45 Dystopian Books That Will Change Your Worldview (original) (raw)
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See reality reflected in dystopian books
Dystopian books are once again having a moment, and we’re here for every new read and back-in-vogue classic. Startlingly realistic for science fiction novels, dystopian fiction challenges readers to imagine a future in which society struggles against things like political oppression, loss of individuality and controlling technology. The classics will sweep you up in what could happen after a world-changing event (like a pandemic or a nuclear war), while a new subgenre of eco-dystopian stories takes place in the aftermath of an ecological catastrophe.
Because it usually begins with a kernel of the real world, dystopian fiction is often a harsh commentary on modern life and a warning about what our lives could become if we’re not careful. In fact, several forward-thinking authors have written books that predicted the future. It’s hard to read some of these stories without nodding your head at the moments and messages that could apply to your life.
To offer something for everyone, we selected the top dystopian books from a variety of subgenres. Curated with the help of librarians and other book experts, our roundup includes everything from classic novels to modern masterpieces—some of the best books of all time, all with a dystopian twist. And if you’ve been a fan for a while, you’ll find some new picks for your reading pile.
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The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
For fans of: When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
Hailed by the New York Times as “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction,” Margaret Atwood crafted a novel that feels as relevant today as it did when it was published in 1985. The Handmaid’s Tale takes place in a near-future New England ruled by a regime that treats women as property of the state. The main character, Offred, is among the handmaids forced to produce children for the ruling class of men. This classic feminist novel has been adapted into a film, an opera and a Hulu TV series. In 2019, Atwood released the highly anticipated sequel, The Testaments, another must-read dystopian work.
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1984 by George Orwell
For fans of: This Perfect Day by Ira Levin
While four decades have passed since the title year, this book’s themes of surveillance and censorship are still relevant today. (Ironically, it’s the book’s critique of those themes that has led to its inclusion in book bans.) As a 2019 story in the Atlantic put it: “No novel of the past century has had more influence than George Orwell’s 1984.” Need proof? Consider the idea of Big Brother, the personified ruling party in the novel and an apt descriptor for surveilling governments and tech companies. The 1949 work of dystopian fiction has been adapted into a radio program, films and television and theatrical productions; it’s a classic book everyone should read at least once.
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The Stand by Stephen King
For fans of: Outbreak by Robin Cook
One of the most relatable dystopian books for modern readers, this 1978 bestseller from horror master Stephen King is set in a world forever altered by a pandemic. A strain of super-flu will kill most people in the world within a few weeks, and the few who are left will need a leader. Who will it be: a peaceful old woman or a violent man who loves chaos? The stakes are high in The Stand: Whoever wins the survivors’ support determines the fate of the world.
Looking for your next great book? Read four of today’s most compelling novels in the time it takes to read one with Fiction Favorites. And be sure to join the community!
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Never Let Me G o by Kazuo Ishiguro
For fans of: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature, this 2005 story takes readers to a boarding school in England, where Kathy and her friends are raised without knowledge of the outside world. It’s an idyllic life, but when Kathy grows into a young adult, her time at the school takes on new meaning. Part literary exploration of what it means to be human, part engrossing mystery, Never Let Me Go proves Kazuo Ishiguro is a master of his craft. (A 2010 film adaptation stars Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley and Andrew Garfield.)
“Never Let Me Go is a staple read for the dystopian genre,” says Kerri Wallace, a librarian with the Hoboken Public Library. “[It’s] not only a great book but [also] a wonderful audiobook for a road trip and one of my favorite picks for a book club—[though] you may need more than an hour for discussion.”
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Chain-Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
For fans of: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut
If you like a side of political commentary with your fiction, Chain-Gang All-Stars is the perfect book for you. Two female gladiators must fight for their freedom in a dystopian future where the prison complex has turned into brutal reality television entertainment for the masses. This 2023 novel was a Read with Jenna pick and a National Book Award finalist.
