Naomi Alderman

Naomi Alderman is a British author whose speculative fiction explores power, gender, technology, and the systems that shape human society. Her novels combine ambitious ideas with compelling storytelling, and she has become one of the most important voices in contemporary speculative fiction. Born in London in 1974, Alderman grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and studied at the University of Oxford and the University of East Anglia, where she took the creative writing MA. She has also worked as a video game designer and was the co-creator and lead writer of the fitness app Zombies, Run! The Power (2016) was her breakthrough — a speculative novel imagining a world in which women develop the ability to generate electrical jolts from their hands, fundamentally shifting the global balance of power. The novel won the Baileys Women's Prize for Fiction and was chosen by Barack Obama as one of his favourite books of the year. It was adapted into a major television series. The Power is a thought experiment about what would happen if the physical power dynamic between men and women were reversed — and its conclusions are both exhilarating and disturbing. The Future (2023) explored technology, power, and the ultra-wealthy through a thriller about the founders of three giant tech companies and the people trying to stop them. Her earlier novels include Disobedience, The Lessons, and The Liars' Gospel. Alderman was mentored by Margaret Atwood as part of the Rolex Arts Initiative, and the influence of Atwood's speculative tradition is evident in her work — though Alderman's voice is distinctly her own. The audiobook editions of Alderman's novels feature outstanding productions. Her books and audiobooks are essential for readers who love speculative fiction that asks big questions about power, gender, and who gets to shape the future.