True Names
| Author | Vernor Vinge |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Series | Binary Star #5, ed. James R. Frenkel |
| Genre | Science fiction, cyberpunk |
| Published | 1981 (Dell Publishing) |
| Publication place | USA |
| Media type | Novella |
| ISBN | 978-0241975589 |
True Names is a 1981 science fiction novella by American writer Vernor Vinge, a seminal work of the cyberpunk genre. It is one of the earliest stories to present a fully fleshed-out concept of cyberspace, which would later be central to cyberpunk. The story also contains elements of transhumanism.
True Names first brought Vinge to prominence as a science fiction writer. It also inspired many real-life hackers and computer scientists; a 2001 book about the novella, True Names: And the Opening of the Cyberspace Frontier, included essays by Danny Hillis, Marvin Minsky, Mark Pesce, Richard Stallman and others. It was a finalist for the Hugo and Nebula awards in 1982, and was awarded the Prometheus Hall of Fame Award in 2007.