DYSTOPIAN NOVEL GUIDE

Youve got 99 Problems and your novel isnt one! Think of all the social problems in the world and write a list of the ones you
are passionate about. Are you interested in the class system in America, or believe factories are emitting too much pollution? Do
you find problems within certain governments that you wish you could fix? Once you figure out which topic you feel you have the
most to comment on, it will be easier to create the rest of your dystopia!
FOR EXAMPLE: You believe we should have no government or laws forced upon citizens, and believe that is the reason for
upheaval in our country. Now that you have chosen this topic, you must imagine how your characters will act in the situation!
Past, Present, or Future. What time period do you want your novel to be in? If its in the past, what events could you change that
would affect our world today? The same goes when using the present time period. If you want to use the future, make sure to use
elements that you think would affect people in a negative way. For instance, if we start relying on robots what will become of the
human race?
Quick Tip: Research your time period, and see how people acted in the past, in the present, and how we may act in the future!
Reaction. Once you understand your time period and social problem, its time to add your characters to the mix! When creating
your characters, keep in mind how they will react to the environment they live in and that this society is normal to them!
Questions to ask are:
What is their role in society, and how did they get there?
What hardships will they overcome or fail?
What is the effect on society of their actions?
FOR EXAMPLE: Gena lives in a society with no government at all and is free to do as she wishes. However, her parents force her
to stay inside due to the chaos in the real world" The only reminder of the world outside her home is a tiny window in her room
that she decides to break out of tonight. Will she survive?
Get The Full Experience. To get a true feeling of a dystopia, read books and watch movies using this genre! By reading, you will
understand how to create your society vividly when writing and by seeing a movie you will get a clearer picture of what your
society and characters may look like.
Some books and movies to watch are:
Empty by Suzanne Weyn
Matched by Allie Condie
Uglies Series by Scott Westerfield
Ashes, Ashes By Jo Treggari
Starship Troopers
Minority Report
Total Recall
Gattaca
Push the Envelope. Look to your peers and whats popular on the YA dystopian market. Are writers all commenting on the same
topic? That can be boring, bland, and will soon get old fast. So its your turn to create a unique story that will catch the attention of
your audience, and put them in a world no one has created before! What do you feel is important but may not have been written
about?
FOR EXAMPLE: You feel that the world relies so much on technology that our society has become lazy and forgetful. In your
novel, you decide that the government has outlawed the use of technology in some areas while others still have it.

How to Write a Dystopian Novel

Dystopian writing focuses on a future world in which things have not necessarily gone well for the human race. Whatever the
motivation behind your dystopia, there are many ways to write an action-charged, thoughtful and perceptive novel based on this
genre.

Think of a world-impacting topic/word/phrase that you're passionate about. It could be pollution, politics, government
control, protests, poverty or privacy- problems with the world. Any of the suggested topics could easily lead to an amazing
exploration of a dystopian world within your novel.
Ask three very important questions: What if? And? What would? For example, based on the topic of pollution:
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What If I didn't throw that piece of trash away instead of on the ground-what if no one did?
And, how will this effect our future?
What would happen?
The What If question must motivate each of the questions; it not, then you may need to think about re-writing your
question. You need to know the What If factor well, otherwise you won't be able to understand why this or that is happening in
your world.
Study your topic extensively. In the case of pollution, you'd seek to understand the history of pollution, what the effects of
pollution are, and find the topics related to pollution.

