I find it interesting that write realistic near-future sci-fi with social commentary — the kind we had so much of during the 1960s and 1970s, with John Brunner, Philip K. Dick, Thomas Disch, and so on — is so rare these days. Off the top of my head, I can't think of many: Margaret Atwood, William Gibson, Omar El Akkad, any others?

I recently read an NPR article [1] about the best sci-fi and fantasy of the past decade. With one exception (El Akkad's American War), it's pretty much all space opera or similar. I guess Emily St. John Mandel's Station Eleven isn't, but I haven't read it.

[1] https://www.npr.org/2021/08/18/1027159166/best-books-science...