Neuromancer
Published in 1984, Neuromancer was author William Gibson's first novel. It won the 1984 Nebula award, and the Philip K. Dick Memorial Award and Hugo Award the following year. The novel is considered to be the first proper cyberpunk novel. Its is reminiscent of a 1930's noir novel in the style of Raymond Chandler, and its title might be looked upon as a pun on new romancer.
Warning: Wikipedia contains spoilers.
Set in a dystopic, plausible, all-too-near-future, this book explored ideas such as artificial intelligence, genetic engineering, multinational corporations dominating the world at the expense of the nation-state, and cyberspace (a computer network called The Matrix) long before these ideas were fashionable in popular culture. Gibson also explored the dehumanizing effects of a world dominated by ubiquitous and cheap technology, writing of a future where violence and the free market are the only things upon which one may rely.
Reference: William Gibson, Neuromancer, published by Ace Books, ISBN 0441569595
