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DEFINITION:

Utopia and dystopia are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to readers. Dystopian fiction (sometimes combined with but distinct from apocalyptic literature) offers the opposite: the portrayal of a setting that completely disagrees with the author's ethos. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take, depending on its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other speculative-fiction genres, and arguably are by definition a type of speculative fiction.

Dystopia by Thorne, R
Call Number: 809.933 GOL
Publication Date: 2015
We have an obsession with broken societies set in futuristic worlds, curious but terrifying new technologies and post-apocalyptic dusty wastelands where survivors grow more desperate every day. Dystopian themes are becoming ever more popular and this book shows the art, fiction, movies, and video games focused on the post-apocalyptic world.

FEATURED BOOKS:

The Electric Kingdom by Arnold, A
Call Number: F ARN
Publication Date: 2021
A deadly flu has swept the globe, leaving a shell of the world that once was. Among the survivors are eighteen-year-old Nico and her dog, who are on a journey devised by Nico's father to find a mythical portal; a young artist named Kit, who knows almost nothing of the world outside the old abandoned cinema he was raised in; and the enigmatic Deliverer, who lives life after life in an attempt to put the world back together.
The Handmaid's Tail by Atwood, M
Call Number: F ATW
Publication Date: 2017
This is the story of Offred, one of the "Handmaids" under the new social order who have only one purpose: to breed. In Gilead, where women are prohibited from holding jobs, reading, and forming friendships, Offred's persistent memories of life in the "time before" and her will to survive are acts of rebellion.
Sky Without Stars by Brody, J
Call Number: F BRO
Publication Date: 2020
"Not to be missed!" --Marissa Meyer, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Lunar Chronicles "An explosion of emotion, intrigue, romance, and revolution." --Stephanie Garber, #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Caraval series In the tradition of The Lunar Chronicles, this sweeping reimagining of Les Misérables tells the story of three teens from very different backgrounds who are thrown together amidst the looming threat of revolution on the French planet of Laterre. A thief. An officer. A guardian. Three strangers, one shared destiny... When the Last Days came, the planet of Laterre promised hope. A new life for a wealthy French family and their descendants. But five hundred years later, it's now a place where an extravagant elite class reigns supreme; where the clouds hide the stars and the poor starve in the streets; where a rebel group, long thought dead, is resurfacing. Whispers of revolution have begun--a revolution that hinges on three unlikely heroes... Chatine is a street-savvy thief who will do anything to escape the brutal Regime, including spy on Marcellus, the grandson of the most powerful man on the planet. Marcellus is an officer--and the son of an infamous traitor. In training to take command of the military, Marcellus begins to doubt the government he's vowed to serve when his father dies and leaves behind a cryptic message that only one person can read: a girl named Alouette. Alouette is living in an underground refuge, where she guards and protects the last surviving library on the planet. But a shocking murder will bring Alouette to the surface for the first time in twelve years...and plunge Laterre into chaos. All three have a role to play in a dangerous game of revolution--and together they will shape the future of a planet.
Inscape by Carey, L
Call Number: F CAR
Publication Date: https://tinyurl.com/yh3rza54
Inscape is the dystopian future we would do best to avoid. Warning: use of this gate will take you outside of the InTech corporate zone. Different community guidelines may apply, and you may be asked to sign a separate end-user license agreement. Do you wish to continue? Tanta has trained all her young life for this. Her very first mission is a code red: to take her team into the unaffiliated zone just outside InTech's borders and retrieve a stolen hard drive. It should have been quick and simple, but a surprise attack kills two of her colleagues and Tanta barely makes it home alive. Determined to prove herself and partnered with a colleague whose past is a mystery even to himself, Tanta's investigation uncovers a sinister conspiracy that makes her question her own loyalties and the motives of everyone she used to trust.
The Key to Fear by Cast, K
Call Number: F CAS
Publication Date: 2020
