Recently, Forbes releases a list of their picks for the best dystopian books of all time. And we will be looking at this list and ranking Forbes 30 best dystopian books of all time and see how good or bad their list is.
The dystopian genre is one of my favorites and I am always looking for new dystopian novels to read. The genre is filled with amazing novels and some have gone on to be classics. We already have a good idea of which dystopian novels will top this Forbes list but I am curious as to the order and any surprise picks.
I would imagine that this list was made with the input of numerous people. As much as I love dystopian novels, outside of the classics, many people aren’t going to seek out many of these titles because of this list. More often than not, they would have read the novel because somebody recommended it.
Forbes 30 Best Dystopian Books of All Time
- Prophet Song by Paul Lynch (2023)
- The Selection by Kiera Cass (2012)
- The Women Could Fly by Megan Giddings (2022)
- Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (2005)
- Followers by Megan Angelo (2020)
- Wool by Hugh Howey (2011)
- American War by Omar El Akkad (2017)
- The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa, translated by Stephen Snyder (1994)
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (1895)
- Speak by Louisa Hall (2015)
- Exit West by Mohsin Hamid (2017)
- The Candy House by Jennifer Egan (2022)
- The Children of Men by P.D. James (1992)
- Chain Gang All-Stars by Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah (2023)
- Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica, translated by Sarah Moses (2017)
- The Circle by Dave Eggers (2013)
- Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell (2004)
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1952)
- Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishigiro (2005)
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick (1968)
- The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin (2015)
- The Power by Naomi Alderman (2016)
- Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
- Severance by Ling Ma (2018)
- The Dog Stars by Peter Heller (2012)
- The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
- The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)
- Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993)
- The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
- 1984 by George Orwell (1949)
1984
It is hard to argue against 1984 by George Orwell as the best dystopian novel ever written. This novel has become the face of the genre and rightfully so. It has the best elements of dystopian novels while also telling a great story.
1984 is a classic dystopian novel by George Orwell that imagines a future where the government watches and controls our every movement.
It is based on the Soviet Union in the era of Stalinism, and Nazi Germany. But when Americans realized that their government was secretly spying on them, this novel soared in popularity.
As digital media has taken over the world, many people have seen their privacy invaded. Orwell’s novel was a grim prediction that has come to become a reality. The trust in governments has been eroded and has led to many people turning to this novel for its accuracy.
The Hunger Games
Whenever you mention dystopian novels, you have to talk about The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Without this novel, the genre wouldn’t have been as popular as it was in the late 2000s. Once upon a time, all you would see in bookstores was dystopian novels.
As the trend came and went, this novel stood the test of time and the series is still going strong today with prequels. Collins is an incredible storyteller and that is ultimately why this series saw the success that it did.
16-year-old Katniss Everdeen can’t stand by and watch her younger sister be chosen for the latest Hunger Games to represent District 12. Instead, she volunteers in her place in the life-and-death games for the sole purpose of entertaining for the aristocrats.
Katniss isn’t the only one from District 12 participating in the games. Peeta Mellark is also selected for the games and in the press conference.
In the games, Katniss has to face other teenagers of Panem in a contained setting. Only one person can win the games but the rules are changed here and there to make things interesting.
As Katniss tries to survive the games, she realizes that she and everyone else are pawns. But she won’t go along with their games without striking back.
The Giver
While The Hunger Games led to the golden age of dystopian novels, it wouldn’t have been possible without The Giver by Lois Lowry. The genre was a lot different than it is now and it was geared for older readers.
Lowry’s novel showcased the potential of dystopian novel with a younger protagonist. And the rest is history. On top of helping reinvent the genre, it is an amazing novel that has a lot to say.
The books follows 12-year-old Jonas who lives in a community that is isolated and everyone is assigned a role. The annual Ceremony of Twelve is going to take place soon and has Jonas worried.
He will be assigned a job for the rest of his career by the elders and is nervous about it. But things take an unexpected turn and changes the course of Jonas’ life and everything he knew about the Community he grew up in.
Without The Giver, dystopian novels would look a lot different and wouldn’t be as popular. Now, teenager and adults are hooked on these books and we wouldn’t want it any other way.
The Fifth Season
A fantasy novel that I recently read and fell in love with was The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin. Novels like these is why I love reading fantasy novels. The world-building and storytelling that Jemisin conjures in this novel is unparalleled.
