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Curated by Annalee Newitz
Fifty works that saw it coming
Annalee Newitz May 2026
novel
Huxley’s false utopia is full of genetically engineered humans raised to do specific jobs through “conditioning” as children. Most are “conditioned” to enjoy physical labor, while a few elites are trained to love books and science. Everyone takes a valium-like drug called soma to deal with how crappy the system makes them feel. Chaos is unleashed when a wild-type human raised without conditioning threatens to overturn the rigid social order.
film
A modern cinematic classic about intelligent robots, this chilling psychological thriller asks what AI might do to survive – including lie, engage in manipulative sycophancy, and even kill. Believable and scary, this movie feels ripped from a newscast that is streaming five minutes from now.
novel
Adapted into countless films, TV series, videogames, and art, this short novel was long suppressed in the Soviet Union, despite being written by two of the nation’s most celebrated sci-fi authors. When aliens visit Earth, they leave a bunch of junk behind – probably litter from a picnic – and warp reality in the “Zones” where they landed. Scavengers called stalkers venture into these forbidden regions in search of new tech. It’s a creepy adventure with subversive commentary on the desperation caused by poverty, and the race to turn scientific wonders into commodities that can be sold.
nonfiction
This bestselling anthology is a profound collection of essays, interviews, poems, and art that imagines a future where humanity manages to “get it right” and avoid climate disaster.
novel
Chambers reinvented the space opera with her series of four novels about humans, aliens, and machine intelligences trying to make a living – and find family – in an interstellar civilization. Funny, melancholy, and deeply philosophical by turns, the series is like a queer version of Star Trek with lots of space truckers and mechanics.
film
This surreal, near-future scifi movie was an indie hit that will blow your mind with its hilarious exploration of the future of biotech corporations, call center workers, and union organizing. Full of twists and smart worldbuilding, it’s the perfect movie for people who want to know what might happen five minutes into the future.
novel
It may be set in an alternate historical world with magical tech, but Polk’s trilogy about traumatized soldiers haunted by ghosts, climate change, and government corruption feels like a window into our future. Deliciously written, full of intrigue and queer romance, these novels are a delight to read with razor-sharp political commentary that never feels preachy. Look out for Polk’s article about writing a D&D novel in STARLOG 2026!
novel
You’ll see some of Anders’ writing in STARLOG 2026, and for good reason. This novel explores the relationship between an engineer and a witch, set against the backdrop of AI-obsessed San Francisco. As a mysterious AI companion takes the world by storm, a reckless billionaire threatens to destroy the planet with a dangerous new invention – and possibly the only people who can stop him are a group of witches who will protect the natural world at all costs.
nonfiction
Doctorow is the scifi author who inspired readers with his bestseller Little Brother, and his new nonfiction book about the future of the internet is a must-read. He explains why the internet is so terrible right now, and how we can fix it.
nonfiction
If you’ve ever wondered what the “right to privacy” means in the United States when it comes to your phone, computer, or even walking down the street, tech law journalist Farivar (a contributor to STARLOG 2026) will break it down for you. In this exploration of several key legal cases that created our right to privacy (or lack thereof) in the information age, Farivar will entertain and enlighten you – and you’ll never think about your data in the same way again.
nonfiction
If you want to understand how to build sustainable cities and energy grids, this critically acclaimed book by engineering professor Chachra is an essential guide. Engagingly written, it introduces mind-boggling inventions that could provide us with all the energy we need – without destroying the planet.
nonfiction
Google AI researcher Timnit Gebru was fired for authoring this paper, which accurately describes the way AI uses an unsustainable amount of compute power, is full of bias along the lines of what Noble also found, and is capable of hoodwinking users into believing its hallucinations. With her co-authors, Gebru helped popularize the phrase “stochastic parrot” for large language models, because they are not conscious, but merely repeating words chaotically without understanding their meaning. If you want to understand the real problems with AI rather than the apocalyptic hype, this paper is absolutely essential reading. Read the paper at ACM.
tv
We love all Star Trek, unabashedly, from the original series to Star Fleet Academy. But for people who want to understand the future, Next Generation showcases both the tech and the ethics we need to move forward as a species. In the 2026 STARLOG magazine, you can read an interview with LeVar Burton, who played Chief Engineer Geordi LaForge, talking to physicist Chanda Prescod-Weinstein about what we need to face a chaotic tomorrow.
