What Our Future Holds, If We Had To Believe Sci-Fi Novels
Anyone still waiting for their own flying car or personal teleportation device will know that the future predictions by science fiction authors don't always arrive in a timely fashion or at all. However, there are a couple of authors who described ideas or technology in their books that are now reality instead of fiction. Some authors are optimistic about our future while others pain an altogether more bleak picture for humanity. In case you are wondering what possibilities the future might hold for us check out the scenarios envisioned in Sci-Fi novels.
Post Apocalyptic Wasteland
Nuclear warfare, climate change, natural disaster or resource depletion are just some of the realities many science fiction books foresee for our future. The result is usually a post-apocalyptic wasteland where what is left of humanity is locked in a struggle for survival. For example in Among Wolves by author R.A Hakok the bombing that ends society as we know it is referred to as the Last Day while it is the collapse of the economy that signals the beginning of the end in Crash by Michael Robertson. There is also the frightening possibility of a stray asteroid wiping out most of life on Earth like in Noah's Ark: Survivors by author Harry Dayle.
Space Colonization
Earth is getting pretty crowded, so it is no wonder that many science fiction authors see our future amongst the stars. For example, in Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds humans are already spread out across the galaxy and uncovering traces of ancient alien civilizations while in Pandora's Star by Peter F. Hamilton the "Intersolar Commonwealth" contains more than six hundred colonized worlds. On the other hand in Voyage to Alpha Centauri by Michael D. O'Brien humanity is taking its first steps out into the universe. With all eyes already on Mars, a future with space colonization is looking more plausible by the day.
Alien Encounters
We have yet to encounter signs of intelligent life in the universe, but that doesn't mean that they are not out there. Some authors picture aliens arriving with seemingly good intentions, such as the ones in The Ancestors by Wm. Barnard, while others imagine a hostile invasion. For example, the conquerors in Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle use asteroids to destroy every dam and installation on Earth before demanding surrender or death from all humans. Some aliens don't even offer surrender as an option and simply start exterminating humans, like the Galactic Hegemony in Out of the Dark by David Weber
Robot Rebellion
Technology is advancing at a rapid pace with new gadgets to make our lives easier invented seemingly every day. However, some authors are not very optimistic about our chances of keeping a reign on all this technology. In Robopocalypse by Daniel H. Wilson it is an artificial intelligence known as Archos that decides to topple humanity while in the Eden Trilogy by Keary Taylor it is the technology to fuse human DNA and cybernetic matter that cause the machines to take over.
Living In Virtual Reality
Social media and the Internet is already an integral part of most people's lives, so it is no surprise that some authors think our future might be more virtual than real. In Edge of Reality by Andrei Livadny the protagonist yearns of leaving the real world behind for good and using his neuronet implant to escape to virtual reality.
