The whole “minimalist art” thing has been applied to pop culture and science fiction quite a bit in recent years. There’s just something appealing about trying to break down an object or idea into its most basic components, to try and evoke its essence with as few elements as possible. We’ve seen the concept applied to iconic sci-fi weapons, famous scientists, and even the Doctor’s sonic screwdrivers. The latest spin on the idea: minimalist book cover designs for some of the genre’s most noteworthy tomes.

The minimalist designs are courtesy of graphic designer Nicolas Beaujouan, and are part of his so-called “Ultimate Geek Selection.” Up above we’ve got the ominous electronic eye of HAL 9000 from Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey — a pretty obvious choice, but a good one nonetheless. Some of Beaujouan’s other choices are similarly easy to grasp, such as H.P. Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness or Max Brooks’ World War Z.

A Neuromancer movie is one the great white whales of science fiction filmdom. There have been rumors and announcements, and rumors of announcements, nearly as long as the book itself has existed (first published in 1984, for those keeping score). William Gibson’s novel became one of the definitive tomes of the cyberpunk movement, and elements of it have influenced countless films and shows and games in the years since. With director Vince Natali in the director’s chair, it looks like we’re finally going to see a Neuromancer film in theaters, and now it just became that much more “real.” Check out the first teaser poster for the film.

If you’ve been anxiously awaiting any sort of news out of Vincenzo Natali‘s film adaptation of the William Gibson classic Neuromancer, then you’re in luck. GFM films has released a single piece of concept art and a little bit of news that confirms a rumor about possible casting. It’s not much, but for the first time something solid seems to be coming out of the film’s development.

A movie adaptation of William Gibson’s seminal cyberpunk opus Neuromancer has been in the works for years, passing from one potential creative team to the next. It’s currently in development with director Vincenzo Natali (Splice) at the helm. Now there’s another sign that the Neuromancer movie might finally gain some traction, with actors Mark Wahlberg and Liam Neeson in talks to star in the film.

Published in 1984, Neuromancer is the story of Henry Dorsett Case, formerly a brilliant hacker who was caught stealing from his boss and stripped of his ability to “jack in” to cyberspace as punishment. Case is suicidal, depressed, and hooked on drugs. He probably would have ended up dead in an alley if not for the intervention of Molly Millions, a badass mercenary who takes Case to see a mysterious man named Armitage. Case is offered a deal: Armitage will repair Case’s brain in exchange for a couple of jobs. Unfortunately, the gig is not as simple as it sounds.

Any discussion of science fiction invariably begins and ends with the masters of the genre. Jules Verne, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, Phillip K. Dick, Arthur C. Clarke, Ray Bradbury, H.G. Wells, Frank Herbert, Jerry Pournelle and so on. But what do all of those authors have in common besides their sci-fi prowess? They all did their most significant work before 1980. Ironically for a genre that’s so much about the future, much of our discussion of the great work done within it seems to center around things written in the distant past.

People didn’t suddenly stop writing science fiction novels in 1980. In the past thirty-years a new group of science fiction authors has risen to make their mark on the genre, with their own masterpiece entries into the sci-fi genre. This list is dedicated to those writers, the modern masters who haven’t quite yet taken their place in the pantheon of sci-fi icons, but probably should. If you’re serious about science fiction, or just looking for a great book to read without all the baggage of something written in a long since bygone era, make sure you own a copy of these must-read modern sci-fi masterpieces.