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Take notes and divide them into sections, or draw a Venn Diagram, only instead of the middle being what they both have in
common make it like an equation and say what is the impact of the pro's and the cons of pollution.
Know your topic inside and out and know how it will be incorporated within your world. Otherwise, you will be lost on whats going
to happen next.
When you are researching, don't be all about strict information, let your imagination build up on some of these details, allow your
imagination to interpret what you read in a different way
Get opinions on your chosen topic. How does the world view pollution, death, genetically enhanced beings? Your novel is going
to have to have leaders, antagonists, protagonists who are going to have an opinion on everything that is going on, and remember,
that as horrible as things may be, you are going to have to look at history: During the Revolutionary Era of the United States, many
of the colonies were filled with Loyalists to the Parliament, and Patriots who went against it; you have to have these in your novel to
make it seem realistic.
Before you start writing, you need to study the other part of your topicdystopia. Read dystopian novels, watch dystopian
movies, and learn the cause and effect method of life. Learn the domino effect. You have to be able to say one single statement
that will lead to another statement, that will lean to yet another statement until you get your grand ending which will be the setting
of your dystopian novel. For example:

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I don't put that piece of trash in the trash can

People start to follow
We stop caring about recycling
We begin using technology more and more
We create more trash
We become lazy beings and stop caring about the world
We suddenly live in a world like WALL-E.
Now that you know everything about your topic, you understand the snowball effect and the dystopian way of life.

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A dystopian society represents the opposite of a utopia, or perfect society.

The characters in your society, except for maybe the antagonists, live a repressed and controlled life.
The authorities may use multiple methods to control its citizens, such as military power, surveillance, and invasive technology.
All that you have to do next is: Create your world (characters, setting, storyline, etc).
Think like Darwin: How will things change and evolve. Not just evolve, but eventually become something unrecognizable. I'm
talking about how things might be hundreds of years from now. Technical, social and biological evolution. Will cars eventually fly or
simply become obsolete? Are humans still evolving?

See how things are now and imagine how they might be in years to come, perhaps even centuries from now.
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For example, people are becoming more security conscious in their homes due to rising crime rates. In some areas people are
scared to leave their homes, especially at nighttime. Will these people lose their social skills, become prisoners in their own
homes? In the future, houses will be built specifically to suit such hermits. Windows could be very small, to reflect growing fears of

the outside world. Everything the person needs will be delivered to the house, via an internal delivery system or a drone. The front
door will never need to be opened. Indeed, the house of tomorrow might not have a front door. You might live and die without ever
going outside..
Read/watch some great dystopian works. WALL-E, as mentioned before, is a movie set in a world so polluted that everyone
moved into pace. Divergent, by Veronica Roth, is a novel based on a society that divided itself into five, unique factions. The
Hunger Games, by Suzanne Collins, is about a contest where kids fight to the death.

