Technology in Stories: Fiction Featuring Tech

While technology has been present in science fiction for quite some time, with the advent of AI and other advances, contemporary fiction and thrillers are beginning to center around how our lives are impacted by technology. In the past several years, stories set in smart homes have become more common, but we are now beginning to see stories set completely in our new reality, with AI and the internet impacting almost all aspects of our lives.

Today, I am recommending three fiction titles that are leading the way in what will soon be a new subgenre:

Culpability by Bruce Holsinger (family drama, mystery) – A family’s world is upended after their car swerves, causing an accident that results in the death of two elderly people in an oncoming car. Oldest child Charlie was in the driver’s seat and grabbed the wheel right before the wreck, but the car was self-driving with AI technology. Who exactly is at fault? This engrossing novel explores culpability in the age of technology, and as AI becomes more prevalent, what our role is as humans in a world dominated by machines. Against the backdrop of technology, Holsinger also explores family dynamics, grief, secrets, and parenting. I have not stopped thinking about this page turner since I finished it; it is a must-read that is both timely and chilling. Culpability is for fans of thought-provoking premises, cutting-edge stories, and family dramas.

Dead Money by Jakob Kerr (mystery/thriller) – As one of the first employees at Airbnb, Jakob Kerr intimately familiar with the world of start-ups and Silicon Valley, and his experiences inform this twisty, funny, and clever thriller. The controversial CEO of tech’s hottest startup Journy has just been murdered, leaving behind billions in “dead money” frozen in his will. Mackenzie Clyde, a fixer for the venture capital company that invested heavily in Journy, is brought in to consult and help solve the murder, but her help is not welcomed by the FBI. This intelligently constructed mystery into the wild and surreal world of the tech industry and startups where nothing is as it seems will keep readers on the edge of their seats; this debut is a clear standout in the genre. Dead Money will appeal to those who like smart thrillers that keep the reader guessing.

What Kind of Paradise by Janelle Brown (mystery) – In What Kind of Paradise, Janelle Brown evocatively wrestles with the effects of progress, technology, and power through the lens of a fierce and lonely girl and her paranoid and extremist father. Jane has spent her entire life in rural Montana living off the grid with her father. He is evasive about their past, claiming only that her mother died in a car crash that led them to move to Montana. He educates Jane with 19th-century philosophical works and leaves her regularly for week-long jaunts. When she accompanies him on a trip that ends in murder, she realizes that nothing is as she believed it to be. This gorgeously told story captivated me from page one. Brown brings to life the early days of the internet with vivid detail, creating such a tense experience for the reader who understands how drastically different things are today from how early internet pioneers wanted or expected them to be. This haunting page turner explores right and wrong, extremism, technology, and family. 

For more book recommendations and bookish thoughts, see Cindy’s monthly Buzz Reads column, her award-winning Thoughts from a Page Podcast or follow @ThoughtsFromaPage on Instagram.