SJPL Picks: Dystopian fictionLike this list

49 items

• Brave New World

  Huxley, Aldous, 1894-1963

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  Start here! This book is the source of the quote in the list description. If you're new to the genre, Aldous Huxley's classic is an excellent example of what to expect within this genre. "Cloning, feel-good drugs, anti-aging programs, and total…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 1984

  a Novel

  Orwell, George, 1903-1950

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  Start here! If you're new to the genre, George Orwell's classic is an excellent example of what to expect within this genre. "Portrays life in a future time when a totalitarian government watches over all citizens and directs all activities."

• Fahrenheit 451

  Bradbury, Ray, 1920-2012

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  Stare here! If you're new to the genre, Ray Bradbury's classic is an excellent example of what to expect within this genre. "Guy Montag is a fireman. His job is to destroy the most illegal of commodities, the printed book, along with the houses in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Handmaid's Tale

  Atwood, Margaret, 1939-

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  Stare here! If you're new to the genre, Margaret Atwood's classic is an excellent example of what to expect within this genre. "Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Cheerfully Refuse

  a Novel

  Enger, Leif,

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  Set in a not-too-distant America, I Cheerfully Refuse is the tale of Rainy, an aspiring musician setting sail on Lake Superior in search of his departed, deeply beloved, bookselling wife. An endearing bear of an Orphean narrator, he seeks refuge in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Prophet Song

  a Novel

  Lynch, Paul, 1977-

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  On a dark, wet evening in Dublin, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack answers her front door to find the GNSB on her doorstep. Two officers from Ireland's newly formed secret police want to speak with her husband, Larry, a trade unionist for…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Great Transition

  a Novel

  Fuller Googins, Nick,

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  When her mother, a suspect in the public assassination of a dozen climate criminals, disappears, Emi Vargas and her father, Larch, a part of a movement called The Great Transition, which had changed the world, arrive in NYC, a lightly populated…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Julia

  a Novel

  Newman, Sandra, 1965-

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  An imaginative, feminist, and relevant-to-today retelling of George Orwell's 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith's lover, Julia.

• More Perfect

  Oh, Temi,

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  In the near future, technology brings minds and dreams together—but to what end?Despite her family’s concerns, Moremi is elated to receive a Pulse, which will finally allow her brain to tap directly into the internet. With the Pulse, Moremi no…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Perilous Times

  a Novel

  Lee, Thomas D.,

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  "When Kay and Lancelot rise in this near-future dystopia, Britain and the world are on the brink of extinction as global warming turns apocalyptic. The lowlands are flooded, dragons have risen, and someone is playing with magic. The fun part of this…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Chain-gang All-stars

  a Novel

  Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame,

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  "Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from America's own. Loretta Thurwar and Hamara "Hurricane Staxxx" Stacker are the stars of Chain-Gang All-Stars, the cornerstone of CAPE,…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Deluge

  Markley, Stephen,

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  "In the early 21st century, the world is convulsing, its governments mired in gridlock while a patient but unrelenting ecological crisis looms. America is in upheaval, battered by violent weather and extreme politics. In California in 2013, Tony…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself

  a Novel

  Crane, Marisa,

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  "Kris’ wife Beau died giving birth to their child. Her life already wasn’t easy, living in a near-future U.S. where a fascist president has instituted a new system of criminal punishment based on shame. Now, if you break the law—or just trip up in…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Lark Ascending

  a Novel

  House, Silas, 1971-

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  "As fires devastate the United States, Lark and his family head to Ireland, rumored to be accepting American refugees. But only Lark survives the trip, and once ashore, he doesn’t find the safe haven he’d hoped for. Running for his life, an…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• 40

  Heathcock, Alan,

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  "In a near-future America, coast-altering earthquakes, flooding, super storms, and pandemics have taken a toll. When food shortages lead to famine, a mysterious religious fanatic begins preaching of a better world. The disaffected eagerly accept his…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Elsewhere

  Schaitkin, Alexis, 1985-

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  "Vera grows up in a small town, removed and isolated, pressed up against the mountains, cloud-covered and damp year-round. This town, fiercely protective, brutal and unforgiving in its adherence to tradition, faces a singular affliction: some…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Immortal King Rao

  a Novel

  Vara, Vauhini, 1982-

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  "Isolated on an island off the coast of Washington State, Athena Rao, 17, has never known an identity other than the one granted her by her famous father, King Rao. A tech billionaire who managed to overcome the challenges of being born into the…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Sleepwalk

  a Novel

  Chaon, Dan,

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  "Will Bear, is a man with so many aliases that he simply thinks of himself as the Barely Blur. At fifty years old, he’s been living off the grid for over half his life. He’s never had a real job, never paid taxes, never been in a committed…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• Ogres

  Tchaikovsky, Adrian, 1972-

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  "Tchaikovsky (Elder Race) takes a sharp look in this twisty social satire at a world in which, due to genetic modification, the 1%, now called ogres, literally tower over the 99%. At over six feet tall, Torquell, mischievous human son of a village…Read moreRead more of this annotation

• The Violence

  a Novel

  Dawson, Delilah S.,

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  "In a post-COVID world, two other pandemics form the basis of this searing, reality-based dystopia: the plague of pervasive, enculturated violence against women, and the titular condition, which causes its victims to enter a fugue state, fatally…Read moreRead more of this annotation