futuristic concepts such as time travel, robots, near future dystopias, cybernetic cityscapes, aliens and many more make up many of the different themes and tropes present in the science fiction genre. The city of Detroit and the surrounding areas are also home to plenty of talented creators in the genre, and local spots often serve as sci-fi stories in the background. Here are nine different science fiction stories with connections in Detroit.
Detroit: Become Human
Set in a futuristic version of Detroit where androids were created to help humanity, the story-driven video game experience from 2018 video game developer Quantic Dream, Detroit: Become Human, follows the stories of three different androids. Inspired by movies like Blade Runner, Detroit: Become Human explores the implications and fuzzy lines of what happens when machines made to serve humanity gain a sense of self and free will. The game is extremely approachable even for those unfamiliar with video games as it is more like a movie where the player has control over the decisions and can influence the outcome of the story.
birdhouse
Originally a 2014 novel, Josh Malerman, birdhouse was adapted into a Netflix movie in 2018 and became the No. 1 most-watched movie on the platform until it was defeated Red notification for 2021. birdhouse is a post-apocalyptic thriller set in a world ravaged by unseen entities – or rather, anyone who has seen the entities no longer lives to tell the tale, as anyone who sees them is immediately forced to take their own life . The plot follows a woman who blindfolds herself and her two children as they journey along the river trying to find safety.
Minimum Wage Magic
Minimum Wage Magic by Rachel Aaron combines both fantasy and science fiction in the unique setting of the Detroit Free Zone (DFZ), a magical and futuristic cyberpunk version of the city bursting with fantasy creatures, mechanical body augments and magical spells. The series follows a woman named Opal who wants to make a lot of money as a cleaner in the seedy and lawless DFZ when her latest job leads her on a wild chase through the city. The DFZ series is a spin-off of Aaron’s previous series heartbreakers, 20 years in the future. However, no prior knowledge of heart strikers is needed to enjoy this adventure.
Aerial_Knight’s never gives in
Detroit native, Neil Jones, video game developer and 3D artist, aka “Aerial_Knight”, released Aerial_Knight’s never gives in in 2021. The game is a celebration of black culture and black creators. It stars a young man named Wally who survives in a futuristic, hyper-neon Detroit after uncovering evidence that could have a dramatic impact on the city. The game has easy-to-learn controls that make it good for beginners, as well as plenty of room for challenges that will keep players of all skill levels engaged.
Robocop
The 1987 film is set in a dystopian future of Detroit, ruled by the sinister mega-corporation Omni Consumer Products and the privatized Detroit Police Department. Detroit Police Officer Alex Murphy (Peter Weller) dies in a violent removal operation from the crime lord known as Boddicker and is brought back to life as a powerful cyborg. The film is considered a certified sci-fi classic by many diehard sci-fi fans. It has also been highly influential in the science fiction genre, raising the bar on themes such as human versus machine, capitalist corporate control, and robotic action.
real steel
A giant robot boxing spectacle from 2011 starring Hugh Jackman, For real Steel was filmed exclusively in Detroit and the surrounding area. It features such sites as the Renaissance Center, Cobo Arena (now Huntington Place), the Detroit Fire Department headquarters, the Russell Industrial Center, the Ingham County Courthouse, the Leslie Michigan Railroad Depot, the former Belle Isle Zoo, and the Highland Park Ford Plant. The film is about a former professional boxer, Charlie Kenton (Jackman), who bonds with his son Max (Dakota Goyo) after the death of Max’s mother. The father and son train a robot called Atom to fight in a futuristic version of boxing with robots instead of humans.
Grievers
Detroit writer and activist Adrienne Maree Brown’s debut dystopian – the sci-fi thriller novella Grievers — was published in 2021. The plot of Grievers is about a future Detroit that suffers from a mysterious illness that leaves anyone it infects in an unresponsive catatonic state. The book tells the story of a young woman named Dune. She researches the illness using her late father’s research notes and searches for a cure as the quarantined city begins to wither and die.
The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations
The Butterfly Effect, the idea that a small act like killing a butterfly in the past can disrupt the entire future, is a story so well known that the concept is considered a cliché in the time travel subgenre and is referenced all the time. . The term was originally used by meteorologist Edward Lorenz to describe how small changes could lead to large-scale effects, and later became known as one of several important rules to follow when leaping back into the past. The Butterfly Effect 3: Revelations hit cinemas in 2009 and was recorded both in Detroit. The plot follows Sam Reide (Chris Carmack), who goes back in time to save his sister, Jenna Reide (Rachel Miner), from dying in a fire, an act that creates a very different timeline and leads to an innocent man being killed. charged with murder.
one if
Fans of the hunger games and maze runner series would likely find Detroit-born Carol B. Allen’s young adult series Virago Fantasy as their ally. Published in 2020, the first book in the series, a if, is about three teenagers who are transported to an alien planet that has succumbed to the effects of climate change and is on the brink of war. Eddie, one of the three main characters, hails from Detroit as the author’s way of representing her hometown.
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