For fifty years, the Key Corporation has defended humanity against a deadly virus that spreads through touch. Lovers don't kiss, or even hold hands. Personal boundaries are valued above all. Break the laws, and you'll face execution. Elodie, a talented young nurse, believes in the mission of the Key and has never questioned the laws that control her life. But Elodie is forced to break the rules when she sets out in search of a terminal patient who goes missing while under her care. From the outside, it seems like Aiden was given everything he could want from the Key -- a purpose, an education, and a future. But Aiden knows more than he's letting on, and the dark secrets he's keeping could tear the Key's strict society apart. When Elodie and Aiden's lives collide, the fallout will be devastating. What do you do when the brutal system that once kept you safe hunts you down? Run.
The New Wilderness by Cook, D
Call Number: F COO
Publication Date: 2020
Bea's five-year-old daughter, Agnes, is wasting away, ravaged by the smog and pollution of the overdeveloped, overpopulated metropolis they call home. Bea knows she cannot stay in the city, but there is only one alternative - The Wilderness State. This vast expanse of unwelcoming, untamed land is untouched by mankind. Until now. Somewhere between a science experiment and a refugee, Bea and Agnes slowly learn how to live in this unpredictable, often dangerous land. But as Agnes embraces this radically free new existence, Bea realises that her bond with her daughter will be tested in ways she could never have foreseen.
Gone by Grant, M
Call Number: F GRA
Publication Date: 2009
In the blink of an eye, everyone disappears. Gone. Except for the young. There are teens, but not one single adult. Just as suddenly, there are no phones, no internet, no television. No way to get help. And no way to figure out what's happened. Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents--unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers--that grow stronger by the day. It's a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. Townies against rich kids. Bullies against the weak. Powerful against powerless. And time is running out: on your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else. . . .
Never Let Me Go by Ishiguro, K
Call Number: F ISH
Publication Date: 2005
athy, Ruth and Tommy were pupils at Hailsham - an idyllic establishment situated deep in the English countryside. The children there were tenderly sheltered from the outside world, brought up to believe they were special, and that their personal welfare was crucial. But for what reason were they really there? It is only years later that Kathy, now aged 31, finally allows herself to yield to the pull of memory. What unfolds is the haunting story of how Kathy, Ruth and Tommy, slowly come to face the truth about their seemingly happy childhoods - and about their futures.
Wasteland by Kim, S
Call Number: F KIM
Publication Date: 2014
Fans of the Divergent and Hunger Games series will love Wasteland, the first installment of the Wasteland trilogy, by five-time Emmy Award-nominated writer Susan Kim and Edgar Award-winning Laurence Klavan. With heart-pounding thrills, this harrowing survival story is alive with action and intrigue. Welcome to the Wasteland, a post-apocalyptic U.S. where no one lives past the age of 19. But an early death isn't the only doom waiting around the corner: Everyone is forced to live under the looming threat of rampant disease and brutal attacks by the variants--hermaphroditic outcasts that live on the outskirts of Prin. Esther doesn't care that her best friend, a variant, is considered "the enemy." She doesn't care that Levi, who controls the Source, is the real enemy and might send his Taser boys after her if she makes one wrong move. Then she meets Caleb, and just possibly, she might have a chance at salvation.
The Stand by King, S
Call Number: F KIN
Publication Date: 2020
First came the virus. Then came the dreams. A man escapes from a biological testing facility, unknowingly carrying a deadly weapon: a mutated strain of super-flu that will wipe out over 99 percent of the world's population within a few weeks. Those who remain are scared, bewildered, and in need of a leader. Two emerge, Mother Abagail, the benevolent 108-year-old woman who urges them to build a peaceful community in Boulder, Colorado; and Randall Flagg, the 'dark man', the apostate of death, the warlord of the charnel house and Prince of Evil. Now the survivors must choose between them and ultimately decide the fate of all humanity. Stephen King's apocalyptic vision of a world blasted by plague and tangled in an elemental struggle between good and evil is a classic for our times.
The Minders by Marrs, J
Call Number: F MAR
Publication Date: 2020
In the 21st century, information is king. But computers can be hacked and files can be broken into so a unique government initiative has been born. Five ordinary people have been selected to become Minders, the latest weapon in thwarting cyberterrorism. Transformed by a revolutionary medical procedure, the country's most classified information has been taken offline and turned into genetic code implanted inside their heads. Together, the five know every secret, the truth behind every government lie, conspiracy theory and cover up. In return, they're given the chance to leave their problems behind and a blank slate to start their lives anew. But not everyone should be trusted, especially when they each have secrets of their own they'll do anything to protect.
