I'm looking for books like the title - a realistic but hopeful depiction of the future. Mostly interested in near future, building after the revolution type stuff, but I'd be open to more outright utopian sci-fi as long as the worldbuilding was interesting.
Kim Stanley Robinson has decent politics and writes a bunch of near future solarpunk/optimistic sci-fi.
Becky chambers also fits into this genre pretty well. She has a very cozy two book series called monk and robot.
I really dont get KSR's politics. Ive read his solarpunk stuff, the New York 2140 and Ministry for the Future books, and they both seemed to hyperfocus on financial wunderwaffe as a workable solution to climate change. In NY 2140 it was a rerun of 2008 but the fed doesnt bail out banks, + an index to measure the value of underwater property (?). And in Ministry its a carbon offset bitcoin or something. Anyways if someone can explain whats up with KSR and why he's so liked id love to talk about it.
Becky Chambers is the best. Read all of her stuff. Her Wayfarer series is pretty good too, and one of the books (the third one iirc) is about a generation ship that practices self sustainable communist politics (space juche).
The Fucking Aquaman Index.
Love monk and robot
Yes, this! Becky Chambers' stuff is great!
I read Long Way to a Small Angry Planet a few years ago and enjoyed it, so I'll check out her other stuff!