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Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
For fans of: The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
Twenty years after a pandemic changed the world forever, Kirsten Raymonde and a group of actors and musicians try to keep the arts alive. But a prophet threatens their existence. This 2014 dystopian novel, a National Book Award finalist and now a Max TV series, contains flashbacks, flash-forwards and a big twist. But don’t expect an action-packed apocalyptic novel; Station Eleven is a thoughtful, lyrical exploration of life in the aftermath of tragedy. It also contains one of the best book quotes: “First we only want to be seen, but once we’re seen, that’s not enough anymore. After that, we want to be remembered.”
“A great novel that came out well before the [COVID-19] pandemic, Station Eleven touches upon a flu that almost ends civilization,” says Wallace. “You’ll be happy in the end that our pandemic didn’t turn out as dreadful as the one in Station Eleven.”
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Snowglobe by Soyoung Park
For fans of: Snowpiercer by Jacques Lob
Published for the first time in English (from its original Korean) in 2024 to wide acclaim, Snowglobe “is a propulsive and original addition to the YA dystopian genre,” says Christine Bollow, co-owner of Washington, D.C.’s Loyalty Bookstores. In a future world where climate change has created a new Ice Age, only a lucky few get to live in the temperature-controlled city of Snowglobe, while the rest of the population works in the brutal cold to produce energy.
“In a world of freezing temperatures and extreme disparities between the haves and have-nots, there are twists and turns aplenty,” says Bollow. “With a dynamic protagonist, Snowglobe is an exciting mix of The Hunger Games and The Truman Show and is sure to appeal to any fans of YA dystopian thrillers.”
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Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
For fans of: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler
Told through the journal of a young African American girl who can feel the pain of the people around her, this 1993 novel explores themes of climate change, financial inequality and corporate greed. “In the ongoing contest over which dystopian classic is most applicable to our time, Octavia Butler’s Parable books may be unmatched,” writes the New Yorker. A powerhouse of the genre, Butler is basically required reading for sci-fi fans. If you loved her novel Kindred, you’ll gobble up this one too.
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Hum by Helen Phillips
For fans of: The Need by Helen Phillips
In Helen Phillips’s propulsive Hum, a 2024 work of speculative fiction, a woman loses her job to an AI-driven robot (known as “hums” in this dystopian setting). In her desperation, she must fight for her family’s survival in an increasingly terrifying landscape. Publisher’s Weekly called the novel a “chilling vision of a near future,” and Kirkus Reviews, which awarded the book a rare star, said Philips wrote “with precision, insight, sensitivity, and compassion” about the bonds of love in a fast-changing world.
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Feed by M.T. Anderson
For fans of: Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
In M.T. Anderson’s grim future, humans are glued to the feed, and easier-to-access version of today’s internet that, though futuristic, is pretty darn close to reality. Though Feed is highly entertaining, it’s also a satirization of our plugged-in culture and consumerism. (If you’ve ever been bombarded by ads across the internet, you’ll relate to the over-the-top advertising methods used by this futuristic society.)
“File this one under ‘dystopian novels that may end up predicting the future’ and ‘laugh-out-loud funny books you should have read by now,’” says Tracey Neithercott, _Reader’s Digest_‘s Books Editor. “It’s been years since I first picked up this book, and while I can still remember the engrossing plot and thoughtful (if a bit alarming) view of the future, it’s the brilliant first line that has most stuck with me: ‘We went to the moon to have fun, but the moon turned out to completely suck.’ If that made you laugh, you’ll get a kick out of this YA novel.”
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M aximillian Fly by Angie Sage
For fans of: The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker
Named one of the New York Public Library’s best books of 2019, Maximillian Fly takes place in a universe in which some people, like Maximillian, grow up to be isolated, insect-like creatures. When two kids need his help, he discovers there are advantages to making friends. One of a growing number of dystopian books for children ages 8 to 12, “it’s full of fun, adventure, humor, irony, friendship, loyalty and nonstop action,” says School Library Journal.