The Loop by Oliver, B
Call Number: F OLI
Publication Date: 2020
Luka Kane has been inside hi-tech prison the Loop for over two years. A death sentence is hanging over his head but his day-to-day routine is mind-numbingly repetitive. Then everything changes. Soon, Luka has to face a new reality: breaking out of the Loop might be his only chance to save himself - and the world
The Sandcastle Empire by Olson, K
Call Number: F OLS
Publication Date: 2017
Before the war, Eden's life was easy. Then the revolution happened, and everything changed. Now a powerful group called the Wolfpack controls the earth and its resources. And even though Eden has lost everything to them, she refuses to die by their hands. She knows the coordinates to the only neutral ground left in the world, a place called Sanctuary Island, and she is desperate to escape to its shores. Eden finally reaches the island and meets others resistant to the Wolves. But the solace is short-lived when one of Eden's new friends goes missing. Braving the jungle in search of their lost ally, they quickly discover Sanctuary is filled with lethal traps and an enemy they never expected. This island might be deadlier than the world Eden left behind, but surviving it is the only thing that stands between her and freedom.
The Savage Song by Schwab, V E
Call Number: F SCH
Publication Date: 2016
A young woman and a young man must choose whether to become heroes or villains--and friends or enemies--with the future of their homes at stake. There's no such thing as safe in a city at war; a city overrun with monsters. Kate Harker and August Flynn are the heirs to a divided city--a city where the violence has begun to breed actual monsters. All Kate wants is to be as ruthless as her father, who lets the monsters roam free and makes the humans pay for his protection. All August wants is to be human, as good-hearted as his own father, who uses his power to protect the innocent. Thrown together by a crumbling truce and a failed assassination attempt, Kate and August must flee to save themselves.
This Mortal Coil by Suvada, E
Call Number: F SUV
Publication Date: 2017
When a lone soldier, Cole, arrives with news of Lachlan Agatta's death, all hope seems lost for Catarina. Her father was the world's leading geneticist, and humanity's best hope of beating a devastating virus. Then, hidden beneath Cole's genehacked enhancements she finds a message of hope: Lachlan created a vaccine. Only she can find and decrypt it, if she can unravel the clues he left for her. The closer she gets, the more she finds herself at risk from Cartaxus, a shadowy organization with a stranglehold on the world's genetic tech. But it's too late to turn back. There are three billion lives at stake, two people who can save them, and one final secret that Cat must unlock. A secret that will change everything.
Slated by Terry, T
Call Number: F TER
Publication Date: 2021
Sixteen-year-old Kyla has been 'slated': all of her past memories erased, her entire personality wiped blank. She has been assigned a new name, a new date of birth and even new parents. The government claims she was a terrorist, and that she has been given a second chance. But Kyla knows that the government has been lying.
Wastelands: the New Apocalypse by Hugh Howey; Jonathan Maberry; Carmen Maria Machado; Veronica Roth; John Joseph Adams (Editor)
Call Number: F WAS
Publication Date: 2019
The new post-apocalyptic collection by master anthologist John Joseph Adams, featuring never-before-published stories and curated reprints by some of the genre's most popular and critically-acclaimed authors. In WASTELANDS: THE NEW APOCALYPSE, veteran anthology editor John Joseph Adams is once again our guide through the wastelands using his genre and editorial expertise to curate his finest collection of post-apocalyptic short fiction yet. Whether the end comes via nuclear war, pandemic, climate change, or cosmological disaster, these stories explore the extraordinary trials and tribulations of those who survive. Featuring never-before-published tales by: Veronica Roth, Hugh Howey, Jonathan Maberry, Seanan McGuire, Tananarive Due, Richard Kadrey, Scott Sigler, Elizabeth Bear, Tobias S. Buckell, Meg Elison, Greg van Eekhout, Wendy N. Wagner, Jeremiah Tolbert, and Violet Allen--plus, recent reprints by: Carmen Maria Machado, Carrie Vaughn, Ken Liu, Paolo Bacigalupi, Kami Garcia, Charlie Jane Anders, Catherynne M. Valente, Jack Skillingstead, Sofia Samatar, Maureen F. McHugh, Nisi Shawl, Adam-Troy Castro, Dale Bailey, Susan Jane Bigelow, Corinne Duyvis, Shaenon K. Garrity, Nicole Kornher-Stace, Darcie Little Badger, Timothy Mudie, and Emma Osborne. Continuing in the tradition of WASTELANDS: STORIES OF THE APOCALYPSE, these 34 stories ask: What would life be like after the end of the world as we know it?
Repo Virtual by White, C J
Call Number: F WHI
Publication Date: 2020
