I love a good genre mash-up, and one of my favorites happens to be near-future dystopian and sci fi thrillers! Often, they’re pulse-pounding thrillers with a soft science fiction or futuristic twist (at least, the ones in this list are). If that sounds intriguing to you, here are some awesome science fiction thriller books to check out!
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Dystopian & Science Fiction Thrillers
I love reading something a little unexpected, so combining an addicting thriller with a futuristic or science fiction element is right up my alley. I’m a big fan of the show Black Mirror, so that’s the sort of vibe I’m going for with this list!
Some of these books are more heavily science fiction-based (think spaceships), some are techno-thrillers, and some are more soft science fiction. Some are set in a world very similar to ours, but maybe with a slight futuristic twist.
Blake Crouch is one example of an author who does this type of story very well, and I definitely included a couple of his books below. And now, on to the list of exciting sci fi and dystopian thrillers!
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Genre: Science Fiction, Mystery/Thriller
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Synopsis: Jason Dessen is walking home one day when he’s suddenly knocked out, and wakes up on a gurney surrounded by strangers. Impossibly, everything he knows about his life has changed – his wife and son no longer exist as he knew them.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir
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Synopsis: A man wakes up alone in a spaceship with no memory of how he got there. All he knows is the survival of Earth rests entirely on his shoulders, and it’s up to him to save humanity from an intergalactic threat.
One Of The Boys by Jayne Cowie
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Synopsis: When scientists discover that men who possess a particular gene are predisposed to violence, they create a screening test. Antonia and Bea are two mothers with very different opinions of this test. They will go to any length to protect their sons – but is one of them hiding a monster?
Release date: July 11th, 2023
*I received a gifted copy of this book from the publisher (Berkley). All opinions are my own.
The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
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Synopsis: When brilliant scientist Evelyn gets a call from her ex-husband’s mistress – who happens to be a cloned replica of her – she wonders why this woman chose to reach out to her. Apparently, her ex-husband is dead – and she has no choice but to get involved.
The Passengers by John Marrs
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Synopsis: In a world similar to ours – but where self-driving cars have become the norm – eight cars are hacked (all with passengers inside) and set on a collision course. Live video footage from inside each car is streamed to the masses – and they’re forced to decide which of the passengers will be spared.
Recursion by Blake Crouch
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Synopsis: This novel weaves between two perspectives: a scientist who’s spent her life attempting to cure memory loss, and a New York City cop who’s investigating a phenomenon called False Memory Syndrome (which causes people to remember different lives they’ve never lived, as if they were real). But when you can’t trust your memories, how do you know what’s real?
Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty
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Synopsis: A group of clones awakens on a spaceship to find the bodies they were cloned from – the original crew – were killed. They must race against time to find the killer before he/she strikes again.
The Perfect Wife by J.P. Delaney
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Synopsis: Abbie wakes up without any memories, next to a man who claims to be her husband. He’s a well-known titan in the tech industry. He tells her that she had a terrible accident, but through a miracle of science, he was able to bring her back. But can she trust him?
That’s it – I hope you enjoy these dystopian and sci fi thrillers! Happy reading. 🙂
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