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Flowers for the Sea by Zin E. Rocklyn
For fans of: Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
In this novella from 2021, refugees from a flooded kingdom gather in an ark. A short but powerful book, Zin E. Rocklyn’s Flowers for the Sea follows a pregnant refugee whose child might be more than human. Winner of many awards, including the Shirley Jackson Award, this is a must-read for dystopian fans.
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Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
For fans of: Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Willy Wonka meets The Matrix_—that’s how USA Today described Ready Player One, and it’s an appropriate comparison: Set in 2045 in OASIS, a vast virtual world like the metaverse, the story launches into action when OASIS’s eccentric creator promises a fortune to the first player to solve a series of puzzles in the online universe. Wade Watts, our everyman hero, fights to crack the clues (and avoid rivals) in what is generally considered one of the greatest dystopian books ever written._ Published in 2011, this YA novel was adapted into a 2018 movie directed by Steven Spielberg. No surprise, the book is much better.
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Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
For fans of: Anthem by Ayn Rand
This legendary title from 1953—one of the most well-known dystopian books and most borrowed books from the New York Public Library—follows a fireman’s journey from burning books to looking for a solution in them. It’s set in a futuristic American city in which people don’t think for themselves or communicate with one another in any meaningful way. With book banning on the rise in recent years and teens forced to create banned book clubs just to read off-limits titles, Fahrenheit 451 is a prescient tale of censorship and a warning for the future.
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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
For fans of: Divergent by Veronica Roth
This 2008 YA blockbuster—the first in an ongoing series—took the world by storm, reigniting readers’ hunger for the genre and giving rise to a dystopian craze. The Hunger Games was to the early 2000s dystopian YA scene what Harry Potter was to middle-grade fantasy in the late ’90s. (Harry Potter, however, is firmly fantasy.) It quickly became one of the most popular dystopian novels ever written, leading to loads of merch and four movies. The book focuses on a corrupt government that forces children to battle to the death in televised contests. Sixteen-year-old Katniss volunteers to compete in place of her younger sister and, in doing so, kicks off a revolution that hinges on basic human rights.
Though the original trilogy wrapped in 2010, author Suzanne Collins released a prequel story in 2020 and plans to publish another prequel, Sunrise on the Reaping, in 2025.
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World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks
For fans of: The Girl with All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
In this 2006 New York Times bestseller, an agent collects stories from people from all walks of life who lived through a Zombie plague that nearly destroyed the world. World War Z is a page-turner for those who enjoy horror fiction with realism at its core. The Dallas Morning News describes it as “probably the most topical and literate scare since Orson Welles’s War of the Worlds radio broadcast.” When you finish the book, catch the 2013 action/horror film of the same name.
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Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
For fans of: What Feasts at Night by T. Kingfisher
Hollow Kingdom, published in 2024, is nothing you’d expect but everything you need in an apocalyptic tale. “Imagine The Art of Racing in the Rain crossed with The Walking Dead, with a zombie apocalypse of sorts but told from the perspective of a domesticated crow named ST,” says Loyalty Bookstores’s Bollow. “This book is clever, original and hilarious yet surprisingly emotional. ST is one of the most memorable narrators I’ve ever read, and this is hands-down one of my favorite books!”
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Gather the Daughters by Jennie Melamed
For fans of: The Children of Men by P.D. James
Told from the viewpoints of four girls who live on an isolated island with no modern conveniences, this 2017 book may remind you of The Handmaid’s Tale. When the girls reach puberty, they’re required to marry and have children. Gather the Daughters, which was nominated for the 2018 Arthur C. Clarke Award, contains a twist that makes it even more haunting than other dystopian books.
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The Road by Cormac McCarthy
For fans of: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller
This Pulitzer Prize winner about a father and son walking through the ash-covered United States to survive a postapocalyptic world will give you all the feels. The spare prose adds urgency, and readers will keep flipping to find out whether the unnamed man and boy make it out OK. Though the world of The Road is harsh and the book itself a tearjerker, Cormac McCarthy intricately crafts his emotional tale with enough heart and hope to make it a must-read. Pick this 2006 novel for your next book club—it will undoubtedly spark conversation.
