# Dystopian novels **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 9, 2015, 8:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923 "2015-12-09T08:44:50Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/21 "2015-12-09T19:36:59Z")
> [@meow\_meow](#): > > The Handmaids Tale > > I saw that someone posted Oryx and Crake. I agree! This is actually part of a trilogy. After that was “The Year of the Flood”, then “MaddAddam.” > > All by Margaret Atwood. I’m really divided about Margaret Atwood. I enjoy her science fiction, but it pisses me off that she gets really offended at calling it what it is. She views herself as “better” than the SF ghetto. There is the Wool/Shift series by Hugh Howey, classics like _1984_ and _Brave New World_. There’s also _Logan’s Run_ (which is the first of a trilogy), the two-book _Half Past Human/The Godwhale_ by TJ Bass, _We_ by Yevgeny Zamyatin has already been mentioned, any novel in the _Warhammer 40,000_ universe, _City of Endless Night_ by Milo Hastings, and if I think of more I’ll be back with more suggestions. “Dystopian” covers a lot of territory. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/22 "2015-12-09T19:45:24Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > [Oryx and Crake](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Oryx_and_Crake) > [Jennifer Government](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Government) I didn’t care for Oryx and Crake because I wanted all the major characters to die. They were all such horrible people, I had a hard time caring about them. I finished the book more because I respect the author than any desire to see resolution of the story. Jennifer Government, on the other hand, is a great fun dystopian book. I found it very entertaining and it doesn’t get the recognition it deserves. ---
**Author:** ![HookerChemical](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/278dde/32.png) [@HookerChemical](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HookerChemical)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/23 "2015-12-09T19:51:21Z")
I really like Octavia Butler, who has written multiple dystopian series. The Parable books are my favorites, but the Xenogenesis series is very good as well. I’d put Gateway by Fredrick Pohl in the dystopian genre. It’s a good book if you like dread (not fear, but dread). ---
**Author:** ![Damfino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Damfino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damfino)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/24 "2015-12-09T20:23:37Z")
- This Perfect Day \* by Ira Levin - The Tomorrow File \* by Lawrence Sanders ---
**Author:** ![Ace331](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ace331](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace331)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/25 "2015-12-09T21:15:46Z")
Too many listed to provide a synsopsis for each, but I have read all the below and enjoyed all of them. Divergent Trilogy - Veronica Roth Divergent Allegiant Insurgent The Giver Series - Lois Lowry The Giver Gathering Blue Messenger Son The Maze Runner Trilogy - James Dashner The Maze Runner The Scorch Trials The Death Cure Mathed Trilogy - Aimee Carter Matched Crossed Reached Uglies Series - Scott Westerfeld Uglies Pretties Specials Extras Legend Trilogy - Marie Lu Legend Produgy Champion Razorblade Series - Ann Aguirre Enclave Outpost Horde Avatar Chronicles Trilogy - Conor Kostick EPIC SAGA EDDA The Bar Code Trilogy - Suzanne Weyn The Bar Code Tattoo The Bar Code Rebellion The Bar Code Prophecy Mad Tinker Chronicles - J.S. Morin Mad Tinker’s Daughter Rebel Skyforce World Ripper War Tinker’s Justice Partial Series - Dan Wells Partials Isolation Fragment Ruins ---
**Author:** ![Ace331](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ace331](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace331)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/26 "2015-12-09T21:25:47Z")
Had the author wrong for this one: Mathed Trilogy - Ally Condie Matched Crossed Reached ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/27 "2015-12-09T21:46:32Z")
[Station Eleven](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/20170404-station-eleven) by Emily St. John Mandel. It was on a lot of best-of lists for 2014, with good reason. ---
**Author:** ![Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/left_hand_of_dorkness/32/7156_2.png) [@Left\_Hand\_of\_Dorkness](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Left_Hand_of_Dorkness)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/28 "2015-12-09T22:00:00Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > I’m really divided about Margaret Atwood. I enjoy her science fiction, but it pisses me off that she gets really offended at calling it what it is. She views herself as “better” than the SF ghetto. Heh–Oryx and Crake came across like she thought she was slumming. “Oooh, look at me, the renowned and celebrated author, come to show you poor schmucks how to do literary science fiction right!” I found the book derivative and uninspired, doing nothing that I hadn’t seen other authors do better. It was the last Atwood I read. But maybe I have strong opinions on the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/29 "2015-12-09T22:07:06Z")
I will second 1984, Brave New World and We. They are classics in the genre for a reason and I will add Make Room Make Room. Soylent green was base don the book but, and I know it is a cliche, but the book was much batter. The Murder mystery that is the core of the movie is a small part of the book. It is a great piece of science fiction about a world that is dying under its own weight. And in the book Soylent Green is not people. It’s Soy beans and Lentils, hence the name. ---