The city of Neo Songdo is a Russian nesting doll of realities -- augmented and virtual spaces anchored in the weight of the real. The smart city is designed to be read by machine vision while people see only the augmented facade of the corporate ideal. At night the stars are obscured by an intergalactic virtual war being waged by millions of players, while on the streets below people are forced to beg, steal, and hustle to survive. Enter Julius Dax, online repo man and real-life thief. He's been hired for a special job: stealing an unknown object from a reclusive tech billionaire. But when he finds out he's stolen the first sentient AI, his payday gets a lot more complicated.
V for Vendetta: New Edition by Moore, A
Call Number: Graphic Novel F MOO
Publication Date: 1995
A powerful story about loss of freedom and individuality, V FOR VENDETTA takes place in a totalitarian England following a devastating war that changed the face of the planet. In a world without political freedom, personal freedom and precious little faith in anything comes a mysterious man in a white porcelain mask who fights political oppressors through terrorism and seemingly absurd acts. It's a gripping tale of the blurred lines between ideological good and evil.
The Farm by Ramos, J
Call Number: Senior Fiction F RAM
Publication Date: 2019
Nestled in the Hudson Valley is a sumptuous retreat boasting every amenity: organic meals, private fitness trainers, daily massages - and all of it for free. In fact, you get paid big money - more than you've ever dreamed of - to spend a few seasons in this luxurious locale. The catch? For nine months, you belong to the Farm. You cannot leave the grounds; your every move is monitored. Your former life will seem a world away as you dedicate yourself to the all-consuming task of producing the perfect baby for your überwealthy clients. Jane, an immigrant from the Philippines and a struggling single mother, is thrilled to make it through the highly competitive Host selection process at the Farm. But now pregnant, fragile, consumed with worry for her own young daughter's well-being, Jane grows desperate to reconnect with her life outside. Yet she cannot leave the Farm or she will lose the life-changing fee she'll receive on delivery - or worse. The Farm pushes our thinking on motherhood, money, and merit to the extremes, and raises crucial questions about the trade-offs women will make to fortify their futures and the futures of those they love.
After (Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia) by Datlow, E
Call Number: YA Fiction F AFT
Publication Date: 2013
An anthology of nineteen tales by well-known authors of young adult and adult literature which explore the lives of teens who were brought up following a catastrophe, either in the first few years after the change, or in the distant future.
Feed by Anderson, M T
Call Number: YA Fiction F AND
Publication Date: 2002
rom the author of Burger Wuss comes a book filled with identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.
Noughts and Crosses by Blackman, M
Call Number: YA Fiction F BLA
Publication Date: 2002
Sephy and Callum have been friends since early childhood. And that's as far as it can go. Because theirs is a world full of prejudice, racism, distrust and mounting terrorist violence. Despite all this, a romance builds between the two friends. But this is a love that could lead both of them into terrible danger.
The Darkest Legacy by Bracken, A
Call Number: YA Fiction F BRA
Publication Date: 2018
Five years after the destruction of the so-called rehabilitation camps that imprisoned her and countless other Psi kids, seventeen-year-old Suzume 'Zu' Kimura has assumed the role of spokesperson for the interim government, fighting for the rights of Psi kids against a growing tide of misinformation and prejudice. But when she is accused of committing a horrifying act, she is forced to go on the run once more in order to stay alive. Determined to clear her name, Zu finds herself in an uncomfortable alliance with Roman and Priyanka, two mysterious Psi who could either help her prove her innocence or betray her before she gets the chance. But as they travel in search of safety and answers, and Zu grows closer to the people she knows she shouldn't trust, they uncover even darker things stirring beneath the veneer of the country's recovery. With her future - and the future of all Psi - on the line, Zu must use her powerful voice to fight back against forces that seek to drive the Psi into the shadows and save the friends who were once her protectors.
The Testing by Charbonneau, J
Call Number: YA Fiction F CHA
Publication Date: 2013
Sixteen-year-old Malencia (Cia) Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University; however, Cia is fearful when she figures out her friends who do not pass The Testing are disappearing.
Matched by Condie, A
Call Number: YA Fiction F CON
Publication Date: 2011
On her seventeenth birthday, Cassia meets her Match. Society dictates he is her perfect partner for life. Except he's not. In Cassia's society, Officials decide who people love. Where they work. When they die. But Cassia is determined to make some choices of her own. And that's when her whole world begins to unravel.
The List by Forde, P
Call Number: YA Fiction F FOR
Publication Date: 2018
