Dystopian Society Books

What are your favorite dystopian novels? Any books you would like to recommend to fellow nerdfighters who love that genre?

I would have to pick 1984, The Handmaid's Tale, Fahrenheit 451, The Hunger Games, and The Giver as some of my favorites. Brave New World and Never Let Me Go are two books I'm looking forward to reading in the future.

Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Clara Baker on August 15, 2011 at 2:12pm

At the risk of sounding like an idiot.... What the crap is a "dystopian society" book?

Permalink Reply by Destiny Simms on August 15, 2011 at 4:15pm

It's the opposite of an ideal world. Dystopian literature shows societies that strive to be perfect and contain elements of a Utopian world, but in reality the society that is created is incredibly imperfect and sometimes horrifying. Some are set in a somewhat post-apocalyptic setting. Usually these novels are used as a warning against present day dangers.

Permalink Reply by Clara Baker on August 15, 2011 at 4:17pm

oooooooooooooooooh.

Permalink Reply by Devynn Hageman on August 15, 2011 at 10:07pm

The Hunger Games, of course. And also "Anthem" by Ayn Rand. It's a short read, but it's a really good one too.

Permalink Reply by John Trevillian on August 16, 2011 at 9:17am

Personal fave dystopian novels

When I was researching/writing for my novel The A-Men, I read a lot of dystopian stories to get just the right balance of future world and collapsing society. I wanted to use the trope of the main character entering a riot-torn corporate-run city while mixing this with strong fantasy elements/stories.

Gibson was an early influence for me... but the final list included:

Cloud Atlas*

Nineteen Eighty-Four

Battle Royale

Brave New World

A Clockwork Orange

Count Zero*

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Mona Lisa Overdrive

Roadside Picnic*

Neuromancer

Perdido Street Station*

The Running Man

The Children of Men

The ones with asterisks are my personal favourites.

Permalink Reply by William Newcome on September 5, 2011 at 7:08am

i just read perdido street station, it was amazing, one of the best books i have read.

Permalink Reply by Calista Hills on August 18, 2011 at 9:41pm

So far the I've only read two Dystopian novels, The Chrysalids by John Wyndham , and Unwind by Neal Shusterman. I'm really looking forward to reading The Hunger Games sometime in the near future though.

Permalink Reply by Mary Rose Lieberman on August 21, 2011 at 6:22am

I'm surprised no one has mentioned A Clockwork Orange yet. Although that is definitely not my favorite dystopian novel, it had a great impact on me.

Also, is One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest a dystopian novel? It doesn't involve the creation of an entire future, but the psych ward has a few futuristic qualities to it. And it deals with the same issues as a lot of dystopian novels.

Permalink Reply by Hannah on August 21, 2011 at 11:03am

Call me a feminist (which I am) but I love 'The Handmaid's Tale' so much. The main character's experience frightened and overwhelmed me, though I confess that I cannot full imagine the events in the novel happening. I have to write an essay on it in September, and am looking for a comparison book. I've gone for 'The Northen Lights' so far (Don't mock me because it's young adult!) because of the links between the authority of religion, which I always found interesting in HDM. Feel free to give me reccomendations though!

Permalink Reply by Jeanie on August 25, 2011 at 1:22am

I liked Virginia Roth's Divergent, but for me A Wrinkle In Time will always epitomize dystopian stories. Something about that giant brain controlling everyone, making everyone live out the same lives in the same houses and bounce the same ball at the same time is just so creepy and terrifying and sad. Divergent is more of an adventury story, but the society it is set in is certainly not utopian. Matched was also a good dystopian book.

Permalink Reply by Pamela Bedford on April 22, 2012 at 11:10pm