12 Fascinating Near-Future Science Fiction Books

One of my favorite near-future themes is cloning, and in this science fiction novel a scientist must confront a clone of herself — and all the implications of her experiments therein — after her ex-husband steals her research. Mixing elements of sci-fi and thrillers, Gailey creates a not altogether implausible thought experiment probing not only into the humanity of clones, but the humanity of the people creating them. It’s a gem of science fiction.

In a near future obsessed with positive psychology, Pearl’s job is to make personalized recommendations on how people can find greater contentment in their lives. Her son Rhett, on the other hand, seems to find perverse joy in being unhappy. And it’s not her job — as mother or as a happiness technician — to change that. Tell the Machine Goodnight asks the question: in a society where quick fixes and technology can fulfill humanity’s obsession with positivity, what does it mean to find happiness? And it it even possible to measure emotion in the first place?

In a world remade by the climate crisis, cities like Phoenix and Las Vegas skirmish over the dwindling remains of water in the Colorado River. It’s Las Vegas’s water knives — assassins, terrorists, and spies — who ensure their city has the resources it needs to survive. When rumors of a new water source emerge, a water knife, a reporter, and others set out to find answers. And they’ll do whatever it takes to get them.

As climate catastrophe draws ever nearer, influential scientist Valerie Black has spearheaded an all-female mission to a planet in the Goldilocks zone — one with the potential to provide a new home for human life. The only problem? The mission has been stolen from them, and the crack team of astronauts, engineers, doctors, and scientists Valerie put together is no longer authorized to leave the planet. That isn’t about to stop them, though, not when they’re this close. But losing the mission isn’t the only secret Valerie has been keeping, and when the crew is alone in space with only each other to rely upon, her ulterior motives could spell disaster for everyone.

Pollution and viruses fill the air, but only the poor suffer for it. The rich use their money to buy special suits that protect them, while everyone else suffers from endless illnesses and early death. After his mother becomes another such death, Zhou manages to infiltrate the elite, hoping to take down from the inside the corrupt Jin Corporation that produces the filtration suits. The deeper he gets, the more he begins to wonder if that’s all they’re producing. After all, the pollution and viruses have to come from somewhere.

Nobel prize winning author Kazuo Ishiguro’s novel is about an English boarding school where children are given the best possible education but taught nothing about the outside world. Once Kathy and her friends grow old enough to leave the school, they learn the truth about their education and their purpose. I can’t say too much more without giving away important plot spoilers, but this book is a masterpiece.

When the lights go out in a northern Anishinaabe community, cutting them off from the outside world, panic grows. The supply chain is dwindling and oil supplies might not get them through the stormy winter. It’s not until the outsiders begin showing up that people really start to worry. People from down south, the same people who pushed the Anishinaabe up north to begin with, inform them the the entirety of Canada — and maybe even the world — has gone dark. This book is a story of isolation and climate change, but also humanity’s dependence on technology.