The city of Ark is the last safe place on Earth. To make sure humans are able to survive, everyone in Ark must speak List, a language of only 500 words. Everyone that is, except Letta. As apprentice to the Wordsmith, Letta can read all the words that have ever existed. Forbidden words like freedom, music, and even pineapple tell her about a world she's never known. One day her master disappears and the leaders of Ark tell Letta she is the new Wordsmith and must shorten List to fewer and fewer words. Then Letta meets a teenage boy who somehow knows all the words that have been banned. Letta's faced with a dangerous choice: sit idly by and watch language slowly slip away or follow a stranger on a path to freedom . . . or banishment.
The Waning Age by Grove S.E.
Call Number: YA Fiction F GRO
Publication Date: 2019
The time is now. The place is San Francisco. The world is filled with adults devoid of emotion and children on the cusp of losing their feelings--of "waning"--when they reach their teens. Natalia Peña has already waned. So why does she love her little brother with such ferocity that, when he's kidnapped by a Big Brother-esque corporation, she'll do anything to get him back? A haunting story of one determined girl who will use her razor-sharp wits, her martial arts skills, and, ultimately, her heart to fight killers, predators, and the world's biggest company to rescue her brother--and to uncover the shocking truth about waning.
Dark Mind Rising by Keller, J
Call Number: YA Fiction F KEL
Publication Date: 2019
What will you give to feel safe? Two years after the destruction of a universal surveillance system called the Intercept, New Earth struggles to keep crime under control. The citizens are free, but not protected. Violet Crowley, the eighteen-year-old daughter of New Earth's founder, has opened Crowley & Associates, a private detective agency, to handle the overflow from the overburdened police force. Violet's first case - a death written off as a suicide - becomes an obsession. Soon a series of similar deaths leads Violet to believe the Intercept is not only still running - it's in the hands of a killer.
10 Futures by Pryor, M
Call Number: YA Fiction F PRY
Publication Date: 2012
Sam and Tara are best friends. Best friends in a future when artificial intelligence organises our lives, and micropets are the latest craze. Best friends when rationing means cold showers and no internet. Best friends when genetic matching makes asking a girl on a date a minefield of epic proportions. But will they still be best friends in a future when plague wipes out most of humanity? Or a future when the Inquisitor asks Sam to choose one betrayal over another?
Divergent by Roth, V
Call Number: YA Fiction F ROT
Publication Date: 2011
She turns to the future in a world that's falling apart. The No. 1 New York Times bestseller DIVERGENT - also a major motion picture. For sixteen-year-old Tris, the world changes in a heartbeat when she is forced to make a terrible choice. Turning her back on her family, Tris ventures out, alone, determined to find out where she truly belongs. Shocked by the brutality of her new life, Tris can trust no one. And yet she is drawn to a boy who seems to both threaten and protect her. The hardest choices may yet lie ahead....
Scythe by Shusterman, N
Call Number: YA Fiction F SHU
Publication Date: 2018
A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control. Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe -- a role that neither wants. These teens must master the art of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own.
Dry by Shusterman, N
Call Number: YA Fiction F SHU
Publication Date: 2018
When the California drought escalates to catastrophic proportions, a group of teens is forced to make life and death decisions in this harrowing story of survival. The drought -- nor the Tap-Out, as everyone calls it -- has been going on for a while now. Everyone's lives have become an endless list of don'ts: don't water the lawn, don't take long showers, don't panic. Until the taps run dry. Suddenly, Alyssa's quiet suburban street spirals into a warzone of desperation; neighbours and families turned against each other on the hunt for water. And when her parents don't return, she and her younger brother must team up with an unlikely group in search of water. Each of them will need to make impossible choices to survive.
Broken Sky by Weatherly, L.A.
Call Number: YA Fiction F WEA
Publication Date: 2016
Welcome to a 'perfect' world. Where war is illegal, harmony is enforced, and your date of birth marks your destiny. But nothing is perfect, and in a world this broken, who can Amity trust? Friends? Family? Her one true love?
Uglies by Westerfeld, S
Call Number: YA Fiction F WES
Publication Date: 2005
Tally Youngblood is about to turn sixteen...the age that means turning pretty. Where Tally lives, everyone gets an operation to turn them beautiful on their sixteenth birthday, and then the new "pretties" move to a town where their only job is to have a really great time. When Tally's friend Shay runs away from the city because she doesn't want to be turned pretty, Tally is given the worst choice she can possibly imagine...tell where Shay is, or never be turned pretty.

