) – and Marooned in Realtime, which further fleshes out the concept, remains an important work in the history of sf as well as in the history of ideas.