8 science fiction novels recognized as the best books of the 21st century

2024 Author: Richard Flannagan | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-15 23:55

From time immemorial, people have been trying to look into the future and reflect on what it might be. Perhaps this is why literary works written in the genre of fiction remain so popular. And decades later, science fiction becomes reality. Who could have imagined at the beginning of the twentieth century that a person would fly to the moon or be able to communicate with thousands of people around the world via mobile communications. Who knows, maybe some of the works of modern science fiction writers will also come true someday.

Robert Charles Wilson, Spin

In the novel by Charles Wilson, earthlings are faced with the impact on the planet of some powerful civilization. In an attempt to overcome the barrier built by foreign beings, humanity is looking for a way to its own salvation. But while life goes on, the heroes of the book communicate, fall in love, try to build relationships with each other.

The intricacies of destinies and events against the background of the struggle for life is of undoubted interest. The author managed to combine in his work a fantastic plot and human feelings developing in conditions of impending danger.

Max Brooks, World War Z

Readers assess the collection of the American writer and screenwriter differently. The post-apocalypse theme is so realistic in its cruelty that some are disgusted, while others are ready to re-read the book over and over again. The thoughtful reader will be able to see in this story a deep social satire on a very real modern life. As the author himself says about his work, everything in this book is true, except for the zombies that appeared on the planet as a result of the influence of an unprecedented virus.

Peter Watts, False Blindness

Quite a difficult work for an unprepared reader. The author easily operates with scientific terms, and the reader gives the right to independently find their meaning. However, having dealt with the scientific background of the novel, you can get extreme pleasure from getting to know the book.

Achievements of science and technology, attempts to find contact with aliens and solve the internal problems of mankind, all this makes the novel by Peter Watts worthy of the attention of a wide range of readers.

Andy Weier, "The Martian"

In fact, this is a book about Robinson Crusoe from the future. The protagonist of the novel, astronaut Mark Watney, was accidentally forgotten on Mars all alone. He will have to learn to live on this inhospitable planet, solving along the way a variety of problems, both domestic and technical. However, the hero is not inclined to give up.

On Mars, Watney is trying to survive, and on Earth, NASA is contemplating a plan to rescue a man who was believed to be dead.

China Mieville, "Ambassador City"

The secrets of the colonized planet, political intrigue and complex relationships, the reader will find all this in the novel by Chyna Mieville. The plot, built around the unique language of the inhabitants of the planet Arieka, captivates the reader from the first pages and does not let go until you have read it to the last page.

Neil Stevenson, Anathem

This time, the American science fiction writer invites the reader to visit a parallel universe on the planet Arb, where monks are bearers of wisdom and at the same time its most zealous defenders: they deny admit anyone to their storehouse of secrets. However, in the face of the threat of an alien invasion, the monks embark on a dangerous journey, the goal of which is to save the world.

Paolo Bachigalupi, Clockwork

The debut work of the American science fiction writer has won several literary prizes and awards thanks to the non-trivial plot and skill of the young author. Clockwork is a classic dystopia. The author has placed his heroes in the XXIV century, where there is no place for technical progress for a long time, natural resources are depleted, and the world is owned by food corporations.

Despite the entirely fantastic plot, the book found a place for ordinary human feelings, experiences, the search for the meaning of life and the education of self-esteem.

Ernest Kline, Ready Player One

Ernest Kline's gripping work immerses the reader in the events taking place in the real world of 2045 and a virtual simulation of the online world. One has only to put on a helmet and problems and worries remain somewhere far away. The heroes of the book move so easily to another dimension that sometimes the border between real and imagined life is blurred.

In the era of the rapid development of the Internet and the increasing popularization of electronic books, traditional libraries have not lost their relevance. New treasuries of wisdom are opening up all over the world. Wherein libraries take on unusual functions, which makes them no less visited than in those days, when the mass use of electronic gadgets was out of the question.