The Sci-Fi Novel That Predicted 2026

The first science fiction writer to receive a MacArthur “genius grant” Fellowship, Octavia Butler broke a lot of ground. Her 1993 breakout novel Parable of the Sower, set between 2024-2027, predicted the United States we live in today. Butler imagined a world in which climate change has made food and water scarce and expensive. Paying work is rare; company towns, sex work, and modern slavery are on the rise; and the basic institutions of American life have eroded or collapsed. It’s a rare magic trick to publish a novel about a prophet that itself turns out to be prophetic, and it wasn’t until Butler’s predictions started coming true—nearly 30 years after the book’s original publication—that Parable first hit the bestseller lists. 🎧 Learn more about this groundbreaking work of science fiction on this episode of Zero to Well-Read, then read on for links and listens for an even deeper dive. Butler at Book Riot Who was Octavia E. Butler? This piece dives deep into her early life, early career, and literary legacy. To say we like Octavia Butler around here is… probably an understatement. We dedicated an entire day of content to the author in 2017. Swords and Spaceships Sign up to Swords...