List of Dystopian Literature - Dystopian Novels

"A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation, in the Year of Our Lord, 19-" (1835) is a dystopian novel written by the American
author Jerome B. Holgate. By describing dystopian way of life in fictional city of Amalgamation, writer tried to discredit abolitionists
and supporters of interracial marriage between different ethnicities or races (in his case it was Caucasian Americans and African
American slaves).
"The Republic of the Future" (1887) is an 88 page long novella by the American writer Anna Bowman Dodd. Written as a
response to the many other dystopian themed novels of her time, she described a utopian society of futuristic "New York Socialist
City". Although at first, lifestyle in it looked to be better than in the rest of the capitalist world, she soon revealed that its citizens live
life totally controlled by the government.
"Caesar's Column" (1890) by Ignatius L. Donnelly represents one of the first major dystopian novels in the English language.
Often described as "apocalyptic dystopia", its story follows the life of simple man from Uganda who comes to visit the futuristic
metropolis of New York City. There he witnesses its great wealth, but also the pain of the labor class. Eventually, he escapes the
city after the beginning of the open war between workers and aristocrats.
"The Time Machine" (1895) is science fiction novella by H. G. Wells, which follows the life of a time traveler who goes to the year
802,701 A.D. There he witnesses the utopian society of Eloi, a race of human descendant that live their life in peaceful in open
nature. However, he soon found out that Eloi (former aristocrats) were bread to life only to be food for the disfigured cave dwelling
monsters Morlocks (former working class). This book was one of the first in the science fiction "Dying Earth" subgenre.
"When The Sleeper Wakes" (1899) is a dystopian novel written by H. G. Wells. It tells the story of a man who wakes up after the
203-year long sleep. Surrounded by the seemingly utopian environment, he soon found out that the truth is far from that when all
of his horrors and fears manifested.
"The First Men in the Moon" (1901) is science fiction novel by H. G. Wells. It tells the story of two protagonists and their journey
to moon. There they found the underground society called "Selene", and after brief imprisonment, one of the protagonists
managed to return to Earth.
"The Iron Heel" (1908) is a dystopian novel written by American writer Jack London. Its story chronicles the rise of the oligarchic
tyranny in the alternate history United States.
"Lord of the World" (1908) is a dystopian novel written by English writer Robert Hugh Benson. It describes the futuristic world in
which every country in the world has merged into one. Lack of religionand growing acceptance of hopelessness and euthanasia
eventually brought the rise of the anti-Christ movement in its ruling government.
"The Machine Stops" (1909) is an award winning short science fiction story written by the English writer E. M. Forster. It depicts
the world, in which human population has lost the ability to live on the surface on the Earth, and the two protagonists who discuss
the possibility of life beyond their underground environments and automated machines that provide them life.
"Metamorphosis" (1915) is the novella written byinfluential German novelist Franz Kafka. Widely studied by the colleges and
universitiesacross the entire world, this novel describes the life of a traveling salesman who slowly becomes transformed into
monstrous insect-like creature.
"We" (1921) is a dystopian novel by the Russian authorYevgenyZamyatin. Written as a response to the authors experience in
Russian revolutions of 1805 and 1917, this novel tells the tale of the futuristic prison society called "One State". There entire
population of this "urban city made of glass" is constantly monitored by the totalitarian government.
"Brave New World" (1932) is a very popular dystopian science fiction novel by Aldous Huxley. It depicts the life in the futuristic
city of London where advanced human reproduction and new sleep-learning techniques has managed to create dystopian society.
"It Can't Happen Here" (1935) is American political novel by Sinclair Lewis. This semi-satirical story depicts the rise of one
politician, who managed to win the election and create society that is governed by his loyal political militia. Main character realizes
too late what is happening, and starts his struggle against this fascists regime.
"War with the Newts" (1936) is a satirical science fiction story by Czech writer Karel apek. It describes enslavement of the
sentient species of newts by the hands of human race, and their subsequent rebellion and start of the global war.
"Anthem" (1938) by Ayn Rand is a dystopian novel that tells the story of a futuristic world in which human race has entered
another dark age. There, aspects of collectivism, socialistic thinking and economics are eliminated, and surviving population lives
in the environment where concept of individuality is forbidden (use of word "I" is punishable by death).
"Darkness at Noon" (1940) is a novel by the Hungarian-born British novelist Arthur Koestler Arthur Koestler. It describes the life
of the Russian who was outcasted and imprisoned after October Revolutionary, and the authors disillusionment with Communism.