“A gut punch of a novel, The Road isn’t an easy read. It’s disturbing and emotionally challenging—this postapocalyptic world isn’t one any of us would want to inhabit,” says Neithercott. “But shining through the dark is the relationship between the unnamed man and his son, and it’s this love amid horrors that makes the book so moving and memorable.”
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Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
For fans of: We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
One of the oldest books on this list (it was published in 1932), Brave New World still feels relevant today. Set in a world in which citizens are engineered into an order based on their intelligence, it warns of the dangers of technology. The Wall Street Journal hailed it as “one of the most prophetic dystopian works of the 20th century.” It often makes an appearance on high school reading lists, but that doesn’t mean it’s been universally beloved since its publication—like many dystopian books, this one has been a victim of book banning as well.
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The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin
For fans of: The Dying Earth by Jack Vance
A powerful start to the Broken Earth science-fiction fantasy series, N.K. Jemisin’s 2015 The Fifth Season takes place in a world in which some people can control earthquakes and other geological features—for good and for evil. Masterfully plotted and featuring themes of loss, power and hope in dark times, the award-winning story begins at the end of the world and doesn’t release its grip on readers for a moment.
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The Giver by Lois Lowry
For fans of: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Published in 1993, “The Giver is the OG of dystopia for grades three to seven, offering a first go at ideological critique, right at the time when they might first be questioning their identity and interests outside of familial expectations,” says Liv Hanson, youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library. Telling the story of a 12-year-old who lives in a futuristic society and learns the truth of his utopia, the book challenges readers to think about pain, suffering and individuality in new ways. “It’s choice- and identity-affirming without skirting the risks we face when we depart from expectations,” Hanson says.
Winner of the Newbery Medal, The Giver is a classic work of children’s fiction and a must-read for kids and parents alike. And good news: The Kindle book is free to read with Amazon Kids+.
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Dry by Neal Shusterman and Jarrod Shusterman
For fans of: Lord of the Flies by William Golding
In the 2018 YA novel Dry, a water shortage hits California. A group of teens tries to survive as people quickly turn on one another, becoming violent dehydrated zombies. Then forest fires start. “This is one of the scariest books I’ve ever read because it could really happen in the near future,” says Amy Duffy, a youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library.
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Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
For fans of: Matched by Ally Condie
In this 2011 YA dystopian novel, teens undergo plastic surgery when they turn 16. But what happens when some of them don’t want the surgery? Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies was a smash hit during the mid-2000s dystopian craze, and for good reason: It speaks directly to society’s obsession with beauty. If you’ve never heard of this one, now is your chance to read it before it becomes a movie—Netflix is set to release a feature film adaptation in September 2024.
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The Marrow Thieves by Cherie Dimaline
For fans of: Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice
Set in a futuristic Canada where acid rain constantly falls from the sky, Cherie Dimaline’s 2017 novel, The Marrow Thieves, asks what happens to Indigenous people in the face of a climate disaster. In this new and unsettling world, only Indigenous citizens can dream, and it’s a gift the rest of society is hungry to steal. The key lies in their bone marrow, which Recruiters want to steal, forcing the Indigenous people into hiding and a fight for survival.
“It’s rare to find sci-fi or dystopian books featuring Indigenous characters, and this book really sticks with you for a long time,” says the Chicago Public Library’s Duffy. This YA novel was the winner of the 2017 Kirkus Prize, among other literary awards.
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Autonomous by Annalee Newitz
For fans of: Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
Written by the founder of go-to sci-fi website io9, this 2017 novel is an insightful and engaging look at hot-button issues, including artificial intelligence and the construction and perception of gender. Set in 2144, Autonomous follows the exploits of an anti-patent scientist and futuristic Robin Hood who delivers cheap drugs to the poor but finds herself in hot water when her latest delivery leads to major problems. On the case are a military agent and his robot partner, who, against all odds, find themselves falling in love.
