15 best dystopian books

Dystopias are called literary works that paint a picture of the future with a repulsive and frightening image of society, the political system. This genre is often used by writers to draw attention to the actual problems of our time, which are most often presented in novels in a distorted, grotesque form. Most often, dystopias are found among science fiction books, but there are many exceptions. Some works will be interesting not only for adults, but also for teenagers. To all fans of this genre, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the best dystopian books.

The most famous dystopian books

There are several works that everyone or almost everyone has heard of. These are the most famous books of the dystopian genre. It is with them that one should begin acquaintance with unsightly pictures of the future. Most of these works are not only madly loved by readers, they have received many enthusiastic reviews from them, but also served as the basis for films.

5 Clockwork orange

The plot of this book somewhat departs from the classic dystopias, but still refers more to this particular genre. The protagonist of the novel is an aggressive and cruel teenager Alex. He beats, kills and goes to jail. One day, he is given the opportunity for early release. But for this he must agree to conduct an experiment on himself. Its essence lies in the fact that after him Alex will no longer be able to commit crimes.

Having been released, the main character himself becomes a victim - everyone who was once offended, vent their anger without receiving resistance, since Alex cannot stand up for himself because of the experiment carried out on him. And how it all ends, find out for yourself from the book.

4 Oh brave new world

In this world, people are not born naturally, but are grown in flasks with division by caste. From the very birth, people from each caste are inspired that they are the best, all the benefits of society are intended for them. This is a consumer society where all human desires must be satisfied. The cult of consumption goes with the simultaneous extermination of the individual and the thought process.And if suddenly a sad thought crept into your head, a person felt unhappy, just go to the pharmacy and buy a couple of soma tablets - a drug for a good mood.

The birth of children is condemned by society. But the protagonist of the book is one of the few born naturally. Unlike others, human feelings are not alien to him - love, beauty, freedom. What awaits him in this world?

3 We

One of the first and most famous dystopias in the world. It was this book that inspired George Orwell to write his great work "1984". He also wrote a review of Yevgeny Zamyatin's novel. The action takes place in the 26th century in the state of Utopia. The main idea in this country is the incompatibility of freedom and happiness. People are completely impersonal - they have no names, no family, no thoughts of their own. They differ only in numbers.

Everything is the same here - apartments, clothes, lifestyle. Every year, the inhabitants of the state unanimously re-elect the Benefactor, who is at the head of the state. But do all people lose their thirst for freedom? This is a very deep and talented book, which is a must read for all fans of the dystopian genre.

2 451 degrees Fahrenheit

It was this book that brought the author worldwide fame. Philosophical dystopia will be interesting not only for adults, but also for teenagers. The name is symbolic - it is at this temperature that paper ignites. The novel vividly depicts the world of the future, in which all books are subjected to ruthless destruction, and their reading is punishable by law.

A team of special firefighters is responsible for the implementation of this law. Interactive television is engaged in mass brainwashing, and sooner or later all dissidents fall into the clutches of punitive psychiatry. This is a society in which one cannot think, reflect and have one's own opinion. One of the best dystopias of all time makes you think a lot. If you haven't read it yet, you should definitely fill this gap.

1 1984

One of the most famous and popular dystopias, with which many readers begin their acquaintance with the genre. The book was banned in the USSR, but now even teenagers read it. It describes a world of three totalitarian states. Complete control over people, the destruction of personality, the inadmissibility of one's own thoughts. The future is represented by a boot that forever tramples on a person's face.

But, despite the fact that the book describes a totalitarian society, first of all the story is about the people who exist in it, trying to survive in this world of hatred. This is one of the few works that shows not only the totalitarian regime, but also the real social mechanism of its reproduction. This is one of the best dystopias of all time and a must read.

The best dystopian books by foreign authors

Foreign authors still work more often in the dystopian genre. It was they who became the most famous and popular, deserved the best reviews. Many foreign works are distinguished not only by the vividness of the description, the accuracy of conveying the atmosphere of a gloomy future with its imperfect system, but also by surprisingly interesting plots.

5 Block #2

The near future, but the orders are completely different. Society is divided into two categories of necessary and unnecessary people. The main purpose of a person is to give birth to a child. If this does not happen before the age of 50, the woman goes into the category of biological material, becomes an organ donor for the “necessary” people.

All "unnecessary" people are kept in very good conditions, they live in something resembling expensive nursing homes. But at the same time, they are gradually disassembled into pieces, and at any moment a vital organ may be needed, after the removal of which the donor dies. Psychological dystopia touches to the very depths of the soul, makes you think about many things.

4 pupae

Far post-apocalyptic future. After a nuclear war, people restored civilization, built a new society. But an echo remained from it - under the influence of residual radiation, mutants with deviations continue to be born. For religious reasons, they are sterilized and banished from society into the jungle. In this cruel society, a group of people appears who have the ability to transmit thoughts to each other at a distance. They understand that this ability can also be regarded as a deviation, so they hide their gift.

But some of them are still caught and die under torture. The rest go to a distant and safe city, where most of the population has this ability. This is not the most famous, but one of the best dystopias in foreign literature.

