EVERY era of science fiction reflects its times. Iconic 1950s sci-fi was all lone male heroes and alien encounters. In 2022, uncertainty and fluidity rule, as we struggle to find a way out of a polycrisis of our own making, armed only with hope. Buckle up for the year鈥檚 best sci-fi.
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鈥淲e already believed in the infinite web, so why not hard-wire an eye to each of its strands?鈥� And that is how a fascist AI called New Dawn takes over in Janelle Mon谩e鈥檚 (Harper Collins, pictured above). This conceit anchors the tales in her Afrofuturist-inflected book, written by the polymath with a team of luminaries. The stories are an uneven mix, but the best are unforgettable.
The way technology contorts our inner lives is the subject of a domestic dystopia that verges close to literary sci-fi. Joma West鈥檚 (Tordotcom) looks at how the perverse incentives of social media create a sousveillance state at odds with the alleged democratisation of policing.
Social terrors also suffuse Ling Ma鈥檚 fantastical book of short stories, (Text Publishing), which takes us on a safari of strange beasts, including our best friends, boyfriends and husbands.
David Yoon鈥檚 (Putnam) also twists familiar tropes into the unfamiliar in his study of how whole worlds can end while civilisation goes on. For a lighter nihilism, try (Titan Books), Oliver Langmead鈥檚 brutal satire of the influencer industry, with a surprisingly poignant ending.
The worst outcomes are built on the most tempting myths. Edward Ashton鈥檚 (St Martin鈥檚 Press) is a study in reading the fine print when hot technology beckons.
This theme also pervades , a collection self-published by Sam Hughes (who goes by qntm) that contains his groundbreaking tale Lena and a new sequel.
Kameron Hurley鈥檚 collection of military sci-fi, (Apex Books), takes us to a very different place. No one does future war like Hurley, and her women warriors bed themselves into your soul.
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Many of the year鈥檚 best books grapple with our stewardship of the planet. Ray Nayler鈥檚 (MCD, pictured above) features a depleted ocean that may hold a newly evolved creature with intelligence on par with ours.
Emmi It盲ranta looks further ahead in (Titan Books), a genre-busting, edge-of-your-seat, deeply weird yet satisfying look at what lies in the post-Anthropocene era.
Christopher Priest takes a different approach to hope in his climate thriller (Gollancz), cli-fi for all who think they are sick of it.
And (Tordotcom), a collection of short stories by African and African diaspora writers, takes it all on in a bid to withstand the tide of fear and uncertainty. At least people are writing their way out of what look like overwhelming
