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What to read while you wait for that 'Black Mirror' book

The nightmare sci-fi show is getting a literary spin-off. But, FYI, there are already great "Black Mirror"-like books out there.

Scott Stein Editor at Large
I started with CNET reviewing laptops in 2009. Now I explore wearable tech, VR/AR, tablets, gaming and future/emerging trends in our changing world. Other obsessions include magic, immersive theater, puzzles, board games, cooking, improv and the New York Jets. My background includes an MFA in theater which I apply to thinking about immersive experiences of the future.
Expertise VR and AR, gaming, metaverse technologies, wearable tech, tablets Credentials
  • Nearly 20 years writing about tech, and over a decade reviewing wearable tech, VR, and AR products and apps
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Scott Stein
netflix-black-mirror.jpg

"San Junipero" is the best episode, and deserves its own book (clearly).

 Netflix/Laurie Sparham

Charlie Brooker's "Black Mirror" is a fantastic, disturbing, necessary TV series about the near future. Will it also be a good read?

Penguin Random House is publishing a series of books "set in the Black Mirror universe" starting February 20, 2018 with "Black Mirror Volume 1." The books will be edited by Charlie Brooker and written by still-unannounced authors, exploring themes and seemingly even worlds from the "Black Mirror" anthology.

I love "Black Mirror" tremendously, but I'm not wild about novelizations or book adaptations of TV shows and movies. Also, if you're really excited about reading more stories like those in "Black Mirror," consider the many, many authors whose work already inspired "Black Mirror" in the first place.

Some starting points:

  • William Gibson
  • Margaret Atwood
  • George Saunders
  • Philip K. Dick
  • Bruce Sterling
  • Rudy Rucker
  • Cory Doctorow
  • Lauren Beukes

Or, some excellent collections like Alexander Weinstein's "Children of the New World," Walter Mosley's "Futureland," and Ted Chiang's "Stories of Your Life and Others."

That being said, I'm extremely curious to read the "Black Mirror" books.