The Machine Stops: For fans of Black Mirror, 1984 and Brave New World: meet the story that started it all. The Dystopian Sci-Fi Classic that Predicted the Future A.I. Technocracy

by E.M. Forster

The Machine Stops is a strikingly prophetic dystopian novella by E.M. Forster that depicts a future where humanity has retreated underground, living in isolated, self-contained pods where an omnipotent, all-encompassing machine meets every physical, intellectual, and emotional need. In this carefully controlled society, direct human interaction has all but vanished, replaced by impersonal digital communication and the sterile efficiency of a system that prioritizes order and uniformity over individuality and creativity. The narrative follows characters such as Vashti, who finds comfort in the predictable routines dictated by the machine, and her son Kuno, who dares to question the established order and yearns for genuine human connection and freedom. As Kuno’s rebellion uncovers the unsettling vulnerabilities of a society overly reliant on technology, the novella serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of absolute control, the erosion of personal autonomy, and the potential for societal decay when technological convenience comes at the expense of human spirit and connection.

32 pages, Paperback

Published April 21, 2025

About the author

Edward Morgan Forster, generally published as E.M. Forster, was an English novelist, essayist, and short story writer. He is known best for his ironic and well-plotted novels examining class difference and hypocrisy in early 20th-century British society. His humanistic impulse toward understanding and sympathy may be aptly summed up in the epigraph to his 1910 novel Howards End: "Only connect".

He had five novels published in his lifetime, achieving his greatest success with A Passage to India (1924) which takes as its subject the relationship between East and West, seen through the lens of India in the later days of the British Raj.

Forster's views as a secular humanist are at the heart of his work, which often depicts the pursuit of personal connections in spite of the restrictions of contemporary society. He is noted for his use of symbolism as a technique in his novels, and he has been criticised for his attachment to mysticism. His other works include Where Angels Fear to Tread (1905), The Longest Journey (1907), A Room with a View (1908) and Maurice (1971), his posthumously published novel which tells of the coming of age of an explicitly gay male character.

Reviews

[Carlie Cooper · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe this was written in 1909. 😮

[Natalia Greta · Rating 4 out of 5]

Si alguien te dice que la ciencia ficción no es especulativa, hacele leer este libro de 1909