"If This Goes On-" (1940) is a short science fiction story by Robert A. Heinlein, that describes the futuristic state of USA that is
governed by the theocracy. He used aspects of mass communication, applied physiology and hysterical populace to explore their
influences on Christianity.
"Kallocain" (1940) is Swedish dystopian novel by Karin Boye. It tells the story of the futuristic totalitarian state that rules over its
people by the use of hallucinogenic truth drug. Author focused its story on the aspects of totalitarian state, the meaning of life, and
the power of love.
"That Hideous Strength" (1945) is science fiction novel by C.S. Lewis. This third part of "Space Trilogy", describes the adventure
of Dr. Ransom who finds himself in a futuristic dystopian Earth society, filled with superior alien beings and uncontrolled scientific
experiments. Author focused this work on the aspects of ethics and morality.
"Bend Sinister" (1947) is dystopian novel written by Russian writer Vladimir Nabokov. It is set in the fictional European nation
known as "Padukgrad", in which government is discouraging idea of individuality. Main story revolves around the relationship
between civilized Professor Adam Krug and evil government dictator who seeks Krug's support in order to validate the new
regime.
"Ape and Essence" (1948) is a dystopian novel by Aldous Huxley. Similarly as his previous work "Brave New World", this novel
tells the tale of the pessimistic dystopian future, where existence of human race is threatened by constant presence of large-scale
warfare and state of mutually assured destruction.
"Nineteen Eighty-Four" (1949) is a dystopian novel by George Orwell. It tells the story of futuristic society which is in state of
permanent war. Ruled by the oligarchical dictatorship, citizens of that world are kept put under surveillance and mind control. Main
protagonist is member of the ruling party that slowly realizes that he must rebel against his masters.
"Player Piano" (aka Utopia 14) (1952) is a first novel from the American writer Kurt Vonnegut. Set in a futuristic world that is
almost completely mechanized, his dystopian tale describes the influence of automation and capitalism on the life of people in it.
"Fahrenheit 451" (1953) is one of the best-known novels by American writer Ray Bradbury. Set in a dystopian society that tightly
controls the flow of information between its citizens. Main protagonist is a fireman(or often called "bookburner")that is tasked to
destroy all books that are deemed banned by the ruling government.
"One" (aka Escape to Nowhere) (1953) is a dystopian novel by David Karp. It is set in the dystopian totalitarian state that has
managed to shape its citizens to root away any dissension. They did that using the methods of surveillance, re-education, and
brainwashing.
"Bring the Jubilee" (1953) is an alternate history novel by Ward Moore. It tells the story of the alternate mid-20th century United
States, in which Confederate States of America won the Battle of Gettysburg and the entire ""War of Southron Independence"".
Faced with the impending war between the Confederacy and German Union, a main protagonist decides to travel back in time to
witness the Battle of Gettysburg firsthand.