film
Miyazaki has become famous for his gorgeous anime features, from My Neighbor Totoro to Princess Mononoke. But this is the film that put him on the map. It’s the far-future tale of Earth after an “ecocide” that leaves the planet divided between small habitable regions and vast toxic jungles. The images of giant insects and weird nature in this film are haunting, and hint at a future that is both low-tech and high-science.
novel
No future would be complete without a healthy dose of Iain M. Banks, whose many novels in the sprawling Culture universe helped popularize the ideas of “post-humanity” and “post-scarcity society.” Consider Phlebas is the first Culture book, and it’s where you should start in Banks’ world. Get ready for speed demon sentient spaceships who name themselves things like “Speak Softly and Carry a Big Stick,” augmented assassins with the “Special Circumstances” division of the interstellar government, and wild technologies the size of galaxies. Also, a heaping dose of Scottish humor and cynicism.
novel
The classic short story collection where scifi grandmaster Asimov introduces the “three laws of robotics” and how they go terribly wrong.
film
In a weird but plausible future, Earth is no longer inhabitable and everyone lives in orbital space stations. Working class people are employed as “space sweepers,” essentially orbital janitors who clear space junk out of Earth orbit. Action-packed, funny, and sweet, the movie centers on a crew of misfits who team up to earn enough money to pursue their dreams – and maybe protect a child who is also a thermonuclear device along the way.
novel
This is it: the iconic, influential play that introduced the word “robot” to the world, and described the very first robot uprising in fiction. The play was originally written in Czech, and first performed in English in 1922. It’s the story of a greedy corporation called Rossum, which invents “universal robots,” (R.U.R. stands for Rossum’s Universal Robots) for slave labor – and the human scientist who helps them rise up by programming them to have emotions.
nonfiction
Tech journalist Hao set out to chronicle the rise of OpenAI, and wound up writing a book about a lot more than Sam Altman’s many dramas with his AI megacorporation. Ultimately, this book serves as a warning about how AI companies exploit labor comparable to the darkest days of 18th century colonialism – and threatens to wreak havoc on the planet as well. Impeccably researched, this book dramatically changed the conversation about AI business models in Silicon Valley.
novel
Award-winning author and former diplomat Lord won international acclaim for this imagination-bending story of alien refugees in diaspora, searching for somewhere in the galaxy to call home. Full of unexpected twists, breathtaking ideas, and interspecies diplomacy, this hopeful novel is a reminder that it’s possible to recover from disaster – through cooperation, careful negotiations, and love. Plus, the story continues in two amazing sequels.
nonfiction
Ever since Liu Cixin’s novel Three Body Problem (and its two sequels) took the world by storm, people in the English-speaking world have been hungry for more Chinese science fiction. Thanks to renowned author and translator Ken Liu, we have this wonderful starter collection with stories from some of the current giants in the field, including Liu Cixin, as well as Chen Qiufan, Fei Dao, Han Song, Zhang Ran, Xia Jia, and more. Plus there are fascinating essays about Chinese sci-fi fandom, and the role of sci-fi in Chinese literature and pop culture.
film
The Wachowskis ushered in the new millennium with this incredible film, whose achievements were technical (they invented bullet time!) and intellectual (they updated the robot uprising of R.U.R. for the internet era!). It’s impossible to talk about twenty-first century social media and tech without referring to the myth of Neo, the one human who can hack into the “matrix” that controls the simulation where all human minds are enslaved. But will Neo free us from our mind prisons, or will we take our blue pills and stay asleep? You must decide.
novel
A delightful tale of an interstellar cooking competition in the far future, this novel is a sweet romp that also explores how humanity carries caste and class with us to the stars. We may develop incredible new technologies, but we are still struggling with old-fashioned social problems. The sequel, Intergalactic Feast, is a must-read too.
film
This cult indie movie imagines a future where a coalition of feminists and unions have risen up against a corporate police state, rejected both Democrats and Republicans – and won. Now they are trying to maintain the fragile new social democracy of the United States, while also looking back on the revolution that brought them there.