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CLASSIC DYSTOPIAN FICTION:

Brave New World by Huxley, A
Call Number: F HUX
Publication Date: 2018
The astonishing novel Brave New World, originally published in 1932, presents Aldous Huxley's vision of the future -- of a world utterly transformed. Through the most efficient scientific and psychological engineering, people are genetically designed to be passive and therefore consistently useful to the ruling class. This powerful work of speculative fiction sheds a blazing critical light on the present and is considered to be Huxley's most enduring masterpiece. Following Brave New World is the nonfiction work Brave New World Revisited, first published in 1958. It is a fascinating work in which Huxley uses his tremendous knowledge of human relations to compare the modern-day world with the prophetic fantasy envisioned in Brave New World, including threats to humanity, such as overpopulation, propaganda, and chemical persuasion.
Steampunk: H. G. Wells by Zdenko Basic (Illustrator)
Call Number: F WEL
Publication Date: 2013
No classic work lends itself better to Steampunk illustrations than The Time Machine , The War of the Worlds , and "The Country of the Blind," written by H.G. Wells, who many consider to be the father of Steampunk itself. Wells's tales of time travel and scientific romance is the perfect collection to the Steampunk series. Fans old and new will be delighted by Basic and Sumberac's four-colour illustrations spiked with Steampunk machinery, gadgets, and fashion.
1984 by Orwell, G
Call Number: F ORW
Publication Date: 2017
In an age of inescapable surveillance, fake news, alternative facts, would-be Big Brothers and endless low-level wars, Orwell's warning still speaks to us today, and with greater force than ever before.Republished with a new introduction by Dennis Glover, author of The Last Man in Europe , Orwell's prophetic masterpiece is truly a story for our times. Orwell's courage and his refusal to be silenced inspire hope that, ultimately, the spirit of humanity will win through.
Fahrenheit 451 by Bradbury, R
Call Number: F BRA
ISBN: 9780006546061
Publication Date: 1976
The hauntingly prophetic classic novel set in a not-too-distant future where books are burned by a special task force of firemen. Over 1 million copies sold in the UK. Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to burn books, which are forbidden, being the source of all discord and unhappiness. Even so, Montag is unhappy; there is discord in his marriage. Are books hidden in his house? The Mechanical Hound of the Fire Department, armed with a lethal hypodermic, escorted by helicopters, is ready to track down those dissidents who defy society to preserve and read books. The classic novel of a post-literate future, 'Fahrenheit 451' stands alongside Orwell's '1984' and Huxley's 'Brave New World' as a prophetic account of Western civilization's enslavement by the media, drugs and conformity.
Clockwork Orange by Burgess, A
Call Number: F BUR
Publication Date: 1996
Fifteen-year-old Alex doesn't just like ultra-violence - he also enjoys rape, drugs and Beethoven's 9th. He and his gang rampage through a dystopian future, hunting for terrible thrills. But when Alex finds himself at the mercy of the state and subject to the ministrations of Dr Brodsky, the government psychologist, he finds that fun is no longer the order of the day...