"Love Among the Ruins" (1953) is a short story by Evelyn Waugh. It tells the story of the dystopian state in which main character
works in the state sanctioned euthanasia center that is used not only by terminally ill but also with healthy citizens.
"Lord of the Flies" (1954) is the bestselling novel by Nobel Prize-winning author William Golding. It describes the controversial
events that happened when group of deserted boys start fighting for survival on a distant island. Masterfully explored aspects of
human nature, common good and individual warfare earned this book much attention from the readers across the world.
"The Chrysalids" (1955) is the best-known novel from the English science fiction writer John Wyndham. Story follows the group
of people that survived natural disaster,that few thousand years in the future decimated human population. In their everyday lives,
they are faced with the fear of genetic mutations and dangerous knowledge from the past times (writing is forbidden).
"Facial Justice" (1960) is a dystopian novel by L. P. Hartley. It describes the futuristic post-apocalyptic society that has the goal to
banish privilege, envy and hat. To ensure that, they enabled people who hate the look of their faces a process of easy surgical
alteration to a state of being not too beautiful or too ugly.
"Harrison Bergeron" (1961) is a short story by Kurt Vonnegut that describes the life in the futuristic dystopian version of United
States where all men are truly "equal". Special government agents called "Handicappers" enforce equal intelligence, physical and
athletic looks, and lack of competition.
"A Clockwork Orange" (1962) is a dystopian novella written by the English author Anthony Burgess. Often selected as one of the
best novels of the 20th century, Clockwork Orange tells the tale of the dark dystopian nightmare future filled with violent gangs. It
brilliantly tackles the aspects of good and evil, social pathology, meaning of human freedom and social reform.
"Nova Express" (1964) by William S. Burroughs is satire novel that describes the dystopian world in which police force tries to
exterminate various forms of ever-growing crime. Book focuses greatly on the aspects of control, crime and addiction.
"The Penultimate Truth" (1964) is a science fiction novel from a famous American writer Philip K. Dick that is set in the dark
dystopian world in which most of humanity lives in the underground shelters. Unaware that the World War II has been finished long
time ago, people continue to live in a lie, surrounded with paranoia and political oppression.
"Make Room!Make Room!" (1966) is a science fiction novel by American writer Harry Harrison. It describes dystopian world that
is overrun by the never-ending unchecked growth of society, lack of resources, human wasteand inefficient infrastructure. (In this
novel author postulated that 7 billion people are a start point of dystopian environment, a number that we know will be reached
before the year 2015.)
"Stand on Zanzibar" (1968) by John Brunner is a novel that describes the lives of several protagonists in the dystopian
environment of overcrowded 21st century Earth. Surrounded with over 7 billion people, people of this world must live alongside
many consequences of overpopulation.