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Scythe by Neal Shusterman
For fans of: The Lottery by Shirley Jackson
Scythe sounds, at first, quite utopian: Humanity has done away with hunger, disease, war and even death. Of course, without death, the population would boom. But there are scythes for that. In this Printz Honor book from 2016, two teen scythe apprentices must learn how to kill people to keep the population under control. Through this compulsively readable YA novel, Neal Shusterman asks what price we’d pay for the ideal world.
“Elegant and elegiac, brooding but imbued with gallows humor, Shusterman’s dark tale thrusts realistic, likable teens into a surreal situation and raises deep philosophic questions,” writes Kirkus Reviews. Fans of the novel will be pleased to know that Universal is adapting the book for film.
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The Power by Naomi Alderman
For fans of: The Change by Kirsten Miller
In the #MeToo era, Naomi Alderman’s The Power is a thought-provoking and often uncomfortable look at what our world might be like if the power dynamic suddenly flipped. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale, the novel kicks into action as young women develop superpowers and change gender dynamics the world over. Now, it’s boys and men who fear walking home alone at night. Alderman, the recipient of the 2017 Baileys Women’s Prize for Fiction, tackles the corruptive nature of power in this must-read book for women.
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Sleep Donation by Karen Russell
For fans of: The Dreamers by Karen Thompson Walker
A pandemic of insomnia sweeps the nation, and a few women come up with a black-market solution in Sleep Donation, Karen Russell’s 2014 novella, which was named one of _Buzzfeed_‘s best books the year it came out. Here’s how it works: Healthy sleepers donate their slumber to insomniacs incapable of naturally catching z’s. But this is a dystopian novel, so the leading sleep-donation organization may not be as benign as protagonist Trish first assumed.
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Legend by Marie Lu
For fans of: The Maze Runner by James Dashner
Set in Los Angeles and featuring a diverse cast of characters, high tension and political intrigue, Marie Lu’s 2011 dystopian YA thriller, Legend, will keep readers glued to the page. A criminal and a military prodigy uncover how far their country will go to keep its secrets in a gripping start to one of the most beloved teen book series of all time. Readers will be on the edge of their seats as protagonists June and Day engage in a cat-and-mouse game and, against all odds, fall into an unexpected romance.
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The Electric Kingdom by David Arnold
For fans of: The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
If The Walking Dead and The Phantom Tollbooth had a baby, it would be The Electric Kingdom, according to one Goodreads reviewer. A catastrophic “fly flu” sweeps the Earth, leaving few survivors. Set in postapocalyptic New England, this _New York Times–_bestselling YA novel from 2021 takes readers on a journey through the woods as Nico and other survivors search for a mythical haven.
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A Wish in the Dark by Christina Soontornvat
For fans of: Les Misérables by Victor Hugo
Inspired by Les Misérables, this 2021 dystopian novel for kids ages 8 to 12 follows two young people from different social classes on a search for truth and justice. “The sweeping Thai-inspired setting is unique thus far in the genre, and the message is empowering: Be the light you wish to see,” says the Chicago Public Library’s Hanson. A 2021 Newbery Honor book, A Wish in the Dark is just one of the many children’s books featuring diverse characters that your kids will want on their shelves.
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A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
For fans of: Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
This 1962 dystopian satire, which literary legend Roald Dahl called “a terrifying and marvelous book,” follows a teen boy who leads a gang of criminals. A Clockwork Orange is set in a society in which violence is raging—and yes, it is indeed a violent read, but with purpose. Peppered with clever made-up slang, the novel explores the concepts of good and evil and of free will. The novel was made into a 1971 film, a classic you should watch (or rewatch) when you’re done with the book.
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Blindness by José Saramago
For fans of: The Plague by Albert Camus
In this 1997 book by Nobel Prize–winning author José Saramago, characters suddenly go blind when a contagious disease sweeps a city. The afflicted are quarantined in a hospital, but the conditions deteriorate fast. In Blindness, Saramago presents a realistic and frightening tale of human depravity and human triumph.
