Dystopian Books

[Parvo]

Naturally during these times I have decided to devote my reading to apocalyptic and dystopian themes. I re-read The Road and now just finished The Fireman... couldn't put it down. Got to the point where I was excited to finish work so I could dive back into it, one of those books you lose sense of time (although reviews weren't kind).

Any hidden gems out there you recommend? Don't give me 1984 or Handmaid Tales, looking for something under the radar.

[ShoNuff]

Naturally during these times I have decided to devote my reading to apocalyptic and dystopian themes. I re-read The Road and now just finished The Fireman... couldn't put it down. Got to the point where I was excited to finish work so I could dive back into it, one of those books you lose sense of time (although reviews weren't kind).

Any hidden gems out there you recommend? Don't give me 1984 or Handmaid Tales, looking for something under the radar.

A brave new world. Or pretty much anything by Vonnegut.

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[dookey67]

I just started Charlie Huston's SLEEPLESS this week...pretty good so far

The Girl With All The Gifts is a dystopian zombie novel that is an enthralling read. Plus the film is good too...

I also just finished The Feed, but I wasn't terribly taken by it. It reminded me a lot of The Road, but with an underlying social media thread (I didn't feel as if they mined this aspect of the book enough, though, and the rest of it felt like a worn pastiche of familiar tropes...but YMMV).

[rip]

Earth Abides, George R Stewart..

From 1949 but seems pretty relevant these days.

[Core Shot]

https://www.abebooks.com/books/best-...ks/index.shtml

Here’s sixty
I read most but not all.

[Parvo]

Thanks. Most of those I've read as well, looks like a couple I need to order. But The Fireman not being on that list brings up my question about hidden gems. It got slammed for being a bit too much like his dad's book, The Stand, but it was thoroughly enjoyable and I think he purposely included a few references to it as an homage to a great book by his old man.

Looking through that list I just ordered On the Beach since I never heard of it.

[Core Shot]

Holy crap.
On the beach is classic
And free online.

Imagine life in Australia. With nuclear clouds descending on your continent

You know your going to die in a few months. How do you live?

[Buster Highmen]

Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake.

Hunger Games

Childhoods End

The Mote In Gods Eye

[Summit]

Red Rising (whole series incredibly well written and dark, save for the whining in the first part of the first book, gripping 3d characters and mind blowing plot) read this
1984
Brave new world
Animal farm
On the beach (depressing as fuck)
Hunger games
Lucifers hammer (dated)
Inconsistent moon (short)
Forever war (very good)
Trinitys child
Arclight
Team yankee

[GeezerSteve]

Slapstick, Kurt Vonnegut
Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
Blood Meridian, Cormack McCarthy

On the Beach is a very good novel. Nevil Shute wrote a shitload of good stuff, few of which are dystopian, all of which are fine reads.

[dookey67]

If you really wanna deep dive, here's 2 from Gary K. Wolf, who is best known for his early '80s novel Who Censored Roger Rabbit, which was turned into the cult film Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Killerbowl (1975)
Imagine a football version of Rollerball

A Generation Removed (1977)
Kinda Logan's Run-meets-Soylent Green

[jackattack]

I’m here to see how long it takes to list all the Vonnegut books.

God Bless You Mr Rosewater.

If you’re reading McCarthy just knock out the Boarder Trilogy too.

[dookey67]

Full Disclosure: I have, as of yet, not read any of the below mentioned books, but all of them have been on my radar for quite some time:

Make Room! Make Room! - Harry Harrison
basis for Soylent Green. I actually own a copy of this novel, so may have to dig into it soon...

Children of Men - PD James
really enjoyed the film adaptation, fwiw

Path To Savagery - Robert Edmond Alter
the film adaptation, The Ravagers, starring Richard Harris is a tedious mess, but the underlying story has me interested in the novel

Logan's Run - William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
recently revisited the film, which got me wanting to read the novel; copies are $$$, though!

La planete des singes - Pierre Boulle
have seen all the movies, but still have not read this widely acclaimed novel!

[dookey67]

Dunno what your stance on comic books is, but Y THE LAST MAN is a fantastic 60-issue series. It was complied into 10 trade paperback collections.

FX has a TV series in development, too...

[dookey67]

Article about an author who penned a dystopian novel back in 2005. It was rejected by publishers at the time for being considered too unrealistic.
It just got published.

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/04/us/pe...rnd/index.html8

[DeathVan]

Some interesting suggestions here. I will give a few a try.
Here are three that I truly enjoy, and have read multiple times each.

High Rise -JG Ballard
-a class war violently rages between floors of a luxury high rise

The Lathe of Heaven -Ursula K. Le Guin
-a man's dreams effect alternate dystopian realities

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch -Philip K. Dick
-forced to leave a Sun baked Earth, hovel dwelling colonists survive by taking a communal hallucinogenic drug through which they inhabit characters in a simulated world, a world that is all available for a price (really, that's just part of it...)

[dookey67]

...High Rise -JG Ballard
-a class war violently rages between floors of a luxury high rise...

I thought about mentioning this, but I have only seen the movie, which wasn't that great, imho.

I think I scored a vintage PB edition at a used bookstore last year, so I may have to dig that up and five it a read...

[Tippster]

About to star this. It's supposedly amazing, especially given what's going on.

[Danno]

lot of good books in here.

The Water Knife
The Dog Stars

are two fairly recent ones that are good. Station Eleven too.

[NWFlow]

Not in the same vein as most of these other books, but I found World War Z to be a super easy, yet enjoyable and fun, one-sitting read.

[Sullywhacker]

I just started Charlie Huston's SLEEPLESS this week...pretty good so far

The Girl With All The Gifts is a dystopian zombie novel that is an enthralling read. Plus the film is good too...

I also just finished The Feed, but I wasn't terribly taken by it. It reminded me a lot of The Road, but with an underlying social media thread (I didn't feel as if they mined this aspect of the book enough, though, and the rest of it felt like a worn pastiche of familiar tropes...but YMMV).

2nd on The Girl with all the Gifts (and I hate zombie shit). Mentioned in the list of 60 but not specifically here: The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi, Paolo - can't recommend it enough

[yeahman]

The Stand by Stephen King is a great book that I read in high school. It's about a worldwide pandemic flu strain that has like a 99% fatality rate. I just saw that Stephen King recently posted chapter 8 of the audiobook online, in which the spread of the virus is described. Not super interesting, although the final minute might be worth a listen--the part about throwing bodies into the ocean to get rid of them until finally the dead just rot where they lay.

[MontuckyFried]

Dunno what your stance on comic books is, but Y THE LAST MAN is a fantastic 60-issue series. It was complied into 10 trade paperback collections.

FX has a TV series in development, too...

Y was a great series indeed! Really enjoyed that one.

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[PB]

2nd on The Girl with all the Gifts (and I hate zombie shit). Mentioned in the list of 60 but not specifically here: The Windup Girl by Bacigalupi, Paolo - can't recommend it enough

x more on The Wind up Girl - near perfect mix of fantasy based on reality.

[bobz]

My middle school kid just read The Giver; I congratulated him on having completed his first dystopian.