"The Jagged Orbit" (1969) is a science fiction novel by John Brunner that describes events in the futuristic dystopian United
States of America. Author's main storyline revolves around interracial tensions, gang crimes, drugs, and violence.
"This Perfect Day" (1970) is the science fiction novel by Ira Levin, which is often compared to the other dystopian hits "Nineteen
Eighty-Four" and "Brave New World". Story describes the dystopian world in which central computer called UniComp reigns over
humanity. Regular injections have made entire population obedient and happy, never knowing of their unfulfilled potential and
freedom.
"The Lathe of Heaven" (1971) by Ursula K. Le Guin is a science fiction dystopian novel that follows the life of a man who can
make his dreams come true. Helped by the psychologistDr. Haber, two of them start the impossible quest of creating the better
society for entire humankind.
"The Sheep Look Up" (1972) is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by John Brunner, which is set in the world almost
destroyed by the pollution gasses. Its storyline follows the adventures of Environmentalist Austin Train who wants to save the
world from the poison that has affected the health and mortality rates of every living being on Earth.
"Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said" (1974) is science fiction novel by American writer Philip K. Dick. Set in the dystopian
totalitarian version of future United States, this award-winning tale follows the life of popular pop singer who overnight loses his
identity overnight.
"The Shockwave Rider" (1975) is a silence fiction novel written buy the English writer John Brunner. It tells the story of a
protagonist who uses his computer hacking skills to escape capturing from the forces of the all-knowing government. Set in a
world that is ruled by information control, multibillion corporations and spying governments, this novel paved the way for the
incoming wave of cyberpunk revolution.
"High-Rise" (1975) is a science fiction novel by JG Ballard that describes the violent events in one luxury high-rise building. After
being provided with all their need, tenants of this building started reversing their social status to the point when they become
violent mob hell-benton destruction of the "enemy floors". This dark tale vividly explored the concepts of primal urges, laws of the
jungle, mob psychology and life in urban environment.
"Alongside Night" (1979) is a dystopian novel writer by the English writer J. Neil Schulman. It describes the possible future in
which economic collapse destroyed the society of the United States, with the focus being set on the exploring the concepts of
freedom, black-market and hope.
"The Running Man" (1982) is a science fiction novel written by the award-winning writer Stephen King. Set in the futuristic
dystopian world full of violence, this gripping story tells the tale of the Ben Richards - contestant in the popular TV show in which
contestants are released in the destroyed outskirts of the walled cities, where they must fight to the death for a chance to win the
prize.
"Neuromancer" (1984) is an award winning cyberpunk novel written by the American writer William Gibson, and is a first part of
Sprawl trilogy, together with Count Zero (1986), and Mona Lisa Overdrive (1988). Celebrated as the starting point of Cyberpunk
subgenre of science fiction, this revolutionary trilogy explored the concepts of artificial intelligences, connection between humans
and machines, information control, shared consciousness, life in the dystopian environments and cyberspace.
"The Handmaid's Tale" (1985) is an award winning dystopian science fiction novel by Margaret Atwood. It tells the story of
futuristic totalitarian monotheocraticstate built on the ashes of the former United States, where women are treated much worse
than in any time of modern history.
"Obernewtyn Chronicles" (1987-2008) is a series of science fiction novels by IsobelleCarmody. Set in the post-apocalyptic
dystopian world, it follows the young psionic female protagonist who is on the run from the ruling religious authority. Novels greatly
explore the themes of prejudice, discrimination, tolerance, responsibility, duty and human and animal rights.
"The Domination" (1988) is an alternate history novel trilogy by S. M. Stirling. They depict the history of the dystopian future filled
with war. Main conflict revolves around Domination of the Draka's intention to conquer entire world (a society that rose in Africa
after the loss of Loyalists in the American Revolution).
"Fatherland" (1992) is an alternative history novel created by English writer Robert Harris. Set in the Europe 20 years after the
Germany's victory in World War 2, this dark imaging of empire of Third Reich tells the tale of the lone investigator who discovers
secret that could change the entire future of this dystopian society.
"The Children of Men" (1992) is the dystopian novel made by the English writer P.D. James. It tells the tale of the near future
England, where the sudden illness caused the creation of almost absolute infertility. In that environment, main protagonist Theo
Faron embarks on a mission to transport the only pregnant woman from to the urban warzone areas of England to scientific facility
that could provide cure and salvation to the humankind.
"The Giver" (1993) is a science fiction novel byAmerican author of children's literature Lois Lowry. His tale, set in a seemingly
utopian future society, describes the life of the protagonist Jonas, who becomes selected to be the only human to receive full
range of human emotions and knowledge of past times.
"Gun, with Occasional Music" (1994) is an American science fiction novel written by Jonathan Lethem. This hardboiled
detective tale describes the adventures of wisecracking private detective in the dystopian world filled with sentient evolved animals
and society that is dependent on mind numbing drugs.
"The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady's Illustrated Primer" (1995) is a post cuberpunk novel written by American author Neal
Stephenson. This dystopian tale follows the life of girl named Nell in a society that is ruled by nanotechnology. Author explored the
themes of education, social class, ethnicity, and the nature of artificial intelligence.

