Dystopian books are some of the best books out there in my opinion. Seeing society on the verge of collapse or a government restricting its citizens makes for some great reading material. That is why we decided to list the ten best dystopian books of all time.
The genre took a leap forward with The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. That has led to lots of modern takes and I am all for it. That does also lead to some bad ones but you have to take the good with the bad. Many dystopian novels are inspired by real fears by the authors. You can check out the list below!
The Ten Best Dystopian Books of All Time
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
- Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
- Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick
- Lord of the Flies by William Golding
- The Passage by Justin Cronin
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
Classics and a Fear of What May Happen
You can’t take about dystopian books and not mention The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is the quintessential dystopian book and it imagines a worse-case scenario of the government being in control of a woman’s body. The novel connected with millions of readers and has led it to being one of the most censored books of all time.
Another classic dystopian book that shaped the genre is The Giver by Lois Lowry. Without this book, there would be no The Hunger Games. Dystopian novels weren’t aimed at Young Adults but Lois Lowry changed that and now it that is the norm. It takes only one book to change the direction of a genre and this is the perfect example.
Other dystopian books that need mentioning is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? By Philip K. Dick. They were inspired by real life fears by the authors and part of 1984 did end up becoming true. Hopefully, the other books don’t also accurately predict the future because there won’t be many people left.
Conclusion
Choosing ten dystopian books seems wrong because it doesn’t show the journey of the genre over the years. But most of these are the books that shaped the genre. Some of them like Station Eleven and The Passage are more modern and while they aren’t considered classics or are as read as the other books, they exemplify the best of what dystopian books have to offer.
What do you think of the ten best dystopian books of all time list? What books should have been on the list? Let us know in the comments below!
I don’t see a list of 10….
I’m just happy “The Road” is not on here.
It’s not even good. The Parable of the Sower and The Stand are both much darker and engaging.
Hmm I just noticed. I’ll fix it soon. Weird, that hasn’t happened before
You should consider a recent book by Terry Birdgenaw. Reviewers say the third book in The Antunite Chronicles is destined to be a classic. Antunites Unite is reminiscent of 1984 and Brave New World, but is out of this world!
1984, the only one I like.
I absolutely didn’t expect fifth season to get pick up as dystopian (it definitely is). Love love love that series.
I will admit that is one series that I keep wanting to read but keep forgetting it when I am choosing my next book. I have too many books to read atm but I will read it soon because of your comment!
I enjoyed the “world made by hand” series from Kuntsler
Never Let Me Go – Kazuo Ishiguro
Klara and the Sun – Kazuo Ishiguro
The Imperial Radch Trilogy – Anne Leckie
The Dispossessed – Ursula LeGuin (though it’s debatable that it’s a dystopia rather than two competing utopias).
And, some would say, Ender’s Game and many of the sequels (Xenocide, for sure) – Orson Scott Card
where is Kafka
Lord of the Flies is not dystopia, as it examines the possible reality behind our existing social structure.
Paolo Bacigalupi offers 2 excellent and pertinent dystopia futures with The Windup Girl and The Waterknife
I found Marlene Haushofer’s „The Wall‘ absolutely electrifying and cannot understand that this book was not in your list. Shame on you