The Concept of Technological Utopia in Post-Soviet Russian Science Fiction and Its Realization in the Prose of S. Lukyanenko

This study explores the concept of technological utopia as a central narrative and symbolic construct in post-Soviet Russian science fiction, with a focus on its representation in the prose of Sergey Lukyanenko. The analysis is based on three major novels—Labyrinth of Reflections, Rough Draft, and Spectrum—in which the author creates complex technogenic worlds that reflect ideological, cultural, and ethical transformations of the post-Soviet era. These texts depict digital environments where the boundaries between reality and virtuality, freedom and control, the human and the artificial become increasingly ambiguous. Technological utopia in Lukyanenko’s works serves as both a narrative framework for envisioning alternative futures and a tool for critical reflection on the digital present. The study applies narratological, semiotic, cultural, and hermeneutic methods to analyze the structural features of utopian narrative, the symbolic language of technological imagery, and the philosophical meanings embedded in representations of identity, power, and moral agency. The research reveals that Lukyanenko’s approach diverges from traditional utopian idealism, emphasizing instead the tensions between technological progress and ethical dilemmas. His works present technological utopia not as a flawless future, but as a site of unresolved contradictions, where the promise of innovation coexists with the loss of human autonomy. The novelty of this study lies in its integrated analysis of utopian discourse in a post-Soviet cultural context, contributing to a deeper understanding of contemporary Russian speculative fiction and its role in articulating the philosophical boundaries of the human in an age of digital transformation.

Post-Soviet science fiction, Technological utopia, S. Lukyanenko, Virtual reality, Technocratic discourse, Utopian narrative, Philosophy of future, Transformation of subject, Science fiction, Digital identity