"Battle Royale" (1999) is the acclaimed dystopian novel written by the Japanese author KoushunTakami. It follows the similar
storyline as William Golding's "Lord of the Flies" by following the lives of the group of students, who under guise of "study trip"
became transported on isolated island where they receive ultimatum -only one surviving member of the group can return to the
civilization. This controversial study of senseless youth violence and human nature quickly became of the biggest Japanese
bestsellers of all time.
"Noughts and Crosses" (2001) is a series of novels written by the English author Malorie Blackman. These five novels depict the
life of several protagonists that live in the racist dystopian society, with the focus placed on the themes of racial prejudice,
segregation, slavery and distrust.
"Oryx and Crake" (2003) is the post-apocalyptic science fiction novel written by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood. It
descripts the live of the possibly last surviving human in the dystopian future that was devastated by a deadly virus.
"Manna" (2003) is a science fiction novel by Marshall Brain that is focused on themes of information technology, transhumanism,
robotic revolution and their possible use in creation of both utopias and dystopia.
"The Bar Code Tattoo" (2004) is thescience fiction novel by Suzanne Weyn. This young adult story is focuses on the life of 17year-old girl Kayla Reed who opts out from receiving identity bar-code tattoo that regulates many aspect of life in her society. This
dystopian tale explores the concepts of identity, Individuality, control and freedom.
"Never Let Me Go" (2005) is a dystopian science fiction novel by Kazuo Ishiguro. It follows life of female protagonist called Kathy,
who remembers her youth and times when she was growing up under the influence of dystopian society.
"Uglies" (2005) is a science fiction novel by Scott Westerfeld that explores the themes of youth, independence and emotional and
physical change. Main protagonist of this dystopian tale is young teenager Tally, who refuses to conform to the society rule that
states that everyone must be turned pretty by the process of extreme cosmetic surgery.
"Armageddon's Children" (2006) is a fantasy novel written by the English author Terry Brooks. Set between events of the
Brooks' previous series "Word/Void" trilogy and "Shannara" series, this book describes the events in the post-apocalyptic world
that is ravaged by war.
"Bar Code Rebellion" (2006) is a science fiction novel by Suzanne Weyn, and a sequel to her 2004 book "The Bar Code Tattoo".
The teenage heroKayla continues her fight against the government who enforces the use of mind-altering barcode tattoos on
citizens. As with the first part, this book continues to explore the themes of identity and freedom.
"The Book of Dave" (2006) is a dystopian novel written by English author Will Self. It tells the story of the mentally ill London taxi
driver, whose diary book containing various frustrations toward women, family, and society become the foundation of the dystopian
dogmatic, cruel, and misogynistic religion two centuries after the catastrophic flood that almost destroyed modern England.
"The Hunger Games" (2008) is a science fiction novel written by the American author Suzanne Collins. It tells the tale of the
futuristic dystopian state located on the territory of todays United States, and its popular television program called "The Hunger
Games " in which one boy and one girl fight to the death.
"The Forest of Hands and Teeth" (2009) is the post -apocalyptic dystopian novel written by Carrie Ryan. It describes the life of
few human survivors in a barricaded village that is surrounded by the endless horde of zombies. Author explored the themes of
violence, secrecy and repression.
"Fahrenheit 56K" (2009) is a dystopian play written by Fernando de QuerolAlcaraz. It depicts the life of oppressed citizens that
live under the rule of oligarchical dictatorship. Author masterfully tackled the issues of censorship, freedom of speech, democracy,
faith, religious freedom, dissent and debate.
"The Maze Runner" (2009) is a young young-adult science fiction series by James Dashner. It tells the tale of young protagonist,
who wakes up in the strange maze only remembering his name. Surrounded with other children, he must find the way out from this
dark dystopian environment.
"The Year of the Flood" (2009) is the post-apocalyptic science fiction novel written by the Canadian author Margaret Atwood. As
a sequel to her 2003 novel "Oryx and Crake", it continues to tell the tale of human survivors in the world decimated by a deadly
virus, with the introduction of new themes - xenotransplantation, genetic engineering and exploration of technologies influences on
ourlives.
"Shades of Grey" (2009) is a dystopian novel written by the English author Jasper Fforde. It describes the dystopian world in
which persons social class is determined by his ability to perceive color.
"Catching Fire" (2009) by Suzanne Collins, is a sequel to her 2008 dystopian novel "The Hunger Games". It continues the story
of protagonist KatnissEverdeen and her struggle against the society ruled by the totalitarian dictator. During the course of the
novel, Katniss is forced to return to the fighting arena of the country's most popular TV show.
"The Envy Chronicles" (2010) is a post-apocalyptic series of novels written by Joss Ware. It tells the tale of several time travelers
who ended up in the futuristic Earth, that was decimated by the violent earthquakes, raging storms, towering tsunamis, and other
natural disasters.
"Hollowland" (2010) is a first in a series of young adult dystopian novels by Amanda Hocking. It tells the tale of lonely girl Remy
King, who travels across the land of destroyed United America in constant fight against violent gangs, creatures and zombies.
"Super Sad True Love Story" (2010) is the award winning science fiction dystopian novel written by the American authorGary
Shteyngart. It describes the life in the near future, where society is ruled by the influences of media, retail and mass-market
economy.