**Author:** ![Ace331](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Ace331](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ace331)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/30 "2015-12-09T22:07:15Z")
> [@Jumpbass](#): > > Count Zero, Neuromancer by William Gibson. > > I’m finding it hard to find science fiction that ISN’T dystopian. I find it gloomy, too. Havent read these yet, but they are on my to read list. These two books are actually part of a trilogy. The Sprawl Trilogy 1.Nueromancer 2.Count Zero 3.Mona Lisa Overdrive ---
**Author:** ![TroutMan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/troutman/32/6721_2.png) [@TroutMan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TroutMan)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/31 "2015-12-09T22:44:50Z")
> [@Ace331](#): > > Havent read these yet, but they are on my to read list. These two books are actually part of a trilogy. > > The Sprawl Trilogy > 1.Nueromancer > 2.Count Zero > 3.Mona Lisa Overdrive And the trilogy pairs nicely with _[Snowcrash](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/830.Snow_Crash)_ by Neal Stephenson, another good dystopian novel. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2015, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/32 "2015-12-09T23:18:21Z")
> [@meow\_meow](#): > > The Handmaids Tale > > I saw that someone posted Oryx and Crake. I agree! This is actually part of a trilogy. After that was “The Year of the Flood”, then “MaddAddam.” > > All by Margaret Atwood. I’m glad this website is mostly men, because I can say here that I thought “The Handmaid’s Tale” wasn’t very good, and not get my butt kicked for it. No, it wasn’t not very good. It was AWFUL. I can’t believe some people think it’s one of the greatest books ever written. How about Stephen King’s “The Stand”? I’ve read “The Hunger Games” series, and also the first “Divergent” book; however, finishing “Divergent” was a chore because the story got really weird about 3/4 of the way into it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/33 "2015-12-10T04:46:51Z")
It’s not great, but it’s big, dystopian in an “extrapolate real-world problems” way, and pretty entertaining: Stand on Zanzibar, by John Brunner ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 5:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/34 "2015-12-10T05:10:47Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I’m glad this website is mostly men, because I can say here that I thought “The Handmaid’s Tale” wasn’t very good, and not get my butt kicked for it. > > No, it wasn’t not very good. It was AWFUL. I can’t believe some people think it’s one of the greatest books ever written. The only people who think it’s “one of the greatest books ever written” are people who haven’t read any other science fiction. I admitted I have enjoyed reading her books. That doesn’t mean I think they’re _great_ books, just that they entertained me for awhile which isn’t exactly a high bar to meet most days. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/35 "2015-12-10T05:16:23Z")
Oh, the OP didn’t specify mostly reality-based dystopias or those with fantastical elements. _The Stand_, for example, gets off into mysticism and magical happenings after a certain point but The _Handmaid’s Tale_ doesn’t, and relies entirely on real-world physics. Another lesser known group of dystopian novels are The Rifters Triology by Peter Watts: _Starfish, Maelstrom,_ and _Behemoth_. He also wrote another novel in the same universe called _Blindsight_. ---
**Author:** ![Mudshark](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f04885/32.png) [@Mudshark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mudshark)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 5:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/36 "2015-12-10T05:41:47Z")
If you can stand pointless gratuitous sex and mediocre writing, _In the Drift_ by Michael Swanwick isn’t that bad. (It’s also not that good, but I still like it) Fahrenheit 451 - Ray Bradbury The Dark Tower series by Stephen King ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 5:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/37 "2015-12-10T05:59:50Z")
_The Domination of the Draka_ trilogy. South Africa becomes a continent spanning nation and the first book leads with their push into Europe during the Second World War. Not for everyone as the main protagonists are, you know, fighting for a militaristic slave state but it’s a pretty good read, imho. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/38 "2015-12-10T06:22:37Z")
> [@Ace331](#): > > Havent read these yet, but they are on my to read list. These two books are actually part of a trilogy. > > The Sprawl Trilogy > 1.Nueromancer > 2.Count Zero > 3.Mona Lisa Overdrive I seriously don’t consider these Gibsons to be dystopian - unless we _currently_ live in a dystopia. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/39 "2015-12-10T06:23:41Z")
> [@CarnalK](#): > > _The Domination of the Draka_ trilogy. South Africa becomes a continent spanning nation and the first book leads with their push into Europe during the Second World War. Not for everyone as the main protagonists are, you know, fighting for a militaristic slave state but it’s a pretty good read, imho. You left out the White-power racist aspects of said militaristic slave state. ---
**Author:** ![CarnalK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnalk/32/486_2.png) [@CarnalK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CarnalK)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2015, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923/40 "2015-12-10T06:31:46Z")
> [@MrDibble](#): > > You left out the White-power racist aspects of said militaristic slave state. I thought that was a given but thanks for pointing it out. I guess some younger posters might’ve have thought I meant a Black power slave society coming out of South Africa. Of course, with some exceptions they weren’t planning on the white Europeans they conquered being free. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/dystopian-novels/739923.md?page=3)