Science Fiction Books By Indian Authors That Bring Dystopia To Your Doorstep

I recently started reading Megha Majumdar’s A Guardian And A Thief, and although it's not science fiction per se, it's a surreal feeling reading about a dystopian, climate-ravaged Kolkata as a person who comes from the city. I guess that's how Mumbaikars felt seeing that Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus train scene in Ra.One, and how Californians might have felt seeing the Golden Gate Bridge destroyed by aliens in whatever movie first conjured the long-standing tradition of extraterrestrials and supernaturals destroying the Golden Gate Bridge in science fiction movies.

Say what you want, Ra One did something right when it carried this sceneIMDb

But the book made me wonder about science fiction in India, and how rare these books seem in the country. The earliest Indian sci-fi book I remember reading was a translated version of Satyajit Ray’s short stories about an eccentric mars-travelling professor in The Adventures of Professor Shonku (or Shonku Shomogro in Bengali). Amitava Ghosh won the Arthur C. Clarke award (that's the most prestigious accolade for sci-fi writers) for The Calcutta Chromosome. But these are only few examples, and far from each other.

That said, I asked around, googled, and dug up books by Indian authors that delve into the genre, and these are the works that friends, editors, Goodreads and the internet suggested. Happy reading.

Chosen Spirits by Samit Basu

Set in a near future Delhi shaped by surveillance, pollution, and uncontrolled addiction to social media (called Flows here), Chosen Spirits follows Joey, a “Reality Controller” who manages the online life of a major influencer, or Flowstar. Her routine, carefully managed world collapses when she helps her estranged friend Rudra escape his powerful family. The decision pulls them into corporate power struggles, public scandal, and political unrest, exposing how control, image, and class divide a city where everyone is always being watched.

Machinehood by S. B. Divya

In a future marked by automation and bioengineering, a company releases pills that let workers function without sleep, tightening corporate control over labor. A bodyguard with military training and a former soldier become linked to a growing movement resisting this system. As protests and targeted attacks rise, they are drawn into a struggle over who controls technology and limits of improving human efficiency.

Clone by Priya Sarukkai Chabria

A man created through cloning comes of age in a society that treats these clones as tools within rigid social hierarchies. His existence raises questions about ownership, lineage, and identity in a world shaped by genetic selection and inherited power. He searches for agency and meaning, pushing against the roles assigned to him and confronting structures that define worth by origin.

Professor Shonku Series by Satyajit Ray

This series of short stories, written of different books, tell the tale of Professor Shonku, a scientist and inventor, makes unusual discoveries, encounters unknown species and advanced technologies that place him in situations where reason is tested by the unexplained in this short story collection. He relies on intellect, inventions, and calm thinking to solve problems and return safely with knowledge others do not have.

Analog/Virtual by Lavanya Lakshminarayan

In a city split between a physical zone and a fully digital one, people move between lived reality and curated virtual lives. Economic gaps and access to technology shape who can escape into designed identities and who cannot. A young girl, adopted from Analog society into Virtual society that denies her personhood must now undertake a journey to understand and establish her identity, while hidden systems influence her choices.

The Beast With Nine Billion Feet by Anil Menon

Set in Pune in 2040, thirteen year old Tara and her older brother Aditya live under the shadow of their father Sivan, a renowned geneticist now wanted by the law. Their routine shifts when Tara befriends Ria and Francis, siblings who say they are from Sweden. Their mother Mandira, once linked to Sivan, takes a keen interest in Aditya’s technical skills. As Tara works with the siblings to uncover Mandira’s plan, Aditya is drawn closer to her influence and learns he carries a secret  that could change everything he believes. The outcome could shape the fate of a beast with nine billion scurrying feet.

Leila by Prayaag Akbar

In a near future nation governed by strict segregation, communities are divided along religious and social lines, and movement is controlled. A mother separated from her daughter during unrest tries to navigate this divided landscape while recalling the path that led to the split. She must survive suspicion, checkpoints, and shifting loyalties, holding onto memory as she searches for reunion.