DYSTOPIAN OVERVIEW:

Dystopian novels that have a didactic message often explore themes like anarchism, oppression, and mass poverty. Margaret Atwood, one of literature’s most celebrated authors of dystopian fiction, thinks about it like this: “If you’re interested in writing speculative fiction, one way to generate a plot is to take an idea from current society and move it a little further down the road. Even if humans are short-term thinkers, fiction can anticipate and extrapolate into multiple versions of the future.”

The central themes of dystopian novels generally fall under these topics:

Government control
Environmental destruction
Technological control
Survival
Loss of individualism

Government plays a big role in dystopian literature. Generally, there is either no government or an oppressive ruling body.

In George Orwell’s 1984, the world is under complete government control. The fictional dictator Big Brother enforces omnipresent surveillance over the people living in the three inter-continental super states remaining after a world war.
The Hunger Games, a young adult trilogy by Suzanne Collins beginning in 2008, takes place in the fictional world Panem, a future nation on the ruins of North America. Panem’s totalitarian government called The Capitol holds most of the country’s wealth and controls the citizens. Each year, children from Panem’s 12 districts are selected to participate in a televised death match called the Hunger Games.

Advanced science and technology in dystopian works go beyond tools for improving everyday life—technology is often depicted as a controlling, omnipresent force and is often used as a fear-mongering tactic.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, written in 1932, explores the danger of technology. The ruling World State uses powerful conditioning technologies to control reproduction and citizens’ actions.
Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick takes place in a post-apocalyptic San Francisco after a nuclear global war in 1992. This 1968 novel was the basis for the film The Blade Runner and explores the dangers of advanced technology. There are android robots indistinguishable from humans, and mass extinction has led to artificial animals.
Feed by M.T. Anderson is a young adult dystopian novel written in 2002 about a near-future America controlled by Feednet, a computer network that is implanted into the brains of 73% of American citizens.

Dystopian novels are often set in places that are inhabitable, have been destroyed, or are preparing for destruction.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy, written in 2006, is a post-apocalyptic story about a father and son venturing across the ruins of America after an extinction event.
The Maze Runner is a series by James Dashner chronicling the events of how the dystopian world had been destroyed by massive solar flares and coronal mass ejection. In the first book of the series, a group of teenage boys are stuck in an imaginary place called The Glade and have to find their way of out its ever-changing maze.

The oppressive powers and destruction in dystopian worlds often leave the inhabitants to fend for themselves.

The Running Man was written by Stephen King and first published under the pseudonym Richard Bachman in 1982. Taking place in 2025, the novel is about an impoverished man living under an oppressive government who competes on a life-threatening game show in order to earn money to care for his family.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding, written in 1954, is about a group of schoolboys who are abandoned on a tropical island after their plane is shot down during a fictional atomic war. Conflicts emerge between the boys as they struggle to build a civilization and fight for survival.
The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau is set in an underground world called Ember. The isolated city was constructed to thwart an impending disaster and follows a group of teenagers working to find their way out.

How should the needs of society as a whole compare to individual needs? Many dystopian futures depict the dangers of conformity.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury, written in 1953, follows a fireman whose job is to burn books. Because of the censorship of books, this future society has increased interest in technology and entertainment—and an inability to think freely and creatively.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is a 1993 young adult novel about a society that has no pain because the community has all been converted to “Sameness.” The story follows a 12-year-old boy who is selected to be the society’s Receiver of Memory and will store the memories of the community before “Sameness” was enacted.

POINTS OF VIEW REFERENCE CENTRE:

When it comes to writing your short story it may be useful to take a current issue and imagine what might happen if one extreme set of opinions could rule the whole world. What would it be like if:

Animals had equal rights to humans?
Insta celebrities could run for political office based on their likes?
Cloning yourself was legal?
Parents who smacked their children were whipped in public as part of a re-education programme?
Censorship laws forced Youtube to remove any video that received more dislikes than likes?
New technologies instantly provided free clean power to the everyone in the world?

Points of View Reference Centre may be a great site to browse for ideas as it:

presents multiple sides of an argument
aimed at helping you develop persuasive arguments
provides overviews of controversial issues

Data from Good Reads (March 2021)

SHORT STORIES:

QUOTES:

"Human reason can excuse any evil; that is why it's so important that we don't rely on it."
— Veronica Roth (Divergent (Divergent, #1))

"It isn't just brave that she died for me; it is brave that she did it without announcing it, without hesitation, and without appearing to consider another option."
— Veronica Roth (Divergent (Divergent, #1))

"You pays your money and you takes your choice."
— Aldous Huxley (Brave New World)

"You can't transform a society for the better with violence, Ashala. Only with ideas."
— Ambelin Kwaymullina (The Interrogation of Ashala Wolf (The Tribe #1))

"If the Party could thrust its hand into the past and say of this or that event, it never happened—that, surely, was more terrifying than mere torture and death?...But where did that knowledge exist? Only in his consciousness, which in any case must soon be annihilated...'Who controls the past,' ran the Party slogan,'controls the future:who controls the present controls the past.'...All that was needed was a series of victories over your own memory."
— George Orwell

"If you don't want a man unhappy politically, don't give him two sides of a question to worry him; give him one. Better yet, give him none. Let him forget that their is such a thing as war. If the government if inefficient, top-heavy, and tax-mad, better it be all those than that people worry over it."
— Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) ll (1984)

"There was something called Christianity."
— Aldous Huxley (Brave New World)

"Your emotions are your own business."
— Brandon Sanderson

INTERACTIVES:

SUGGESTED WEBSITES:

DYSTOPIAN SHORT STORIES:

Billennium by J. G. Ballard

Overpopulation is society’s main problem. The government has mandated a maximum living space of 4 square metres per person. A man, Ward, finds a place slightly larger than the legal limit which he shares with a friend. They make a discovery that changes everything.

