Dystopian worlds are often painted as the lowest of the low, especially for the characters most affected by the tumult, but that can be a perfect backdrop to show the triumph of the human spirit. There can be a single person fighting the good fight and through dedication to the cause, a belief in themselves, pureness of intention, and often the help of a few friends along the way, they will eventuality win the day because even in dystopian universes, the good can still prevail.
Dystopian novels are not for everyone but they may be more for you than you know. If you can relate to any of these reasons above or just want to try a new genre that includes some amazing books, check out dystopian novels.
It may be a much more satisfying experience than you think. Jonathan Clerk is an independent Chicago-based journalist with 20 years of experience covering lifestyle, fashion and local events.
Privacy Policy. Manuscript Critique Query Critique. Blog Podcast. What Are Dystopian Novels? What Would You Do? It is an Allegory Other readers enjoy these novels because many of them are an allegory for our times. Hunger Games emulates media theory, i. The people of Panem see rebellion on tv from Katniss, so they are emboldened to act it out in the real world. I would disagree almost entirely, with regard to the Hunger Games. The only question you posed that readers cannot adequately answer for themselves, given enough critical reflection, is the first one.
And I would say that for the story and the points it is trying to make, that answer is of a decidedly secondary importance. As for the other questions, because you know to ask them, the road signs you talk about must be present. The answers then, are something you have to decide for yourself. Teens have always have liked this genre and they eat up edgy realistic fiction as well. Good dystopian fiction is ominously fascinating.
I think it is a combination of things. I do think that dystopian lit has always been there. I remember reading and Farenheit when I was a kid. I think the modern times have just changed the marketing to attract younger audiences. I also think that adults are being drawn to those books as well. I have read all of the Nicholas Flamel series and love them. When you come into this world, it seems that everything already exists — houses, roads, cars, society, science.
It is hard for a young person to feel any sense of ownership. Instead, they feel more like consumers and lodgers. They did not choose the world to be the way it is, but they are expected to work to maintain it, and most of the power is in the hands of old folk like me. Collapsing societies gives young folk a chance to remake things the way they would like them to be — it is a fiction where the young have tremendous power.
Of course this makes exciting reading! It is hard to comprehend that everything around us belongs to us — the ones who are alive today. We did not personally build all this stuff, but it is ours to do with as we want. Imagine what it must have been like just after the French Revolution.
Everything in that enormously rich nation changed hands overnight. What a thrill! The best unknown Dystopian novel would be We by Yogani Armington. Dystopian fiction is on the rise because teen fiction in general is on the rise. These days, recognizing the money-making possibilities by targeting the year-old reading community, more writers are writing for this age group in mind.
There are so many choices now in young adult literature, one of which is the dystopian literature. I used to be a really avid reader, from 4th through 8th grade.
Then when 9th grade started and puberty hit, I stopped reading. I remember going to the bookstore and just seeing kids books and adult literature, nothing for teens.
There was no YA section, no teen romance, teen horror, teen dystopias, nothing. I tried reading the novels from English class but found them too difficult to consume. I wish there had been teen fiction in my day because I know I would have thoroughly enjoyed it.
So literally, 6 years of my life, I did not read. The big difference now, compared when I was a kid is that I was scared of the planet disappearing while I was at school. The fear of a nuclear war is something a whole generation grew up with. Its far nicer to be in control of your scares, and that is what the books are feeding — safe in the knowledge that it will never happen!
Good article. Well done! The rise in popularity of YA dystopic novels is interesting. As other commenters have noted—dystopic novels have been around for a long time. Now the market is saturated with apocalyptic adolescent fiction. Perhaps, publishers have caught on that this particular genre resonates well with younger crowd.
But intentional marketing aside, these fictional dystopic worlds are so exhilarating to engage in for many reasons. I think you forgot one of the best, more contemporary and intriguing dystopian novels of our recent time — Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro. Even for well-versed adults and parents. I only point this out because these YA novels really do pull their punches. If these dystopias are truly about exploring the darker side of society and human nature, I would really love to see a main character that is at least slightly morally compromised.
If possible, completely so. It would also be pleasant if one of them could get a premise its plot could stand on. As it is now, all I can see it as is a self-indulgent, profiteering fad. I respect YA dystopian books and writers for their success even though I can never get into them. I like your distinction, Daniel, betwee teen and adult dystopian novels. What dystopian novels from the adult perspective do you recommend?
Well, Fahrenheit has long been my favorite novel of all time, and that is an amazing novel for adults. Then you consider other classics like and Brave New World. I also really like The Children of Men, but I consider the movie to be much better.
That movie is absolutely perfect. I beleive the dystopian novel is a cautionary tale that gives the reader road signs indicating how the present could become a dystopian future. You should see your own society in the reflection of the dystopian society. I enjoy dystopian novels, the ideas they portray and the characters they create are intriguing and fitting of this time.
Dystopian societies can be written off as mere fictional places, but this is a great description of their importance and relevance in the lives of readers. Psst, found a few typoes. I was interviewing someone once about a related topic, and he stated that part of the reason that Dystopian books are becoming more popular and being written is partially based on how our generation currently views the world.
We are at a point in time where the economy is weak and there is constant talk about global warming. I love this genre and hope that it might spark something in the minds of the current YA fanbase and encourage some sort of change in the way we think.
A very in-depth look at the popularity of the dystopian genre. This genre gets me thinking about events going on in our world now and in the future. I really enjoyed the comparison of events in Divergent and The Hunger Games to high school.
I also find it extremely interesting that the popularity in Dystopian literature is at such a peak. Comparing that to the past and present, opens up a whole new dialogue. My Grade 7 class read The Last Book in the Universe and it was amazing how the kids related to it in relation to the technology they are embroiled in right now.
The same can be said about my Grade 10 class and Fahrenheit The biggest question to come out of this is will books eventually be replaced and will we lose the power to think by overuse of search engines.
But it is true that dystopian literature shows us our fears of our current society gone wrong. One reason is that they help us feel better about our existing society which, even if imperfect, is far better.
Another reason is that we identify with the heroes in the stories, who usually are brave and capable. When the heroes strike a blow for freedom or for a better way of life, we strike the blow in our imagination. Utopias are the other side of the coin. Moore's utopia has freedom of religion and slavery. Years ago, I described Walden 2 in a student essay as an invisible despotism.
I meant that psychological principles were used to control virtually all behaviour of the masses. Iconoclast Books in Ketchum, Idaho sold eight copies of in January—compared to one in January Part of the appeal of these classics, of course, is a morbid strain of escapism: Dystopian fiction enables readers to taste a darker timeline, albeit one that a protagonist invariably triumphs over.
The world could be a lot worse , you think while reading. But the thrill goes beyond the vicarious.
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