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The Resisters by Gish Jen
For fans of: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
If _1984_‘s Big Brother chilled you to the bone, The Resisters‘ Aunt Nettie will get you fretting about the future all over again. Gish Jen’s 2020 book is set in AutoAmerica, a country with a large AI-based surveillance presence. Gwen, the novel’s lower-class protagonist, is an exceptional baseball pitcher and has been recruited to play in the Olympics, a gig that could elevate her to an elite social class. The opportunity leads to ethical deliberations—and even readers will question whether an easy life is worth more than resistance to a totalitarian government based on inequality.
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Steelheart by Brandon Sanderson
For fans of: Renegades by Marissa Meyer
One part superhero story, one part postapocalyptic adventure, Steelheart is a 2013 dystopian YA novel by bestselling fantasy book author Brandon Sanderson. The first entry in Sanderson’s The Reckoners series, the novel is set in a futuristic version of Chicago in which a powerful superhero has declared himself ruler. David Charleston is hell-bent on joining a rebel group to take down the man who killed his father.
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The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
For fans of: Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Critically acclaimed and bestselling (more than 4 million copies have been sold to date!), The City of Ember focuses on two friends who have to decode an ancient message to save a city that’s the last refuge for humankind. Adapted into a film in 2008, five years after its publication, the novel is a sure bet for kids ages 8 to 12. Bonus: It’s the first of four volumes in a series of dystopian books, which means there’s plenty of great reading ahead.
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Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
For fans of: The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay
Hailed by the Washington Post as “a work of high literary merit that deserves a place among the classics of dystopian literature,” this 2020 thriller book explores how bonds are made (and reshaped) during troubling times. In Leave the World Behind, two families are forced together during a sudden blackout. They can trust one another … right? This page-turner tackles themes of race and class while keeping readers engaged and unnerved.
“I’m not generally one to enjoy dystopian books, but one that I always return to is Leave the World Behind,” says Julianne Buonocore, president of the Literary Lifestyle, a virtual reading community for women. “Living in such a digitally connected world as we do today makes it especially unsettling to think about this narrative happening in reality.”
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Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
For fans of: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
Push aside your dinner. You’re not going to want to read this one over a meal, but you are going to want to read it. Agustina Bazterrica’s horrifying Tender Is the Flesh wonders what humans might eat if a virus made animal meat inedible. And let’s just say, they don’t go vegan. This gripping 2017 novel takes society to task for its ability to dehumanize in the name of committing atrocities with clean consciences. It’s a dark, difficult but thought-provoking tale readers will, well, gobble up.
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We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
For fans of: The End of Eternity by Isaac Asimov
Groundbreaking when it was published in 1924, this classic novel by Russian author Yevgeny Zamyatin paved the way for the dystopian genre. Set in a city of glass 1,000 years in the future, We tells the story of a totalitarian society devoid of passion and individuality that’s turned on its head when one man discovers he has an individual soul. If you read any of the other dystopian novels on this list, you’ll no doubt see reflections of Zamyatin’s visionary work. That it remains relevant nearly a century after it was published is a testament to his prescience.
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The Book of M by Peng Shepherd
For fans of: The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton
The premise of 2018’s The Book of M will instantly hook you: At an outdoor market in India, a man’s shadow disappears. It happens to another person, and another, spreading like wildfire. But shadows aren’t the only things to have gone missing; memories have disappeared too. Amid the confusion, husband-and-wife duo Ory and Max have escaped with their memories intact—until Max loses her shadow. Author Peng Shepherd, whose novel, The Cartographers, was named one of our favorite fiction books of 2022, has created an imaginative story that tackles love, loss, survival and the hope we all carry with us.
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Divergent by Veronica Roth
For fans of: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
A blockbuster first novel when it was released in 2011, Veronica Roth’s Divergent hit bestseller lists nationwide and led to a series of movies. The action happens in a dystopian Chicago, in which society is divided into five factions. All 16-year-olds must choose a faction, which will define their futures. As Tris Prior trains with her fearless Dauntless initiates, she’ll have to prove herself brave—and hold tight to a secret that threatens her life.
