Cyberpunk Handbook: The Real Cyberpunk Fakebook

Cyberpunk Handbook: The Real Cyberpunk Fakebook St. Jude, R.U. Sirius, and Bart Nagel (Random House, $9.95) Creating a book that's part Preppy Handbook and part its ultimate parody, the authors give useful information while relentlessly pulling every kind of chain they can find. They explain why Macintosh computers are lame and tell you which nerd comic strips to read. (''Dilbert is cool. It's written and drawn by an actual nerd, Scott Adams, who sometimes uses real technical terms.'') In the ''Cheatcards'' chapters, synopses fill you in on books you may not have read (Neuromancer) and films you may not have seen (Blade Runner, natch). A dictionary defines everything from acronym to World Wide Web (uh, that's WWW to you), and lastly, a style guide shows you how to fit in with cyberhipsters everywhere, whether you go for goths, riot grrrls, techno-pagans, or ravers. So turn off your modem, pick up a copy, and get hip—but quickly, before the next big fad starts. B