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12 Captivating Dystopian Books That Will Keep You On The Edge

Utopian is just “meh.”

Joking aside. Stories about dystopian societies set in the future will always fill our imaginations with pictures of hope, despair, joy, pain, suffering, calamity, violence, and injustice. “What would it be like?” Is a question we always find ourselves asking. And many skillful authors do a great job of drawing us into their compelling narrative. As such, pick your choice in this list of 12 dystopian books, hand-picked, by our passionate dystopian readers, for you to enjoy.

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#1 When Push Comes to Shove by Donald J MacKie

A recently elected, narcissistic, vengeful president is determined to put the hurt on blue states. To blacken Oregon's eye, he intends to start clear-cutting her ancient forests again. Standing between him and success are a handful of Oregon State University tree huggers and a geriatric men's group from the north Oregon coast who brandish AR rifles and a last man standing mentality. Last, but not least, Mother Nature weighs in and throws a few punches in defense of her home and allies. What follows is an action-packed, contemporary tale of good versus evil that will inspire and fuel your belief in humanity's better side.

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Contributor: Maggie Allen from Inkwater Press

#2 The Brede Chronicles Book 1 by P.I. Barrington

 It is set in near-future Egypt (under 100 years in the future) where the pyramids appear minuscule beside mile high buildings and where the sea threatens to overwhelm them. In contrast, the streets below are filled with people in poverty. In the center of this runs a dark and gritty sort of romance.

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Contributor: P.I. Barrington

#3 Lord of the Flies by William Golding

A short read that will drive the reader to the end, following the story of school boys surviving a plane crash on a deserted island. What starts off as fear of cultivating the island turns into fear of each other, as bonds are broken between these separate camps of boys. Can the kids remain like civilized human beings, or will they fall back to primitive ways?

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Contributor: Bryan M. Waring

#4 The Giver by Lois Lowry

This book first appears to be utopian, but as the story progresses, it reveals itself to be a dystopian novel. The book is all about a society that worked so hard for equality and sameness that it took away all pain and worked to remove emotions and memories from the society. The hero, Jonas, is the one boy selected to be the Receiver of Memory from The Giver.

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Contributor: Eric Sztanyo from We Buy NKY Houses

#5 A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle

Although this is a children’s book, it tells a story that offers lessons applicable to people of all ages. When three misfit children embark on a planetary journey to find the protagonist’s father, they encounter Camazotz, a dystopian planet where everyone is required to be and act exactly the same. It is here that the characters discover the importance of being their unique selves and loving one another for who they are. As a misfit child myself, this book taught me to accept myself for who I was rather than compromise my values to fit in.

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Contributor: Emily Cutler from Cognitive Liberty Coaching and Consulting

#7 1984 by George Orwell

Another dystopian classic that is bang up to date despite being published in 1949. Today it feels more like a work of non-fiction than a dark vision of the future. It’s almost as if George Orwell had discovered time travel and had been to the States circa 2018 before writing the novel!

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Contributor: Clive Fleury from CliveFleuryWriter

#8 Motherless Child by Glen Hirshberg

This book tells the story of Rosa, a girl growing up in an America where the white people have all left the cities to form the Unincorporated States, leaving the people of color to manage the Corporation of the United States of America (CUSA).  Rosa's mother has lost her job, leaving the family vulnerable to automatic life termination. The family decides to make the dangerous trek by bus from the Atlanta hub to the DC hub across the wild countryside. Unfortunately, halfway across, the bus is waylaid by bandits from Virgilina, and in the ensuing chaos, Rosa is separated from the group and her parents.  In the company of a drug-worshipper, another escapee from the caravan, she stumbles upon Ascension, a town not far from Richmond.  The town takes her in, but her arrival stirs up secrets that were better left alone.

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Contributor: Adam Cole from Adam Cole Works

#9 Slashed by Lou Cadle

I highly recommend Lou Cadle's Oil Apocalypse Series, starting with Slashed. Lou writes beautifully and does a ton of research, so her books are not only great reads, but realistic too. Lou has several other great series and is always writing more, so you won't be left waiting forever for the next book. 

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Contributor: AM Scott from AmScott

#10 The Wind Singer by William Nicholson

This is another dystopian children’s novel that has lessons applicable for people of all ages. The story is set in a universe in which individuals are divided into castes based upon intelligence test scores. Citizens’ test scores are used to dictate what jobs they can perform, who they can socialize with, where they can live, and what they can wear. As a disability rights activist, this book feels especially important to me. Our society has a long history of institutionalizing, abusing, and discriminating against people diagnosed with intellectual disabilities due to low IQ scores. We often divide people based on how intelligent they are perceived to be. It is so important to read texts that challenge the notion that a person’s worth can be measured by their intelligence or a test score.

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Contributor: Emily Cutler from Cognitive Liberty Coaching and Consulting

#11 Titan by Daniel Mignault

This book is a mix of all things Greek mythology and a dystopian urban world. Andrus Eaves has a problem. Several really. He has just been paired with his class's weakest player in a trial for a position in the New Greek Theocracy. They are caught out after curfew by a centaur who'd like to eat him and rescued by Death's daughter. Andrus is infatuated by both his new bff's sister and Death's daughter while bff and all round weakling Mark is possessed by Ares. This is just the kick-off. The rest is well done Greek mythology meets Dante's Inferno and it is so smoothly done with such great characters that you don't have to know anything about Greek Mythology or Dante's Inferno. You just have to like great characters in a terrifically imaginative tale.

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Contributor: Daniel Mignault from DM Productions 

#12 Kill Code by Clive Fleury

Since we are talking about dark vision of the future, Kill Code is set in a near-future world where climate change is wreaking havoc and the gap between the few rich and many poor is wider than its ever been. It’s been described as a novel that’s impossible to put down, oh and for the record it happens that I wrote it.

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Contributor: Clive Fleury from CliveFleuryWriter

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Written by Taegan Lion