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Shatter Me by Tahereh Mafi
For fans of: Delirium by Lauren Oliver
The first in a six-book YA series, Shatter Me will grip you from page one: 17-year-old Juliette can kill people with a simple touch. At the story’s open, she’s in jail to keep everyone safe, but leaders of the dystopian world think she may be their secret weapon. The flowery prose and frequent metaphors, along with stylistic choices that underscore Juliette’s fractured mind, may turn off some readers. But on the whole, teens go wild for this action-packed, romantic read. If that’s your jam, you’re in luck: Author Tahereh Mafi is coming out with a spinoff series, starting with the April 2025 novel Watch Me.
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Little Monarchs by Jonathan Case
For fans of: Amulet series by Kazu Kibuishi
In this new dystopian graphic novel for kids, Elvie and her biologist caretaker, Flora, find a way to better survive in a harsh world where sunlight has become lethal. Flora makes a potion from the scales of monarch butterfly wings. Can they create enough for everyone?
“For a postapocalyptic survival struggle, Little Monarchs is nothing short of a romp, vibrant with a sense of exploration, adventure and discovery,” raves Booklist.
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T he Wild Huntsboys by Martin Stewart
For fans of: The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper
Love fairy tales? Wish they were a bit more dystopian? Meet The Wild Huntsboys, your new favorite novel. (And yes, this book is aimed at kids ages 8 to 12, but there’s no rule against adults enjoying middle-grade fiction alongside their kiddos.) In Martin Stewart’s action-packed story, three boys caught up in their country’s war accidentally anger the fairies. Now they need to find a solution to all kinds of problems. It’s a thrilling, adventurous tale kids will love, according to Betsy Bird, collections development manager at the Evanston Public Library in Illinois.
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About the experts
- Christine Bollow is the co-owner and director of programs for Loyalty Bookstores in Washington, D.C., and Silver Spring, Maryland. A 2022 Publishers Weekly Star Watch honoree, she currently serves on the DEI Committee for the American Booksellers Association and is a fiction juror for the 2024 Kirkus Prize. She is passionate about championing books by marginalized authors, both at Loyalty Bookstores and on her Instagram account, @readingismagical.
- Kerri Wallace is a librarian with over 20 years of experience. She works at the Hoboken Public Library, which made history in 2023 when it became the first book sanctuary in both the city and in the state of New Jersey.
- Julianne Buonocore is president of the Literary Lifestyle, a virtual reading community for women. She’s been featured by the Today show’s Read with Jenna Book Club and several other media outlets. Her essay about books on the TV show Gilmore Girls was published in the book But I’m a Gilmore!
- Liv Hanson is a youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library.
- Amy Duffy is a youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library.
- Betsy Bird is the collections development manager at the Evanston Public Library in Illinois.
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At Reader’s Digest, we’ve been sharing our favorite books for over 100 years. We’ve worked with bestselling authors including Susan Orlean, Janet Evanovich and Alex Haley, whose Pulitzer Prize–winning Roots grew out of a project funded by and originally published in the magazine. Through Fiction Favorites (formerly Select Editions and Condensed Books), Reader’s Digest has been publishing anthologies of abridged novels for decades. We’ve worked with some of the biggest names in fiction, including James Patterson, Ruth Ware, Kristin Hannah and more. The Reader’s Digest Book Club, helmed by Books Editor Tracey Neithercott, introduces readers to even more of today’s best fiction by upcoming, bestselling and award-winning authors. To ensure that all information is accurate and offers the best possible advice to readers, we verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.
Sources:
- Christine Bollow, co-owner and director of programs for Loyalty Bookstores, fiction juror for the 2024 Kirkus Prize and a champion of books on the Instagram account @readingismagical; interview, June 2024
- Kerri Wallace, librarian with the Hoboken Public Library; interview, May 2024
- Julianne Buonocore, president of the Literary Lifestyle; interview, May 2024
- Liv Hanson, youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library; interview, January 2023
- Amy Duffy, youth content curator at the Chicago Public Library; interview, January 2023
- Betsy Bird, collections development manager at the Evanston Public Library; interview, January 2023