When Fiction Becomes Reality: Books That Predicted the Future

By Joana Viveiros, Sonali Parida, Gwyn Spoerri and Sheryl E. Abraham

Literature is one of the oldest records of history we have as human beings. When you read a book, you are automatically immersed in that world, whether that be in a different time period, in a fantastical realm, within a character or even in a unique concept. You become part of that story between the pages.

If you’ve ever studied literature, you know how critical books have always been for understanding both the world around us and the world that came before us. Another important and timeless feature of literature, however, is its ability to predict the future, as the following works all appear to have done to some extent.  

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 

Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451, written in 1953, is a true classic of dystopian literature and one that hits disturbingly close to home, even for the modern reader. 

Fahrenheit 451 is set in a mechanical world where books have been banned and are burned by ‘firemen’. The book’s title is cleverly reflective of this, with 451 degrees Fahrenheit being the exact temperature at which paper will catch fire. Guy Montag, the narrator, is accepting of this world until he tragically loses his wife, Mildred, to suicide, and starts hiding confiscated books in his home, making him a fugitive of the bleak, robotic world around him. 

Though written during the mass paranoia of McCarthyism, which is heavily reflected in the book, the story still rings true and is timelessly reflective of the modern world. In a world of banned books in classrooms, censorship states and increasing media restrictions, Bradbury’s message about the importance of books, stories and perspective remains relevant. 

Cell by Stephen King 

Cell by Stephen King explores a world that suddenly changes when a strange signal is sent to everyone’s mobile phones. Anyone using their phone at that moment suddenly becomes violent and loses control of themselves. The protagonist of the story, Clay Riddell, with two other companions, Tom and Alice, tries to survive and reunite with his family as the world falls apart. 

Although the story is fictional and unsettling, it delves into our dependency on technology. Today, people use their phones for almost everything, from talking to friends to paying bills. King imagined a future where technology could have a powerful impact on people’s lives. While the incidents in the book are extreme, its warning about overreliance on phones and technology feels pertinent in today’s world.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 

Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One is set in a future in which most people spend their days in a virtual reality world called OASIS, in which they can change their appearance, play games, and escape their real-life problems. In this story, Wade Watts, a teenager, enters a competition that could change his life forever while juggling both the real and virtual worlds. 

When the book was published in 2011, virtual reality was still quite a niche, but today people use VR headsets, online avatars and virtual space for both entertainment and social activities. The book predicted a society in which virtual space would be widely used, not only for playing games but also for socialising, learning and working, with technology becoming a bigger part of daily life. It also warns readers about the risk of spending so much time online that one can forget to enjoy the real world around them.    

The Circle by Dave Eggers 

The Circle by Dave Eggers is a dystopian novel centred around a young woman named Mae Holland, who begins a new job at a company called the Circle – a California-based company focusing on interlocking people’s personal information and data to create a single online identity. Mae believes she has secured her dream role at a dream company, with open office spaces, expansive dining areas, comfortable sleeping quarters for those who want to spend the night at work and fancy parties with famous musicians. However, things soon begin to reveal themselves, and what she thought was the perfect job is far from it.

The book carries a strong weight in our current society and shows how unchecked technological advances can have dire consequences. The toxicity of tech-bro and cult-like company culture, over-reliance on technology, the need for constant connectivity, an obsession with social media and online validation and a severe loss of privacy are all shown throughout this book and reflect much of what we are seeing today. 

Books often serve as an educational tool for many. It is a rather frightening and challenging realisation when fictional books can predict what our world might look like tomorrow. All of these books show the reality that our society’s overdependence on technology and conformity to that culture could be the very downfall of humanity. It is a stark reminder to us all that human connection and interaction are significantly more valuable than what technology can provide.