3 Delirium

The book takes place in the near future. This is a world where love is forbidden. It is considered a dangerous disease - amor deliria. Therefore, all young men and women who have reached the age of majority are subjected to the procedure of erasing the past, after which they become incapable of love. And those few who dare to disobey, violate the established order of things, are severely punished.

The main character of the novel, a few months before the procedure, meets a man who evokes feelings in her and completely changes the idea of ​​​​love. This book was the beginning of a trilogy about the struggle for love in a world where it is forbidden. The novel soon after the release became a bestseller, scored many positive reviews.

2 Do not let me go

One of the best, but at the same time heavy books that leaves a residue of pain in the soul for a long time. The scene is the dystopian Great Britain of the end of the last century. The story is told from the perspective of a young woman who grew up in a boarding school. But this is not an ordinary boarding school - here people are cloned and grown specifically for donation, obtaining living organs.

The characters of the novel do not even consider the possibility of free will, changing their fate. Society does not accept clones as full-fledged people capable of feeling - they are just biological material. This is a book about social inequality, unquestioning obedience to society, as well as friendship between clones, which arose in spite of external circumstances.

1 Barnyard

Ordinary farm, barnyard, animals doomed to slaughter.The inhabitants of the barnyard endured the attitude of people towards them for a long time, and, finally, they rebelled. Having expelled their tormentors, they declared themselves a free republic led by pigs. But freedom will be short-lived - a free state is gradually turning into a totalitarian one. This is an amazing satirical story-parable in the genre of dystopia with an original plot.

It may seem strange to some, but in reality it reflects the events of 1917 and the events that followed the revolution. The author clearly shows the rebirth of revolutionary principles from utopia to totalitarianism. This is truly a worthy read and highly recommended.

The best dystopian books by Russian authors

Most of the dystopias of Russian authors are less known to readers, but among them there are also very worthy works that are definitely worth reading. These are fantasy and social novels with deep philosophical overtones. The rating includes the best works according to readers' reviews.

5 Apophenia

This dystopia vividly depicts a world in which anti-science has won. A picture of an alternative future in which faith in magic, astrology and homeopathy is strong. This book can be advised to read to teenagers and those who are interested in modern myths. Desecration of the feelings of believers in homeopathy, detention on the basis of the testimony of clairvoyants and reading the lines of the palm by a palmist, criminal liability for inducing damage - the reader will encounter this and other absurdities on the pages of the book.

But through all this absurdity, the author's faith in the human mind breaks through.Perhaps the language in which the book is written cannot be called highly artistic, but the idea itself is really new, interesting and good. The work is easy and fast to read.

4 kys

Post-apocalyptic dystopia, saturated with irony and sarcasm. The action of the work takes place in Moscow after a cataclysm, in the book called an explosion. People were divided into two categories - those who were born before the explosion and after it. The former culture died out, the world was filled with mutated people, animals and plants.

The image of Kysya, a strange creature, possibly drawn by the imagination of the protagonist, runs through the whole novel. The book describes his gradual passage from an ordinary employee to one of the leaders of the city of the state.

3 foundation pit

A powerful anti-utopia and cruel satire on the USSR during the first five-year plan. The main plot of the book is superficial, behind which lies a deep philosophical overtones. The action of the book is the digging of a foundation pit for the construction of the "Common Proletarian House", which was supposed to be a symbol of the communist earthly paradise, but became a cemetery of unrealizable fantasies.

The reader is waiting for some degree of absurdity, behind which hides a tragedy on a national scale. The thin line between reality and obvious exaggeration, people living aimlessly, trying not to allow reflections - all this makes up a kind of anti-utopia, in which the author protests the socialist formation. The book is complex, difficult to understand, but highly recommended reading.

2 Snail on the slope

A work that combines the features of dystopia and parable. This is one of the strangest, most complex and controversial books of the Strugatsky brothers. The novel is filled with allusion and cruel satire. This is a book about a person and society as a whole. More specifically, about the Forest and two different people - one is trying to get into it, and the second to get out. It is difficult to describe the plot, since even the first reading of the book leaves many questions for the reader.

Therefore, it must be read and preferably re-read in order to understand everything that the authors wanted to say. But the main meaning of the book is not in the bureaucracy, society, system, but the person himself, who can get bogged down in the swamp of life without achieving what he wants.

1 hour of the bull

The sci-fi and socio-philosophical dystopian novel by Ivan Efremov is well known to readers. This is one of the author's best books, along with Andromeda Nebula and Serpent's Heart, forming a trilogy. Far future. A communist society has been built on Earth. An Earth starship is sent to the distant planet Tormance on a humanitarian mission. It turns out that it is inhabited by people who once fled from their home planet. A totalitarian regime reigns here. The entire population is divided into the labor force (short-lived) and the elite (long-lived).

The planet is ruled by the "Council of Four". The whole essence of government is reduced to terror, which is carried out in relation to all strata of society.Yefremov took an innovative approach to writing a dystopia, combining in one novel a picture of a society in conditions of social and environmental catastrophe, as well as an alternative society of the communist Earth.

Popular vote - which dystopian book do you think is the best?
Vote!

1984

451 degrees Fahrenheit

We

Oh brave new world

Clockwork orange

Barnyard

Do not let me go

Delirium

pupae

Block #2

hour of the bull

Snail on the slope

foundation pit

kys

Apophenia

Total voted: 247

Vote results