In this post, we look at books that predicted the future.
It’s safe to say that most books predicting the future are either dystopian or have dystopian elements or twists. One thing is clear, ‘dystopia’ is another word for ‘control’, specifically control of the population of a city, country, or of the global population. What’s frightening is that the seeds of dystopia have already been sown in the history of the planet.
The current state of the world suggests that we are, if not struggling within dystopian politics, certainly tripping drunkenly around the edges. It would only take one miscast vote, or change of law, and we will find ourselves shopping for red capes and white hats. Because it seems close enough to touch, we could call these books ‘present-future’ predictors.
Books That Predicted The Future
Famous present-future dystopian books written in the last century include 1984 by George Orwell, and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. As these are so often spoken about, we’ll be talking about others today. These are the other predicting-the-future books that are more of the specific-event-crystal-ball variety and are therefore even more frightening. Some were written in the 1880s and some written mere months before the events took place in real life.
Speaking of which…
The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym Of Nantucket by Edgar Allan Poe (1838)
In 1820, a whaling ship called The Essex was destroyed by a massive sperm whale. News of the event only became known in late 1821 when the remaining survivors had been rescued. By that time, six of the crew had been cannibalised by the others. This event inspired the books, The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym Of Nantucket by Poe, and Moby Dick by Herman Melville, which was published in 1851. If these books were stories of what had happened, how did they predict the future? Only The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym Of Nantucket does. Edgar Allan’s hero, young Arthur Gordon Pym is a stowaway on the whaler, Grampus. As in Moby Dick, an angry whale, shipwreck, and the cannibalism occur. In The Narrative Of Arthur Gordon Pym Of Nantucket, the victim was Richard Parker. Meanwhile in the real-life future…
On 19 May 1884, three professional sailors, and a seventeen-year-old cabin boy, Richard Parker, set sail from Southampton taking a small yacht, the Mignonette, to its new owner in Australia. A vicious storm roared out of nowhere and sank the yacht. The men escaped in a dinghy. They quickly ran out of food. When Richard Parker became ill, the other three men killed him and ate him.
Stand On Zanzibar by John Brunner (1968)
Brunner predicts so many events in his 1968 novel, one almost begins to believe time travel is real and that he lived through the present day and went back to 1968 to warn us! In Stand On Zanzibar, the world is overpopulated, and social divides are increasing. Here are just seven present-future events the book predicted:
- Violent and random violence enacted by American individuals, often at schools.
- Foreign terrorists manage to attack buildings within the United States.
- China has become the most powerful U.S. rival.
- Europeans have formed a union of nations to improve their economic prospects and influence on world affairs.
- TV news channels broadcast globally via satellite. TiVo-type systems are in use by viewers.
- People use avatars to represent themselves. In the book, these are called Mr and Mrs Everywhere.
- Computer documents are generated with laser printers. In real life, it wasn’t until the 1990s that computers became a household item.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
No list of books that predicted the future would be complete without this book. Atwood has said she made it a rule that everything she wrote in the book must have happened in the past or be happening at the time of writing. While it was first published in 1985, the story of a patriarchal, totalitarian, theocratic state known as the Republic of Gilead, which has overthrown the United States government.
Paris In The Twentieth Century by Jules Verne (Written in 1863, published in 1994)
Published after his death, Verne’s description of Paris in the 1960s, has gasoline-powered cars – only invented in 1886, fax machines – invented in 1964, an Internet-style communication system – invented in 1983, weapons of mass destruction, the first of which was in use in 1937; electronic music – 1953, the electric chair – 1889. Other books of his describe electric submarines, solar sails, tasers, helium ballons, videoconferencing, the moon landing, the journey to the North Pole, and virtual reality.
Parable Of The Talents by Octavia E. Butler (1998)
The second book in a two-book series Parable Of The Talents is set in the year 2032. The plot concerns a charismatic evangelist in the United States of America running for president. Without any evidence to back up his claims, the fictional Texas Senator Andrew Steele Jarret, accuses groups of people of being rapists and drug dealers. His supporters form violent mobs, and most chillingly, his campaign slogan is ‘Make America Great Again’.
Sound familiar? Butler’s fictional future includes dwindling natural resources, a planet that is severely overheating, and a population engaged in religious warfare. This might have seemed dystopian in 1998. But today it is a very present-future.
The Last Word
If you would like to learn how to write books that have an important message, sign up for a course with Writers Write It’s the perfect place to learn.
by Elaine Dodge. Elaine is the author of The Harcourts of Canada series and The Device Hunter. Elaine trained as a graphic designer, then worked in design, advertising, and broadcast television. She now creates content, mostly in written form, for clients across the globe, but would much rather be drafting her books and short stories.
More Posts From Elaine
- Personality Disorders You Can Inflict On Your Characters – Narcissistic Personality Disorder
- Personality Disorders You Can Inflict On Your Characters – OCD Personality Disorder
- Who Is Mary Sue & Why Don’t Readers Like Her?
- Personality Disorders You Can Inflict On Your Characters – Paranoid Personality Disorder
- The Best Group Of Fictional Characters In The ‘Verse
- Happy Ever After Is A Choice Not A Given
- The Last Month Left To Write
- How To Use Creatures To Create Characters
- Viewpoint In Romance
- The 5 Best Book To Mini-Series Adaptations
Top Tip: Find out more about our workbooks and online courses in our shop.