# Please recommend dystopian novels. **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 5, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451 "2009-08-05T19:00:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/21 "2009-08-06T01:01:08Z")
Previous threads that may be of interest: > **[Reccomend Post Apocalyptic Fiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=450191)** > > I’m sure I’ve seen this discussed before, but I can’t seem to find it. What I’m looking for are a few reccomendations for good post apocalyptic fiction. (At least I think that’s what to call it.) I enjoyed The Stand. I also liked Andre Norton’s... > **[Looking for good Post-Apocalyptic Fiction](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=371565)** > > I’ve found myself with a little extra time on my hands (near the end of financial year at work, so they’re keeping everyone’s hours down), and besides stepping up my own writing, I’ve decided to take the opportunity to read more books. One of my... > **[Post-Apocalyptic Science Fiction Novels](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=306592)** > > I’ve been in the mood to read some novels with the theme of survival after an apocalypse, or in the ruins of some sort of futuristic society. Something along the lines of Lucifer’s Hammer, The Stand or The Postman. Corniness is no problem! What... > **[Please recommend a good end of the world book](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=300325)** > > I am in the mood to read a “fall of the human race” type book. Not where the crisis is avoided at the last second by something. But a story that takes you through the actual downfall and the immediate aftermath. Something along the lines of the... > **[Post-apocalyptic novel recommendations?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=145182)** > > Looking for recommendations for a relatively modern novel dealing with how society reacts to a post apocalyptic situation, be it nuclear war, asteroid, some other collapse of society. No real preference from whether it’s told from the position of an... ---
**Author:** ![Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Harriet\_the\_Spry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harriet_the_Spry)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/22 "2009-08-06T02:00:19Z")
You might consider \*Jennifer Government \*by Max Barry, which manages to be both dystopian and funny. Also \*The Children of Men \*by P.D. James. ---
**Author:** ![Tom\_Tildrum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e95f7d/32.png) [@Tom\_Tildrum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tom_Tildrum)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/23 "2009-08-06T02:59:40Z")
_Dhalgren_, maybe. ---
**Author:** ![BaneSidhe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/c5a1d2/32.png) [@BaneSidhe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BaneSidhe)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/24 "2009-08-06T03:27:27Z")
_The Postman_ by David Brin. Book was great, ignore the movie. ---
**Author:** ![SmashTheState](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@SmashTheState](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SmashTheState)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 4:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/25 "2009-08-06T04:00:51Z")
My personal favourite dystopian novels: [Canticle for Liebowitz](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Canticle_for_Leibowitz), by Walter Miller [Stand on Zanzibar](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stand_on_Zanzibar), by John Brunner [Neuromancer](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neuromancer), by William Gibson [The Handmaid’s Tale](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Handmaid%27s_Tale), by Margaret Atwood [Z for Zachariah](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_for_Zachariah), by Robert O’Brien [The Man in the High Castle](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle), by Philip K. Dick [The Space Merchants](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Space_Merchants), by Frederik Pohl and Cyril M. Kornbluth [Midas World](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midas_World), by Frederik Pohl ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 4:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/26 "2009-08-06T04:22:02Z")
\*Unaccompanied Sonata \*by Orson Scott Card is an interesting twist. From the Point of view of the protagonist he’s living in a dystopia that restricts his freedom of artistic expression, with extremely harsh penalties for disobeying the rules. However it is made clear that the society gives a happy and fulfilling life to the vast majority of people. ---
**Author:** ![Zebra](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/c0e974/32.png) [@Zebra](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zebra)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 5:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/27 "2009-08-06T05:22:31Z")
You can also try the early works of William Gibson [http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/index.asp](http://www.williamgibsonbooks.com/index.asp) His most recent books, Spook Country and Pattern Recognition are not dystopian future but really good btw. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 7:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/28 "2009-08-06T07:01:04Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > [We](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/We_(novel)) by Yevgeny Zamyatin: this is pretty much the grandpappy of what you’ve been reading. I found it much more lyrical and romantic (not as in love between people, but as in the Romantic movement) than either **Brave New World** or **1984**. I strongly second this choice. It is rather amazing how much of the dystopian plot he originated, Perhaps having lived in one helps. It also reads quite well. I’ve read quite a few of the dreadful 19th century Utopian novels, but this is much, much better. By the way, I second Canticle, but not the second Canticle. The sequel recently published is dreadful. Avoid at all costs. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 7:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/29 "2009-08-06T07:37:55Z")
> [@BaneSidhe](#): > > _The Postman_ by David Brin. Book was great, ignore the movie. Do not ignore the movie. The movie was excellent. I read the book and I definitely think the movie is _better_ than the book. For me, it’s everything that a good movie should be. It has amazing sets and cinematography. It has excellent acting (Will Patton steals the show; many great character actors including Giovanni Ribisi are also in the cast, as well as a cameo by Tom Petty; Kevin Costner fits the role of the protagonist well.) The plot is interesting. The dialog is clever. It has a good message. The only possible flaw is its length, but that’s not a flaw in my own opinion because I would happily watch six hours of Postman movie. The “Holnist” Army and General Bethlehem, brought to life in that film by Will Patton’s masterful acting, are way more compelling as antagonists than the vague enemies in the novel. The novel is just okay, but the movie is a masterpiece. ---