novel
A contributor to STARLOG 2026, El-Sayed has crafted a twisty political thriller set on a generation starship. Partly inspired by the events of Arab Spring, it’s the tale of a political uprising where violent disruption could end the lives of everyone who depends on the vessel to survive in the vacuum of space. Just when things get really bloody, the colonists in suspended animation start to wake up – and they are pissed off, hyper-augmented superhumans. A combination thriller, mystery, and space opera, this novel is the first in a planned trilogy that you won’t want to miss.
novel
A heart-pounding thriller set in the near future, Infomocracy is about what happens when technology has allowed humans to create a global democracy. Everything is going pretty well, until someone decides to rig the next global election. Older delivers a smart, prescient vision of the future of governance.
novel
This multi-award winning, bestselling series of novels (now an Apple TV series) introduces the iconic Murderbot, a killer robot who just wants to watch soap operas and goof off. Luckily, it also has time to save some annoying humans who keep getting in trouble. Now it’s also a brilliant TV series too!
nonfiction
In this analytical memoir, Syrian architect Al-Sabouni explores how cities of the future might be rebuilt after disasters – whether natural or caused by war. Like the great urban planner Jane Jacobs, who popularized the idea of “walkable” cities, Al-Sabouni imagines how architecture can inspire social connections, encourage collaboration, and dispel the rampant loneliness that has infected so many urbanites in the twenty-first century.
game
The humans are dead. You are a city of beavers, trying to resurrect civilization from the garbage that the stupid humans left behind. You must build dams. You must have water and food and entertainment. You must plan for drought and, eventually, space flight. Quite possibly one of the greatest city building games of the 20s, Timberborn is a post-apocalyptic future you can find a home in.
novel
What do you call a spy-fi family drama about the slacker offspring of a Chinese medicine god working at a fae temp agency, who has a slow burn romance with a secret agent haunted by a curse? Sounds like the chaotic future nobody ever imagined – until now. You can read more Tsai in the pages of STARLOG 2026, where she is recommending upcoming books for you to enjoy.
novel
Published just before the COVID pandemic, this novel felt like a prophesy. It takes place five years after the Earth is ravaged by a pandemic, following a small group of characters as they put their lives back together and learn to find hope again. Chen also has an essay in STARLOG 2026 about one of his favorite shows, Robotech.
novel
One of the most celebrated science fiction series of the twenty-first century, these books explore another world (or is it a far-future Earth?) that is beset by horrific environmental catastrophe. But perhaps our hero – who can control earthquakes – has the key to survival.
novel
Most people know Stephenson’s work from his bestselling novels Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon. But if you want to understand the near future, nothing works better than Reamde, his sprawling tale of crypto billionaires, international spies, counter-terrorism, and virtual worlds. Funny, action-packed, and full of well-observed spycraft, Reamde will change how you see international techno-politics and keep you reading late into the night with its hyper-realistic gun fights.
nonfiction
In this crucial scientific work, Weiner coined the phrase “cybernetics” to describe machines (like computers) that worked via feedback mechanisms. Though based in science, it also speculates about “self-reproducing machines” and digital brains. This book influenced generations of computer scientists, engineers, and science fiction writers, and is still relevant today.
novel
This trilogy of three mind-warping novels helped cement Butler’s place in the pantheon of science fiction grand masters, and also contributed to her becoming the first sci-fi author to win a MacArthur “Genius Grant.” It’s about what happens when aliens called the Oankali rescue humans from the nuclear wasteland of Earth, and introduce them to a society where all technology is biological – and spaceships are made by recycling whole planets. Oh, and also? The Oankali can only reproduce by merging genetically with other species. Guess who they are hoping will be their next species partner? Butler was a pioneer in the Afrofuturist movement, transforming the way we imagine the future of technology, our ecosystems, and humanity itself.
novel
One of the most important cyberpunk novels of the twentieth century, Cadigan’s masterwork is about what happens to art in a post-AI world. Synners are people who turn the thoughts of creatives into commodities – and of course there is a seething black market, full of hacker pirates and brain crimes. Unlike many cyberpunk stories, this novel has only become more relevant as AI technology has evolved.