The novel imagines a world where climate change has made the world barely inhabitable and how dark a future like that will be. In a few years, I do think this novel and series will be up there as a must read. It is beautiful written and incorporates the best elements of the fantasy genre as well as pushing it to new heights.
The Memory Police
I am always searching for the next best sci-fi novel which led me to reading an amazing novel that I really enjoyed. The Memory Police by Yōko Ogawa is a Japanese novel written in 1994 but was translated to English in 2019. And I have to say, we were missing out on an amazing novel.
The story follows the protagonist who lives on an island where memories of items are erased from people’s minds. The Memory Police goes around enforcing them as well as rounding up people whose memories aren’t being erased and anyone hiding these people in their homes.
This novel will remind you of 1984 by George Orwell and has reminded many readers of Franz Kafka. The novel is fantastic and if it was released in English years ago, may have been considered a sci-fi classic. I can assure you this novel will make you read more dystopian novels as well as Japanese novels.
My Thoughts on Forbes Ranking
The list by Forbes is honestly not a bad one. There are some positions on the list that I don’t agree with but I can see why they went with the books that they did. Compared to my list, they left out The Passage by Justin Cronin and that feels like a crime considering how good that novel is.
I was surprised that Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Was left outside the top ten. And then immediately after it is one of my favorite books that I read this year, The Fifth Season by N.K. Jemisin.
I would still have preferred to see it in the top ten but the novel isn’t perfect so I can see what the thought process was for not including it in the top ten.
What stands out to me are some of the newer novels on the list. Prophet Song by Paul Lynch just makes the cut and I don’t know if that is because it is new or that they felt like they had to include it. I have yet to read the novel but the fact that they included it at 30 feels like they felt the need to include it.
Overall, this is a good list and I can’t complain. Nobody is surprised that 1984 came out on top that The Handmaid’s Tale is right behind it. The list doesn’t have any controversial picks but they do rank the classics a bit lower than I would have. The Hunger Games is a great novel but I would never put it above the Giver but that’s just me.
Conclusion
What did you think of the Forbes 30 best dystopian books of all time? Did they get it right or did they leave out some must read dystopian novels? I know I will be reading a bunch of books on this list going forward and seeing if they deserve to be on the list. Until next time, happy reading!
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Uglies began with the line that sky was the colour of cat’s vomit and i dont know why but it always struck with me it was such a shocking opening lol. The concept of the book overall is nice and the book is also good though it does not feature in my personal favorite books because I think i did not like the books after the first one. Everything kind of became all over the place. Though its definitely worth a try
I haven’t read everything on that list, but I disagree anyway. Here’s my current list, though not all may qualify as dystopian.
Nineteen Eighty-Four, by George Orwell
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
Down and Out in Paris and London, by George Orwell
Lord of the Flies, by William Golding: About status anxiety and humans reduced to animalistic social structure of hierarchy and dominance.
The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka
No Exit, by Jean-Paul Sartre
The Giver, by Lois Lowry
The Iron Heel, by Jack London: Note that I grew up in Sonoma County, where Jack London spent some time and his Wolf House burned down, with remnants in what is now Jack London State Historic Park.
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream, by Harlan Ellison: This short story about a[n] horibly sadistic AI named AM really creeped me out.
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley: Brave New World Radio Drama (1956) with Aldous Huxley as Narrator ]
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, by Philip K. Dick: This book was the inspiration for the movie Bladerunner, which I believe is a reference to running on a knife blade – something difficult, and also between two sides. I don’t know if he obtained some illegal information or if Dick lost his mind, and I never finished watching this interesting video about him He Literally Cracked Reality…Then DIED.
The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K. Dick: I haven’t read this one yet, but have read good things about it.
The Traveler, by John Twelve Hawks: This was an entertaining read but I never continued the series (I think I bought this before the subsequent books came out).
Changeling, by Roger Zelazny: I think my sixth- or possibly second-grade teacher read this to the class. I remember it being about an age of magic that returns after people learn to fear technology. Coincidentally, the day after typing this, the video The Most Dangerous Philosophy in History Is Unfolding Right in Front of Us referencing his book Lord of Light popped up on my YouTube feed. It mentions accelerationism, “a range of ideologies that call for the use of processes such as capitalism and technological change in order to create radical social transformations.”
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson: I haven’t finished this lengthy classic.
Planet of the Apes, by Pierre Boulle: This is actually a political novel that I haven’t finished.