In an age of drone-strikes, cyber-war and the rise of military AI, a Lancaster University researcher has written a new book exploring the relationship between war and science fiction.

Published this week, 'Science Fiction and the Future of War', by Dr Mike Ryder, unpacks some of the key questions that science fiction poses about the future of war, and highlights some of the risks of blurring the boundaries between the two, including the potential for the ‘gamification’ of warfare.

Dr Ryder, of Lancaster University’s Management School said: “Science fiction has a lot to say about war. From the advanced fighting suits of Starship Troopers and The Forever War, through to the remote warfare of Ender’s Game and the bioform soldiers of Dogs of War, science fiction authors have long written about warfare and the question of where war might go next.

“In my new book Science Fiction and the Future of War I examine a broad range of science fiction novels that are either about war, or the impact of war on future society. This includes military science fiction classics such as Starship Troopers and Ender’s Game, through to lesser studied works, such as Eric Frank Russell’s Wasp and Bernard Wolfe’s Limbo.”

Dr Ryder is particularly interested in the impact of new technologies, and the philosophical relationship between humans and machines.

Some of the key concerns that he points to in his new book include the dangers of technological utopianism, and the way new technologies reconfigure our understanding of just what makes a soldier in modern warfare.

Read more about the book in Dr Ryder’s blog.