nonfiction
Pomerantsev has spent his life studying propaganda and disinformation. In this book, he turns to history to explore an incredible example of how the British created viciously funny radio shows during World War II to defeat Nazi propaganda. Drawing lessons from this for our own times, Pomerantsev lays out what it takes to end an information war.
nonfiction
This award-winning book from one of our best science writers is about what really happened to the dinosaurs, and what we can learn from it to prepare for the future. Black has an article in STARLOG 2026 about how dinosaurs could evolve again, as the Earth heats up. If you need even more dinosaurs, Black’s latest book Tyrant, Lizard, Queen tells the story of a T-rex from her hatching until death, all based on the latest scientific evidence.
film
For visions of a future city, you absolutely must immerse yourself in Wakanda, the home of Black Panther – where African tradition meets futuristic tech. It’s also another gorgeous example of Afrofuturism, which explores the future from the perspective of Black communities.
nonfiction
Noble, a professor at UCLA, was one of the first researchers to call out the ways that algorithms reflect racial and gender biases. Her work has gone on to influence many developers and AI critics, and is crucial for understanding why AI is never “neutral.”
comic
Prism Stalker (and its sequel) are award-winning comic books that offer a burning vision of post-human space colonies, as well as incredible art depicting the kinds of biotech worlds that Octavia Butler evoked in her Lilith’s Brood trilogy. Feast your eyes on Leong’s gorgeous, grotesque psychedelic art, where bodies and bio-machines merge and sentient planets fight to control their own resources. You’ve never seen anything like this – but perhaps humans of the future will see it every day.
film
This reboot of the 70 year-old kaiju franchise is a terrific monster movie – and a surprisingly moving war drama about the aftermath of World War II in Japan. Come for the fire-breathing Big G, but stay for the memorable human characters and fascinating reimagining of how giant monsters came to walk the Earth.
nonfiction
Chiang is one of the greatest scifi/fantasy short story writers of our age (one of his stories became the movie Arrival) and this essay is a brilliant analysis of AI hype -- and hope. Read the article (PDF).
novel
This thriller is set in a world where sea level rise has drowned the Caribbean islands, and melted the polar ice caps. Buckell offers a realistic picture of geopolitics in a world where displaced people from the Caribbean take up residence on artificial islands in the Arctic. They have just gotten used to their new homes when a billionaire tries to launch a dangerous geo-engineering project to bring back the polar ice.
tv
It may be set on a war-torn planet a long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, but the terrorism and psyops in this show feel ripped from the near future of Earth. This Star Wars series won praise for its brilliant action sequences and nuanced portrayal of how revolutions fall apart – and what we must sacrifice to win freedom back from authoritarians.
novel
One of the great classics of science fiction, Le Guin’s novel explores what happens when a lone interstellar explorer finds himself a pawn in a cold war on another world. Things get especially complicated when he discovers that the people of this world can switch genders at random.
story
In this post-apocalyptic short story, a comet strikes Earth and leaves most of New York City dead from toxic gases. The only two people left alive are a Black bank messenger and a wealthy white woman. DuBois was a renowned Black sociologist, and his story explores racial tensions of the era, trying to imagine whether racial reconciliation might be possible after a future disaster – or not.
novel
This beautifully written dystopian tale is about what happens when civilization collapses – leaving people without electricity or resources – and how a northern Anishinaabe community survives the harsh winter by using traditional knowledge and technologies. An example of dark indigenous futurism, the novel also offers a glimmer of hope for a new world after the death of settler colonialism.
novel
With his 1984 breakout novel Neuromancer, Gibson popularized the term “cyberspace,” a nod to Norbert Weiner’s cybernetics. Since then, he has continued to write deeply thoughtful thrillers about how humanity will be changed by technology – psychologically and culturally. In Pattern Recognition, he’s at the height of his powers, exploring underground fashion, the military-information complex, and the melancholy mystery of a series of viral videos.
novel
Set in near-future Nigeria, this is a tale of first contact with aliens that is wholly original. It follows several characters – an assassin, an astronomer, and a witch doctor with actual magic powers – as they navigate a world gone haywire while every nation waits for the aliens to land. It’s like an action movie crossed with a fairy tale.