"Tobacco-Stained Mountain Goat" (2011) is science fiction novel written by the Australian authorAndrez Bergen. This dystopian
noir tale depicts the life of the protagonist that is surrounded with oppressive corporations, distrust and fascist security police
force.
"Wither" (2011) is a science fiction novel written by the Lauren DeStefano, and a first in the planned trilogy called "The Chemical
Garden". It describes the life in the futuristic dystopian society, which has managed to create the perfect generation of humans.
However, same discovery gave birth to the deadly virus that started killing the kids born by those perfect humans.

Dystopian Elements and Characteristics - Basic Building Blocks of Dystopia

The dystopian stories are often stories about survival, their main theme is oppression and rebellion. The environment plays
important role in dystopian depiction. Dystopian stories take place in the large cities devastated by pollution. In every dystopian
story, there is back story of war, revolutions, overpopulation and other disasters.
Dystopian depiction is imaginary. Dystopian fiction borrows features from reality and discusses them but it doesn't depict
contemporary society in general. Dystopian stories take place in the future but they are about today and sometimes about
yesterday.
All dystopias are keen on strict division of the citizens by intellect, ability and class. In Brave New World, people are divided in
Alphas, Betas, Gammas, Deltas and Epsilons. In Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), there are capitalist and proles, Party and nonParty. In a typical dystopia, there is no social group except the State, or such social groups are under government control.
Independent religions do not exist among social groups, instead of that, there is a personality cult (usually of a head of state)
created by the State, such as Big Brother in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) and The Benefactor of We.
The institution of family has been eradicated in some dystopian societies, as in Brave New World, where children are reproduced
artificially. If the family exists in dystopian stories, it is usually in the service of the State as in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), where
children are thought to spy on their parents.
Dystopian tales emphasis sense of the powerlessness of the individuals in the face of the oppressive and brutal government run
by totalitarian dictatorship, or organized into huge bureaucratic institutions (as in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), the Ministry of
Information). Paranoia is very evident among the citizens of dystopian societies who live in fear and who are being monitored,
betrayed or manipulated. The Thought Police and the Thought crime in Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) are the most
extreme examples of paranoia. Dystopian fiction features technology more advanced than we have today and it is controlled by the
group in power.
The standard of living among the classes is generally lower than in contemporary societies. In Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984), the
upper class of society, The Inner Party, has a standard of living poorer than the upper class in real word. But in Brave New World
and Equilibrium, people have higher standard of living in exchange for loss of independent thought and emotions.
Hero in dystopian literature always questions society although he is usually in high-standing within the social system. He often
sees what's wrong and tries to change the system. He puts his hope in a group of people who aren't under the complete control of
the state, in Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) , they are "proles", in Brave New World, they are people on the reservation and in We,
they are people outside the walls of the One State. His goal is either to escape or destruction of the society's principals, but
usually he fails in his intention to change anything and sometimes they themselves end up changed to conform to the society's
rules.
Dystopia is subgenre of science fiction, because it depicts fictive future societies, and many of them use other elements of science
fiction like time travel, space flight, amazing and advanced technologies, etc.
There is also thematic relationship between dystopian fiction and film noir, such as disturbing contrasts, symbolic shadow and the
action that takes place during night.
What other dystopian novels have caught your eye?
The obvious ones of course: The Hunger Games (Suzanne Collins) and Divergent(Veronica Roth) were fun series to read. But
also The Road (Cormack McCarthy),The Forest of Hands and Teeth (Carrie Ryan) and Never Let Me Go (Kazuo Ishiguro) are
dystopian stories with real atmosphere and darkness.

Typical features of dystopian fiction

A background story of war, revolution, uprising, overpopulation, natural disaster or some other climactic event which resulted in
dramatic changes to society.
A standard of living among the lower and middle class that is generally poorer than in contemporary society. This is not always the
case, however, in Brave New World people enjoy much higher material living standards in exchange for the loss of other qualities
in their lives, such as independent thought and emotional depth.
A protagonist who questions society, often feeling intuitively that something is terribly wrong.
As dystopian literature typically depicts events that take place in the future, it often features technology more advanced than that of

contemporary society. Usually, this advanced technology is controlled exclusively by the group in power, while the oppressed
population is limited to a rather primitive technology.
Dystopian fiction typically extrapolates current trends and developments into the future. It is not enough to show people living in an
unpleasant society. The society must have similarities to today, of the reader's own experience. If the reader can identify the
patterns or trends that would lead to the dystopia, it becomes a more involving and effective experience.
There is usually a group of people who are not under the complete control of the state, and in whom the hero of the novel usually
puts his or her hope, although he or she still fails to change anything. In 1984 by George Orwell they are the "proles" (short for
"proletariat"), in Brave New World by Aldous Huxley they are the people on the reservation, and in Fahrenheit 451 by Ray
Bradbury, they are the "book people" past the river and outside the city.
If destruction is not possible, escape may be, if the dystopia does not control the world. In Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, the
main character succeeds in fleeing and finding people who have dedicated themselves to memorizing books to preserve them.