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Disappearing Act by Alfred Bester

The War for the American Dream is being fought. General Carpenter makes it clear that America is fighting for dreams, for the noble things worth preserving. The war effort requires experts in every field. All citizens are required to become experts, specific tools for specific jobs. A mystery arises in Ward T of the United States Army Hospital. The experts are called in.

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The Machine Stops by E M Forster

Forster wrote this story in 1909, before WWI, yet he imagines a global war, technology taking over lives, videoconferencing, and an early version of cell phones. It’s pretty impressive. And also a good story.

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Speech Sounds by Octavia E. Butler

Rye is on a bus heading for Pasadena. She might have a brother there who's still alive. Two passengers, young men, start getting hostile. When one inadvertently falls into the other, a fight breaks out. This leads to further hostilities. The driver stops the bus. There is lots of grunting and other sounds and many gestures, but no one talks.

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Examination Day by Henry Slesar

Dickie Jordan has just turned twelve, so it's time for him to take a Government mandated intelligence test. His parents don't say much about it. His mother seems to be worried about Dickie's performance, but his father says he'll do fine.

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2 B R 0 2 B by Kurt Vonnegut

All of society's ills have been cured: wars, famine, disease, and death from aging. The population is maintained at 40 million. When there is a birth, someone has to volunteer to die. Edward Wehling finds out that his wife is going to give birth to triplets.

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We Ate the Children Last by Yann Martel

Patient D, who has a terminal case of colon cancer, receives a digestive system transplant from a pig. He recovers quickly and his appetite becomes voracious and unusual.

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THEN WATCH THE SHORT FILM BASED ON THE STORY

Civilization by Vylar Kaftan

You are in charge of a civilization. You get to make important decisions that affect the whole population in a Choose Your Own Adventure style story.

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The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

The story describes a fictional small town in the contemporary United States, which observes an annual rite known as "the lottery", in which a member of the community is selected by chance. The shocking consequences of "winning" the lottery are revealed only at the end.

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(TURN ON CAPTIONS)

THEN WATCH THE SHORT FILM BASED ON THIS STORY

Time Capsule Found on a Dead Planet by Margaret Atwood

In December world leaders will gather in Copenhagen to try to reach a global deal to tackle climate change. To support the launch of the 10:10 campaign to reduce carbon emissions, the Review asked some of our greatest artists, authors and poets to produce new work in response to the crisis

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Escape From Spiderhead by George Saunders

Escape from Spiderhead is a tale that looks into a dystopian future, where convicts can either enter experimental drug testing programs or serve time in prison. After Jeff was convicted for murder, his mother had spent all her savings to get him out of real jail, and put him to a drug testing program.

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WATCH THE MOVIE TRAILER

Minority Report by Philip K. Dick

John Anderton is the head of the pre-crime division—a division that can determine in advance who is going to commit a crime. The nucleus of the operation is the three precogs, mutant-like humans who get flashes of the future and are attached to extensive analytical machinery. The names of the future criminals are generated on a card; one day, Anderton is stunned by a name that appears.

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Peter Skilling by Alex Irvine

Peter died 98 years ago in a mountain climbing accident. He is revived with advanced medical technology. Peter is eager to begin his life again, but due to strict anti-terrorism laws he must first answer for the crimes of his past.

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REFERENCE GENERATOR:

It is important to provide evidence of using a variety of reliable resources. Use the online Reference Generator available through the Portal to create your citations. Make sure you alphabetically sort them afterwards. Click here for a Hale School guide to referencing.

A sample bibliography for 3 resources suggested on this page would look like:

It Could Be Worse: A Guide to Dystopian Fiction 2020, Penguin Random House, viewed 28 February 2020, <https://www.penguinrandomhouse.ca/campaign/it-could-be-worse-guide-dystopian-fiction#post-apocalyptic>.

Golder, D 2015, Dystopia: fantasy art, fiction and the movies, Flame Tree Publishing, London.

Science fiction 2020. Britannica School. Retrieved 28 February 2020, from https://school.eb.com.au/levels/high/article/science-fiction/66289#235726.toc

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DYSTOPIAN SHORT STORIES:

The Machine Stops by E M Forster

The Lottery by Shirley Jackson

Time Capsule Found on a Dead Planet by Margaret Atwood

Escape From Spiderhead by George Saunders

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