Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, 1968.

The distinction between “steampunk” and “cyberpunk” began with Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, 1968 novel. 

The film “Blade Runner”, 1982 (poster shown above) starring Harrison Ford is a film adaptation of the Philip K. Dick novel.  “Richard Decker” is the protagonist (a police man) in the novel; and, six androids (“foil characters”) are the criminals “Decker” is chasing.  The story is set in San Francisco in (then 1968) the year 2020 future dystopian cityscape.

With the release of the film “Blade Runner”, in 1982 the two terms (cyberpunk & steampunk) were established dichotomies in Science Fiction.  Philip K. Dick, “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, 1968 was science fiction that was the first novel of the “cyberpunk” genre.  “Cyberspace”virtual-reality,  and urban metropolis “Cityscape” are common features of cyberpunk Sci-Fi.