Both Samuel Delany’s Nova and William Gibson’s Neuromancer describe futuristic societies that emerged from the crucible of the 20th century. Following Frederic Jameson, who states that science fiction “renders our present historical by turning it into the past of a fantasized future,” I am arguing for a consideration of the different historical presents depicted within the plots of both novels. While Nova seems to draw its vision of the 20th century from the techno-positivism of the Space Age, I argue that Neuromancer presents a darker vision of the 20th century: one where competition between nations and multinational corporations caused environmental decay and a heightened sense of cultural difference. By considering these two visions of the importance of the 20th century, I discuss the changing views of technological progress and the proliferation of global telecommunications during the time that separates the publication of the two novels. By understanding the way imagined futures represent the historical present and the way these representations change over time, I conclude by arguing for the importance of studying SF as a chronicle both of futuristic cultural dreams and contemporary social attitudes.