The 25 Best Dystopian Novels According to Entertainment Weekly 

There is something about dystopian novels that attracts us to them and want to read all of the best dystopian novels ever written. That is why we will be looking at the 25 best dystopian novels according to Entertainment Weekly!

Honestly, when I saw that this list was made by Entertainment Weekly, I was a bit skeptical. They don’t often cover books but they do interview authors and cover what is trending. This seems like something out of the blue but as a fan of books and dystopian novels, I am excited for it.

The list by Entertainment Weekly is pretty good. Whoever created the list did a great job. You can tell that they are a fan of dystopian novels.

here were the obvious picks that you will find on most lists. But they also had some surprises that even I hadn’t heard of. Either they did a great job researching dystopian novels or actually are a big fan of dystopian novels. You can check out the full list below!

The 25 Best Dystopian Novels

• 1984 by George Orwell (1949)
• Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (1999)
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)
• A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)
• The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974)
• The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard (1962)
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)
• Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1952)
• The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)
• The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)
• The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)
• Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)
• The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (1962)
• Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishigiro (2005)
• Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993)
• The Power by Naomi Alderman (2016)
• Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)
• The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)
• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)
• The Stand by Stephen King (1978)
• Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014)
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (1895)
• V for Vendetta by Alan Moore (1982–1989)
• The Wall by ​​John Lanchester (2019)
• We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1924)

1984

A sci-fi novel that has risen to popularity over the year is 1984 by George Orwell. When some ideas in this sci-fi and dystopian novel came true, people’s interest in the novel rose. The novel touches on issues such as mass surveillance, a controlling regime, and disinformation.

When Edward Snowden leaked the NSA’s mass surveillance of the public, the novel was mentioned by many and how it predicted the government spying on the public. That reignited interest in this novel and how the government was spying on its citizens

Ender’s Game

One of the earlier sci-fi novels that I read and loved was Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. It is a classic sci-fi novel that is beloved by millions of reader for a good reason. Many people, including people that have served in the military, have related to this novel.

The novel is about Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, a six-year-old boy, who is sent to training camp to play simulated war games where he faces off against aliens. The plot, writing and questions about morality make this a novel unlike any other.

The Giver

I remember reading The Giver by Lois Lowry in school and it had no impact on me whatsoever. But when I read it years later, I was taken away how incredible this novel was. It is considered one of the best dystopian novels ever written and I can see why.

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.

The Giver is credited as being the novel that focused on young adult readers in the dystopian genre. It was the catalyst and inspiration for the change in direction and led to a surge in popularity that happened in the late 2000s. without this novel, we wouldn’t have gotten some of our beloved series as a result.

The Hunger Games

One of those series was The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Everyone knows what The Hunger Games is and the success of the books and the movies led to many other dystopian novels getting adaptations. Even when they shouldn’t have.

16-year-old Katniss Everdeen volunteers to participate in the the Hunger Games to save her younger sister. The games are alife-and-death situations for teenagers that are for entertainment purposes for the watching audience. But Katness is not going to just sit back and play along. She plans to fight back and hold the people who hold the games accountable.

It is hard to deny the cultural phenomenon that is the Hunger Games. Just last year, Collins wrote another book relating to The Hunger Games and it was very popular. Even over a decade later, this series is still going strong. And that is thanks to the talents of Suzanne Collins.

Lord of the Flies

I read the Lord of the Flies by William Golding and remember being fascinated with this novel. The novel is about a bunch of students getting stranded on an island with no adult supervision. Slowly, the descend into chaos and what occurs will terrify many people.

I enjoyed this book a lot and it may have been one of the first dystopian novels that I read and enjoyed. Golding wrote this novel as a response to popular novels around the time. He believed that the novels portrayed stranded children unrealistically and it made him go write his own novel. And I am glad that he did.

The Handmaid’s Tale

Even if you aren’t an avid book reader, there is a good chance you read The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. It is taught in most schools across the United States as well as having a popular TV show at the moment.

The brilliant dystopian novel tackles heavy themes such as self-automony, rights, religion, and identity. which has made it one of the most censored books in the world. The TV adaptation has also introduced the classic novel to new readers, helping make it relevant once again.

Station Eleven

Emily St. John Mendel’s novel Station Eleven is one of the best dystopian novels ever written in my opinion. It is about a band of actors and musicians who travel around the Great Lake region in a post-apocalyptic word. But the band runs into trouble when they encounter a self-proclaimed ‘Prophet’ who uses violence to get whatever he desires.

If you had to read just one dystopian novel, then I recommend this one. It is a brilliant novel that tells the story of a nomadic group that tries to preserve art in a world that is unforgiving. Few novels are able to tell a beautiful story like Mandel is able to.

Conclusion

Entertainment Weekly did a great job with this list and exposed me to dystopian novels I hadn’t seen before. That is what I look for in lists and E. W. surpassed my expectations.

This is a solid list and I agree with most of it. I would have included a book or two that I liked if I made the list myself. Still, it is a great list to get a beginner to explore dystopian novels. And it is also great for fans of the genre with a ton of books to choose from.

How many of these books have you read or want to read? What books would you have have added to this list? Let us know in the comments below. Until next time, happy reading!

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