John Shirley has often been first to tread frontiers that later became well-trampled cyberpunk turf. As a rock performer, he was heavily involved in the first virulent outbreak of punk on the West Coast. A prolific writer whose work includes such novels as City Come A-Walkin ', The Brigade, and the horror extravaganza Cellars , Shirley is well known for his soaring, surreal imagery and bursts of extreme visionary intensity.