A Novel Society

Abstract

A b s t r a c t Science fiction-as a literature o f the fantastic-has become a p a rt o f the reli gious landscape o f modernity. In a secular world, not all o f religious activity is explicitly so; indeed, much contemporary religious thought and practice happens implicitly, in ostensibly secular arenas. Yet the human need fo r meaning and enchantment has gone undiminished in the age o f secularism, and sciencefiction is a pow erful routefor such desires. In China M ieville' s Perdido Street Station, we see how traditionally religious themes are woven into a sciencefiction story, but also how the book itself illustrates a religious goal o f divine creation. Using actor-network theory, this essay contributes to the building ofa sociology o f reli gion that acknowledges the pow erful ways in which sciencefiction texts like Per dido Street Station offer transformative experiences fo r readers and fo r culture.