The Greatest Dystopian Novels
Dystopias have become a fascinating genre over the last century as disillusioned writers witnessed and reacted against imperialism, two world wars, including the Nazi and Stalin regime and the treacherous Holocaust. These writers played with the darkest sides of humanity, unearthed by war and technology and used satiric irony to present a destructive vision of the future. Dystopian novels are characterized by a lack of individual freedom, heroes that know something is wrong and contain many WTF moments that make you rethink the current status quo and become aware of the constructed nature of our values and standards.This dystopian novel list is nowhere near a complete list of all dystopian books, but on it are some of the greatest dystopian works of literature of all time (though most is from the 20th and 21st centuries). If you're a fan of H.G. Wells or George Orwell but are looking for more recent content, the best dystopian books list is the place to be.
If you want dystopia without the reading, check out the greatest dystopian and near-future movies or get some synopses on the 13 best dystopian novels.
- 1George Orwell
- First Published: 1949-06-08
- Subjects: Brainwashing, Literature, Classics, English Language, English Literature
- Genres (Book): Utopian and dystopian fiction, Social science fiction, Political fiction
- Original Language: English Language
Nineteen Eighty-Four, sometimes published as 1984, is a dystopian novel by English author George Orwell published in 1949. The novel is set in Airstrip One, a province of the superstate Oceania in a ...more - 2Ray Bradbury
- First Published: 1953
- Subjects: Bibliophilia, American science fiction, Literature, Book burning, Classics
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Utopian and dystopian fiction, Children's literature, Dystopia, Fiction
- Original Language: English Language
Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel by Ray Bradbury published in 1953. It is regarded as one of his best works. The novel presents a future American society where books are outlawed and "firemen" ...more - 3George Orwell
- First Published: 1945-08-17
- Subjects: Monarch, Literary, Literature, Classics, Drama
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Roman à clef, Satire, Children's literature, Fiction
- Original Language: English Language
Animal Farm is an allegorical and dystopian novella by George Orwell, first published in England on 17 August 1945. According to Orwell, the book reflects events leading up to the Russian Revolution ...more - 4Aldous Huxley
- Subjects: Literary, Technology, Brainwashing, Literature, Classics
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Utopian and dystopian fiction, Children's literature, Dystopia, Fiction
- Original Language: English Language
Brave New World is a novel written in 1931 by Aldous Huxley and published in 1932. Set in London of AD 2540, the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, ...more - 5William Golding
- First Published: 1954
- Subjects: Monarch, Ethics, Literature, Young adult, Classics
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Allegory, Fiction, Young adult literature, Novel
- Original Language: English Language
Lord of the Flies is a 1954 dystopian novel by Nobel Prize-winning English author William Golding about a group of British boys stuck on an uninhabited island who try to govern themselves with ...more - 6Anthony Burgess
- First Published: 1962
- Subjects: Brainwashing, Classics
- Genres (Book): Speculative fiction, Utopian and dystopian fiction, Satire, Dystopia, Fiction
- Original Language: English Language
A Clockwork Orange is a dystopian novella by Anthony Burgess published in 1962. Set in a near future English society that has a subculture of extreme youth violence, the novella has a teenage ...more
