No one knows what the future holds. But for many writers, speculative fiction provides an outlet for exploration. Sometimes, even the most dystopian tales have foreshadowed what’s on the horizon, with premonitions unfolding over decades, even centuries, in uncannily similar ways. Read on for our book experts’ favourite stories that were told before the real events happened.
Bradbury’s dystopian world—where books are contraband and “firemen” destroy any they find—has become even more relevant today, 70 years after its original publication, amid modern discussions of censorship. Many of his predictions about the digital world have, for better or worse, come to fruition. Like the “digital walls” his characters rely on for social connection or the “seashells” they wear in their ears to listen to the news.
A global climate crisis, economic chaos, and social inequalities create the backdrop for Butler’s post-apocalyptic sci-fi, set in 2024 and 2027. The story is told through the journal entries of a young Black girl who lives in a gated community outside of Los Angeles and whose grim vision of the early 21st century is peppered by water shortages and “smart drugs” that enhance mental abilities.
Whether you realize it or not, you already know the plot. An ocean liner—called the Titan—sets out on the North Atlantic and tragically sinks after hitting an iceberg. Ring any bells? The uncanny similarities between Morgan Robertson’s The Wreck of the Titan and the story of the Titanic become even more unsettling when you do the math—the novel was published over a decade before the Titanic was even imagined.
Station Eleven
by Emily St. John Mandel (2014)
In March 2020, when the world suddenly shut down, readers began to draw comparisons between our collective experience and Mandel’s 2014 novel. In Station Eleven, a small portion of the population tries to find its way after a global epidemic eradicates society, leaving behind a bleak post–apocalyptic world. But more than just a story about a contagion, Mandel explores themes of art, fame, ambition, and, ultimately, human connection.
Sultana’s Dream
by Rokeya Sakhawat Hossain (1905)
This feminist utopian classic features a world—aptly dubbed Ladyland—where women peacefully rule over men. First published in 1905, the witty story highlights life’s realities in purdah. Aside from including inventions common in speculative fiction (like flying cars and solar power), Hossain’s novel includes thoughtful commentary on the gender and power dynamics of her day.
Written during the Great Depression as a cautionary tale, It Can’t Happen Here imagines what might unfold if a dictator were to rise to power in America. At the time, it’s stark and chilling political commentary warned of the realities of Hitler’s violence, and the disturbing thought that democracy is more precarious than we realize. Today, Lewis’s characters feel as relevant as ever.
Margaret Atwood started writing the iconic story, The Handmaid’s Tale, shortly after Ronald Reagan was elected, drawing inspiration from what she saw in the news. Her classic satire, in which patriarchal extremists have forced women into the private sphere, is a haunting and evocative warning. Today, her reproductive Orwellian tale still feels as though it was plucked from real–world headlines.
Snow Crash
by Neal Stephenson (1992)
Almost 30 years before Facebook became Meta, Neal Stephenson foresaw the metaverse. In Snow Crash, his propulsive cyberpunk fiction, he coined the term “metaverse’ to describe an online virtual world where people use digital avatars to escape the realities of the physical world. That’s not all: he also—accurately—anticipated smartphones, digital currency, and augmented–reality headsets.
The very first story in this bestselling trilogy was published in the May 1942 issue of Astounding Science Fiction. And it became a cornerstone of science fiction writing. (Elon Musk included a digital copy of Isaac Asimov’s trilogy when he launched his Falcon Heavy rocket.) The draw, for many readers, is the book’s fictional science, psychohistory, which can be used to predict the future by reflecting on the past.
In Don DeLillo’s White Noise, a man and his blended family attempt to escape an “airborne toxic event” against the dire backdrop of society’s excessive brand–name consumerism. The family drama, which emphasizes the distressing impact of mass culture, technology, and “toxic products”, has recently been adapted into a film featuring Adam Driver and Greta Gerwig. Many prevalent themes in the book, including obsessions with screens, consumerism, and an inundation of information, ring true today.
Unveiling a Parallel
by Alice Ilgenfritz Jones and Ella Merchant (1893)
This feminist utopian sci-fi is an amusing satire by two women from Iowa. In it, a man travels to Mars by “aeroplane”—written before real planes were invented—where he finds a civilization in which women hold just as much power as men. Not only can they vote, but they also hold powerful executive jobs, have relationships out of wedlock, and “vaporize” alcohol to relax. The reimagined gender roles foreshadowed the advancements that were to come throughout the 1920s, and beyond.
Neuromancer
by William Gibson (1984)
Considered one of the first well–known examples of the cyberpunk genre, writer William Gibson’s Neuromancer has also been regarded as our first glimpse at the digital age. Most notably, he predicted a world where a global computer network connects civilization. This was when personal computers, let alone smartphones, still seemed far–fetched. His term “matrix” would also go on to inspire the iconic 1999 film, The Matrix.
Bestselling author Tom Clancy created a stir with his 1994 book Debt of Honor. The story is characteristic of one of his classic novels—a political tale of intrigue and precise military maneuvering—but later, it was noted that parts of the book were eerily similar to the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In Clancy’s novel, the climax comes to a boiling point when a Japanese pilot crashes a 747 at the Capitol while Congress is in session.