Books
A 'Black Mirror' Reading List
If you're not addicted to Black Mirror, then you know someone who's addicted to Black Mirror. For the uninitiated, Black Mirror is a British anthology series that examines the relationship between humans and technology in the digital age. If you're looking for more of the show but you've already binge-watched every episode, take a look at these 13 books like Black Mirror.
The show is twisted, yes, but it also skirts the edges of reality in such a way that everything feels completely plausible. Technology can make life better, easier, more efficient; but in the wrong hands, it can make life more oppressive, more painful, more dangerous.
My only complaint with Black Mirror? The short seasons. The episodes are long, but I just can't get enough of the cult-classic. When I finally ran out of episodes, I turned to books to fill the gap until season four premieres next year. Thankfully, there are countless novels that tackle similar themes of Black Mirror. Here are a few of my favorites, for readers who have already turned off their television screens and are now staring into the darkness, wondering what to do next.
1. The Circle By Dave Eggers
Mae Holland starts a new job at The Circle, and is quickly drawn in by the trendy internet company's parties and perks. But as she begins to lose touch with the world outside The Circle and takes on new roles at work, her life changes.
2. Oryx And Crake By Margaret Atwood
In this work of speculative fiction, protagonist Snowman lives in a post-apocalyptic world overrun by genetically engineered hybrid animals. Flashbacks slowly reveal his past in a story that will definitely appeal to fans of Black Mirror's dystopian feel.
3. Need By Joelle Charbonneau
Kaylee Dunham needs a kidney for her sick brother, so she turns to a social networking site that promises to fulfill special requests if you complete a task.
4. Version Control By Dexter Palmer
Version Control is set in the near future, where Rebecca Wright works in customer support for an internet dating website. She met her husband through the site; he's an inventor who's been shunned by the physics community for his strange obsessions. But Rebecca soon comes to realize that something is very wrong about their lives.
5. Ready Player One By Ernest Cline
Wade Watts lives in a futuristic world where everyone is hooked up to the OASIS, a virtual world created by the 1980s-obsessed James Halliday. Halliday hid a series of easter eggs within the virtual world, and Wade joins the quest to find them. Fans of episodes like "Playtest" will love this VR adventure.
6. The Status Of All Things By Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
If you loved the episode "Nosedive" but you're looking for something a bit lighter to read, The Status of All Things is perfect for you. This romance follows Kate, a thirty-five-year-old who realizes she can rewrite history through Facebook statuses.
7. Neuromancer By William Gibson
Case is a data-thief in The Matrix, but he's about to quit the game. Then an unknown employer hires him for one last job, and he sets off on a quest that will definitely thrill fans of the cyberpunk flair to Black Mirror.
8. The Wilds By Julia Elliott
If the quirky tone of the show is what draws you in, you'll love this short story collection. From strap-on robot legs to rejuvenating youth therapies, this collection is offbeat and completely absorbing.
9. Snow Crash By Neal Stephenson
Hiro Protagonist is a pizza delivery man slash hacker who embarks on a quest to stop a virtual villain from using a virus to destroy the Metaverse.
10. More Than This By Patrick Ness
The best way to enjoy this YA book is to go into it without knowing any info and just see where it takes you. So... pretty much like watching an episode of Black Mirror.
11. Erasure By A.T.H. Webber
This book explores the idea of how data shapes us and links us together, similarly to the episode "The Entire History of You."
12. Never Let Me Go By Kazuo Ishiguro
Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy, three English students who have a complicated role in the society in which they exist. The book's dark twist will thrill fans of Black Mirror.
13. Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick
Before Black Mirror, there was the 1982 sci-fi film Blade Runner. And before Blade Runner, there was the book it was based on: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep ? A must-read for fans of the show.
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