Revisiting Stephen’s Cyberpunk novels
Out of the blue, Stephen received an email from Rey Harris, a journalist and self-described Cyberpunk fanatic. Cyberpunk 2020 was a role-playing fantasy game created by R. Talsorian Games in 1987. Stephen was hired to write two novels “in the world of” Cyberpunk 2020. The two books came out in 1995 and 1996. The Cyberpunk game is now making a comeback as Cyberpunk 2077!
Rey had ordered a used copy of the second book, Holo Men, and was surprised at how much he enjoyed it. He then ordered the first book, The Ravengers, set out to discover where it came from, and tracked down Stephen. Rey interviewed Stephen for an hour on Skype.
Rey wrote a blog describing his experience reading both Holo Men and The Ravengers, and his quest to find their source. He includes both criticism and praise, and concludes:
Above all, both books contain so much adventure and imagination in them, that you can’t help but get the sense that Billias had a damn good time writing them. They rarely take themselves too seriously, and in moments where they do, they exhibit unexpected levels of depth.
You can read the entire blog on the Cybernation Uncensored website: https://cybernationuncensored.com/the-ravengers-holo-men-revisiting-stephen-billias-cyberpunk-2020-novels-nearly-30-years-later/
Stephen’s final word on the subject is: “I’m retro!”
Rey is also a musician. We borrowed the name of his band and album for the title of this blog. Have a listen at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EYMYCN8iR1c