**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:** [August 6, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/30 "2009-08-06T11:14:47Z")
_This Perfect Day_ by Ira Levin. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/31 "2009-08-06T12:13:24Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > > [@Indistinguishable](#): > > > > I’ve been saying for years that Brave New World was a genuine utopia. Everything worked out great for everyone except John, and the only problem there was that he was fucked up by having grown up outside the putative “dystopia”. > > Also, as far as I remember, everyone was completely satisfied and happy with life, no one had any unfulfilled needs, and everyone felt useful. Dystopia? While I mostly agree with this, not everyone, even products of the society, were happy. Remember Bernard Marx? He was the Alpha psychologist who was unusually stunted in appearance for his caste, and whom nobody liked except Helmholtz. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/32 "2009-08-06T12:47:13Z")
_Ecotopia_ by Ernest Callenbach. Or at least I thought it was creepy. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 12:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/33 "2009-08-06T12:49:33Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > While I mostly agree with this, not everyone, even products of the society, were happy. Remember Bernard Marx? He was the Alpha psychologist who was unusually stunted in appearance for his caste, and whom nobody liked except Helmholtz. Indeed there were multiple references to exiling social freaks to islands. Since once of these islands was Tahiti, I’m not exactly pegging my outrage meter. ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/34 "2009-08-06T14:17:36Z")
> [@Bryan\_Ekers](#): > > Indeed there were multiple references to exiling social freaks to islands. Since once of these islands was Tahiti, I’m not exactly pegging my outrage meter. Are you volunteering to serve as one of the Epsilon class? ---
**Author:** ![filling\_pages](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b9bd4f/32.png) [@filling\_pages](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filling_pages)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/35 "2009-08-06T14:45:38Z")
> [@infinitii](#): > > Also, as far as I remember, everyone was completely satisfied and happy with life, no one had any unfulfilled needs, and everyone felt useful. Dystopia? A society in which your lot in life is decided prebirth and arranged via genetics, chemical tampering with the fetus, and childhood conditioning does not sound like a utopia to me, even if the majority of people are drugged and brainwashed into “happiness”. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/36 "2009-08-06T14:57:32Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > While I mostly agree with this, not everyone, even products of the society, were happy. Remember Bernard Marx? He was the Alpha psychologist who was unusually stunted in appearance for his caste, and whom nobody liked except Helmholtz. Well, once he got famous and everyone loved him, he seemed pretty chill. Seconding This Perfect Day–another great one. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/37 "2009-08-06T15:33:18Z")
> [@filling\_pages](#): > > A society in which your lot in life is decided prebirth and arranged via genetics, chemical tampering with the fetus, and childhood conditioning does not sound like a utopia to me, even if the majority of people are drugged and brainwashed into “happiness”. Sounds like this could generate one or more good GD threads (Which is more important, happiness and welfare of the common good or free will? Which fictional dystopia would you want to live in? Was any dystopia actually a utopia?) Honestly, for me, if I lived in the Brave New World society, I would be happy as a clam. Who needs freedom when you can have all the sex you want without risk of disease or pregnancy, government-rationed hallucinogens that were entirely safe, and a completely fulfilling career, regardless of what you did? I can’t really agree with you. John the Savage was disgusted with the engineered society because he wasn’t a product of it. He was resentful of his mother’s promiscuity only because he had seen the other primitives ostracizing her for it. He had grown up reading two books: his mother’s work manual and the complete works of Shakespeare. He had the unique advantage that he was able to see the contrast between a natural society and an engineered one, even before he stepped foot in London. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/38 "2009-08-06T15:40:33Z")
> [@Peter\_Morris](#): > > Are you volunteering to serve as one of the Epsilon class? Nah, I’d end up bucking the system, just like that experiment the book described where they filled an entire island with Alphas and within three years it descended to anarchy. I assume that had I been _born_ an Epsilon, I’d be happy in that role. ---
**Author:** ![Agent\_Foxtrot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9fc29f/32.png) [@Agent\_Foxtrot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Agent_Foxtrot)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/39 "2009-08-06T15:42:31Z")
By the way, everyone, thank you for your recommendations. So far I’m very interested in reading _We_ and _Never Let Me Go_. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2009, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451/40 "2009-08-06T15:47:52Z")
> [@Agent\_Foxtrot](#): > > John the Savage was disgusted with the engineered society because he wasn’t a product of it. He was resentful of his mother’s promiscuity only because he had seen the other primitives ostracizing her for it. He had grown up reading two books: his mother’s work manual and the complete works of Shakespeare. He had the unique advantage that he was able to see the contrast between a natural society and an engineered one, even before he stepped foot in London. And to be fair, the Savage society sounded pretty awful as well. I think that if given a choice, most Dopers would choose the engineered Brave New World over the Savage society. Just think–a life with no birth control/abortions, people yelling at you for having too much sex, few medical advances, ugly people (I keed, I keed). But it just sounds abysmal. ETA: I’m also reading Never Let Me go right now. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-recommend-dystopian-novels/505451.md?page=3)