Product Description
WIRED's January 2017 issue is all about the power of science fiction. Why fiction? Glad you asked. We live in uncertain times. One of WIRED's most important jobs is to see the big trends, spot important business models, and chronicle landmark innovations that show us where we're going. But right now, that is hard to do. In this rapidly changing moment, it's very hard to say what the future holds. Sometimes, to get a clearer sense of reality, you have to take some time to dream. To this end, we reached out to a number of our favorite fiction authors and gave them a simple mission: Pick a plausible innovation or change in the world and spin out a near-term scenario. Don't stick to the current moment. See where your mind goes. Have fun. That's not to say the stories themselves are all about fun. Many are quite dystopic. N. K. Jemisin-whose novel The Fifth Season won the 2016 Hugo award-spins a cautionary tale about resource depletion and interplanetary relations. The duo that goes by the pen name James S. A. Corey, creators of The Expanse, imagines a world with a universal basic income-and what we are left wanting. Charles Yu, who writes for HBO's Westworld, examines what life will be like when machines can read our thoughts. Science fiction has a robust history of inspiring real innovation. Submarines, robots and cell phones were all envisioned first in novels, plays, and movies. Thinking up all sorts of different futures, embracing our fears and our dreams, is part of the process of building a better tomorrow. Ultimately the goal of this first edition of WIRED in 2017-our first-ever issue dedicated entirely to fiction-is to give you, the reader, something that helps you let your own mind wander. Think about what is possible, what is plausible, what is terrifying, what is hopeful. That said, we still want you to have fun. You deserve it!
