OPINION - The Rapid Rise of Bitcoin Fiction
When you think of ‘bitcoin books’, you probably imagine titles like The Bitcoin Standard, Mastering Bitcoin, or Broken Money.
These books (and many others) have successfully seeded explanations of the workings, ethos, and economic necessity of the bitcoin network. Yet, they don’t appeal to readers who value more emotive, rather than technical, content.
Written stories have been crucial to spreading ideas for centuries. And with bitcoin now on the radar of traditional finance and legacy media, fiction is helping to build understanding and speed up adoption.
Early beginnings
Many stories laid the foundations for bitcoin, with heroes often fighting against government overreach, economic oppression, or personal surveillance.
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand (1957) is heralded as a libertarian masterpiece.
True Names by Vernor Vinge (1981) brought cyberspace fiction into reality.
Cryptonomicon by Neil Stephenson (1999) charted the path of cryptographically secured anonymous e-money.
A Lodging of Wayfaring Men by Paul Rosenberg (2007) fictionalised the real events of the struggle between the FBI and the cypherpunks building an anonymous online marketplace.
The first mention of ‘bitcoin’ in fiction came in Charles Stross's 2013 science-fiction novel Neptune's Brood.
As the word entered the common lexicon, bitcoin appeared in more and more stories, including Lionel Shriver’s dystopian sci-finance thriller The Mandibles (published by HarperCollins in 2016).
The Protagonist
The great mystery of Satoshi Nakamoto’s identity has prompted dozens of fiction books, with over 30 currently listed on Amazon.
While mainstream publishers were still sleeping on bitcoin, hundreds of authors self-published bitcoin thrillers, children’s books, and even blockchain erotica. Bitcoin had become the main theme, not just a side plot.
By 2023, things had ramped up a notch with the first bitcoin bounty book. Readers of 24 by Avi Burra could unravel the clues of a seed phrase to unlock the hidden sats (the bounty was claimed in 2024).
And just one month later, the world’s first bitcoin fiction anthology 21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain was published by Konsensus Network with contributions from well-known bitcoin thought-leaders and emerging sci-fi authors.
Going Mainstream
By 2024, bitcoin was approaching its third halving, and the world was beginning to pay attention.
A major publisher, Hachette, released bestselling author Steve Berry’s latest thriller The Atlas Maneuver. Now, bitcoin fiction was being reviewed in the mainstream press and was displayed in the window of bookstores around the globe.
2025 will see major fiction releases from Saifedean Ammous, Lyn Alden, and possibly more authors signed to ‘Big 5’ publishers.
There are currently over 500 bitcoin-related fiction titles listed on Amazon.com. Bitcoin fiction has well and truly arrived.
Just the Beginning
Bitcoin stories and art are influencing people all over the world. While the vast majority are unlikely to run their own node or download the whitepaper, our thirst for stories is never-ending. Rooting for characters in peril and unravelling thrilling mysteries leads readers to ask questions about the problems we face and to learn about the solution we already have. Stories will orange pill the world.
Projects such as 21 Futures are leading the way for more writers to contribute and impact readers through stories. In the future, these stories may become audiobooks, stage plays, and even movies.
Ultimately, ‘Bitcoin fiction’ has a limited timespan. As we move into a hyperbitcoinized world, it will become part of life and will cease to be a topic that requires attention.
However, bitcoin fiction is yet to have its heyday. The works below may one day be considered as influential as Brave New World or 1984. And perhaps the next great bitcoin fiction bestseller will hit the shelves sooner than you think.
A selection of bitcoin fiction books:
Satoshi Nakamoto and His Bitcoin Invention by Tomer Strolight.
21 Futures: Tales from the Timechain by various authors
The Hunt for Satoshi by Arlo Fox
The Bitcoin Singularity Paperback by Ruth Heasman
The Cathedral: A Bitcoin Novel by Bill Aronson
24 by Avi Burra
Bitcoin Hurricane by Kate Baucherel
The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry
Chasing the Seeds by Devin Rose
A Brave New Future, 2084, Bitcoin by Vindal Vandakoff
The Bitcoin Conspiracy by Tom Callahan
