Rapid advances in technology has far-reaching consequences—helping humanity make breakthroughs in medical research, interstellar travel, and scientific progress.
Technology such as the internet and mobile phones have certainly made our day-to-day lives easier, keeping us connected to our loved ones and placing all the world’s knowledge just a mouse click away.
But at the same time, being too reliant on modern tech has its flip sides. Social media apps are designed to be addictive, promote advertisements and leech away our free time.
Meanwhile the ubiquity of generative AI continues to lay off those working in creative professions while also accelerating climate change and stealing our data.
The genres of sci-fi and horror are often concerned with highlighting the dark side of technology, with shows like Black Mirror and Severance being some prime examples.
In particular, works that fall in the techno-horror vein emphasize the dangers of surveillance culture, and the loss of privacy and freedom that comes with using modern tech.
So, if you’re in the mood for some techno-horror novels that deal with pressing societal concerns, add these books to your TBR pile.
Who knows—you might even feel compelled to delete your social media accounts and go off the grid to stave off the upcoming app-ocalypse!
Dark Matter
Blake Crouch’s Dark Matter is a mind-bending, high-octane thriller that bravely delves into the choices we did not make and the life paths we did not take.
Carefully plotted and packed with twists and turns, Dark Matter follows Jason Dessen, a physics professor who’s looking forward to a quiet family night when he’s knocked unconscious.
He then wakes up in another life where he has made vastly different choices.
But can he get his former life and family back? You have to read and find out!
Dead Lines
Filled with some good old-fashioned scares, Dead Lines by Greg Bear is a compellingly written hi-tech ghost story. It focuses on Peter Russell, a once-successful soft porn director who’s had a string of bad luck lately till he is offered a job by a tech start-up.
All he has to do is make promotional videos for a communications device with seemingly limitless possibilities. Of course, things go wrong and ghosts haunt the general public.
While it’s a little slow to start, the book gets quite interesting later on, with a very thrilling conclusion.
The Dark Net
You may have heard of the dark web—the part of the internet not indexed by search engines that requires a special browser to log into, and is often filled with shady drug deals and child porn.
Percy’s fast-paced novel isn’t quite about all that but it does delve into a similarly mysterious digital nightmare haunting our world.
Filled with memorable and well-written characters including a blind twelve-year-old girl, a technophobic journalist, a hacker, and a child evangelist, this book with its supernatural and technological threats will keep you hooked till the last page.
Such Lovely Skin
If you’re in the mood for a YA techno-horror novel that’s simply unputdownable, give Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne a try.
It follows Viv, a Twitch streamer and indie gamer still guilt-ridden over her sister’s untimely death.
But when she downloads an indie horror game to make her Twitch comeback, she’s soon haunted by a doppelganger intent on ruining her life, forcing her to reckon with her guilt, lies, and ugly secrets.
Superbly paced and filled with light jump-scares, this book promises to be an entertaining read.
Womb City
As the title suggests, this dystopian horror novel is set in a future Botswana where consciousness can be transferred from one body to another but women still have little or no agency—with microchips tracking their movements and thoughts.
The book carefully explores the intertwined nexus of classism, misogyny, gender identity, and sexuality, making for a thoughtful and engrossing read.
The Marigold
Blending body horror and eco-fiction, the action in Andrew Sullivan’s The Marigold unfolds in a near-future Toronto where strange lifeforms slowly begin to grow beneath the tech-driven city’s urban façade.
The book skillfully tackles the perils of the gig economy, political corruption, and the rotting underbelly of urban dystopias with their gleaming luxury towers.
Annie Bot: A Washington Post Best Science Fiction Book of the Year
Finally, Sierra Greet’s Annie Bot takes a look at AI sex bots and uses the titular character to explore the patriarchal horrors that most women are familiar with.
Annie Bot is a special, customized robot created for Doug, an average guy, to cater to his every physical and emotional need. She’s a servant, housewife, girlfriend, and best friend all rolled into one.
But as Annie’s consciousness evolves, she realizes she’s capable of free will and living for herself—which, of course, is something that Doug doesn’t want at all
Annie’s journey of self-empowerment and independence isn’t without risk and easily becomes an allegory for escaping emotionally abusive relationships.
Featured image: Markus Spiske / Unsplash
