"Our imagination is stretched to the utmost, not, as in fiction, to imagine things which are not really there, but just to comprehend those things which are there."
— Richard Feynman
I hardly read fiction because reality is stranger and non-fiction more consistent with observations - and therefore more utile in governing behavior and predicting outcomes. Even the social constructs which comprise most fictional material are over-simplified and distorted.
Further, it seems that all of our attempts to IMPROVE on Nature are now backfiring, validating this thesis:
If you want to be the smartest person in the room, copy Nature!