"Postmillennial Speculative Fiction and the Culture of Longing" explores the protean field of post-postmodern criticism in the light of a world steeped in the emanations of science fiction futures. Six comprehensive cross-disciplinary case studies of acclaimed contemporary texts consolidate postmillennial critical theory into practice. Readings of Jeff Noon’s "Falling Out of Cars" (2002), Kazuo Ishiguro’s "Never Let Me Go" (2005), Sarah Hall’s "The Carhullan Army2 (2007), Jane Rogers’ "The Testament of Jessie Lamb" (2011), as well as The Chinese Room’s "Dear Esther" (2012) and "Everybody’s Gone to the Rapture" (2015) scout the perimeters of postmillennial sensibilities and their aesthetic expressions. Inspired, daring and topical – "Postmillennial Speculative Fiction and the Culture of Longing" charts an intriguing map of the 21st century: today, the future looks a lot like the past.