dystopia [dis-toh-pee-uh] Spell Syllables Examples Word Origin noun 1. a society characterized by human misery, as squalor, oppression, disease, and overcrowding. -------------- Examples:
I love dystopian novels!
Meh, not really my genre.
WHAT IS READING? what is a novel?
BOOKS ARE THE BAIN OF MY EXISTENCE
bookz? nah
I can't believe I waited so long to start reading
One does not simply ask questions about favorite books
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#Books #Reading #Novels #Dystopia
What is the best dystopian /utopian novel you've read by far? How does it parallel with current day situtations? What made you love it?
It's a disturbing, dystopian world of constant surveillance and government-controlled media for sure, but one which, uncomfortably, we recognise more as real life than when Orwell wrote it in 1949.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Huxley paints an image of a cold world with numbing drugs, organised reproduction, no concept of family, and brainwashing from birth. While superficially a hedonistic environment, it soon becomes clear that this is no place to live: if you cannot feel pain, can you ever truly feel joy?
The Wind Up Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bacigalupi describes a world where catastrophes are commonplace, global warming has caused huge sea level rises and biotechnology rules, with mega corporations - calorie companies - controlling food production.
Logan's Run by William F. Nolan & George Clayton Johnson
A simple, but terrifying concept: a world where resources are maintained and the population controlled by the mandatory death of all humans once they reach the age of 21. Set in the 23rd century, the eponymous Logan-6 is the trained killer responsible for enforcing this; quelle surprise, when it's his turn to meet his maker, he's less keen on the idea.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Westerfeld describes a place where conformity is everything, achieved through mandatory extreme cosmetic surgery - making everyone 'pretty' - upon reaching the age of 16. Individual choice has been removed and - of course - Big Brother is watching your every move.
All great choices and many I still need to read! I tried reading the uglies when I was twelve but at the time I turned the book back in for being too big 😂
You should try reading uglies again. It's quite relevant today due to the constant move towards the conformity of beauty standards in the Western world.
One of my favorites is The Giver. I think the concept of how to community is run is so interesting, efficient, and logical, if not very controversial. If people weren't about free choice, or preserving life, and everything was strictly for the benefit of the community, it could work.
Fahrenheit 451 is really good. Bradbury made many predictions on the advancements of technology that actually came true, such as bluetooth, flatscreen tvs, and social media.
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1984 (written in 1948 by George Orwell) is closest to the way society is developing. The end: "The voice from the telescreen was still pouring forth its tale of prisoners and booty and slaughter, but the shouting outside had died down a little. The waiters were turning back to their work. One of them approached with the gin bottle. Winston, sitting in a blissful dream, paid no attention as his glass was filled up. He was not running or cheering any longer. He was back in the Ministry of Love, with everything forgiven, his soul white as snow. He was in the public dock, confessing everything, implicating everybody. He was walking down the white-tiled corridor, with the feeling of walking in sunlight, and an armed guard at his back. The longhoped-for bullet was entering his brain.
He gazed up at the enormous face. Forty years it had taken him to learn what kind of smile was hidden beneath the dark moustache. O cruel, needless misunderstanding! O stubborn, self-willed exile from the loving breast! Two gin-scented tears trickled down the sides of his nose. But it was all right, everything was all right, the struggle was finished. He had won the victory over himself. He loved Big Brother." https://www.george-orwell.org/1984/22.html
1984 is not in your list and the inventions in 1984 are CURRENTLY in USE in the world.
Hell the NSA BRAGGED about being inspired by 1984! George Orwell creates a book about the dangers of mass information gathering. Government response. That's a good idea! Let's make that.
I can't give thumbs up because Hunger Games isn't original and Suzanne Collins completely refuses to admit any inspiration from the source. (Battle Royale) But I agree with 1984.
@Shiranai oh yeah battle royale is pretty similar except the hunger games breaks down social issues that classicism and a bit of racism and sexism in her novel. It's subtle but there
Giver by Louis Lowry 1984 I loved 1984. Giver was just okay in my opinion. So many things in 1984 are still relevant in today's world. It's just fascinating
"1984" by George Orwell because in light of the politics, cultural atmosphere, and general political correctness of this Millennial generation, it seems almost prophetic.
i feel like Sci-Fi and Dystopian often go very well together. But yes, Sci-Fi and Fantasy are definitely my faves. I actually haven't read many horror books. A bit of Stephen King's work and maybe others that aren't really horrifying but not much.
@redeyemindtricks When they first started showing up, it was an interesting concept; a blending of fantasy/sci-fi and literary fiction, basically. But the market is so saturated these days and this results in a lot of really sub-par books in the genre. They've also become significantly darker and more twisted as time goes on, and are often just vehicles for a thinly veiled political/societal message (with which I usually don't agree, anyway).
Only a very few these days seem better than mediocre, and not obviously written for teens. One that was exceedingly clever, if it qualifies as semi-dystopian, was David Mitchell's "Cloud Atlas." And no, the movie wasn't even remotely close to the depth and breadth of the novel. :P
I don't really watch movies. I can't watch a screen for more than about a minute or two if I'm not interacting with it (or talking to someone else about what's happening on it).
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Well, the only dystopian ones I've read are Nineteen Eighty-four and Brave New World (which could be either dystopia or utopia depending on your point of view). I can't decide which one I like more, but BNW is more accurate, I think.
Both are accurate. The political development is best described by Orwell. Booze , drugs, corporate Las Vegas conventions and Ibiza/Chersonisos vacation dreams by Huxley.
@jacquesvol That's fair enough, actually. It's possible that the boot in the face described by Orwell is what most governments would resort to fairly quickly if society got any funny ideas. I'm probably more biased towards BNW because I finished it more recently, but it really made me think about entertainment; what forms we consume it in and how easily a large amount of people can be controlled. Quite scary stuff, really.
@jacquesvol That must have been one of the scariest parts of the government he described. If you could limit how people think to that degree, there *really* would be no room for resistance.
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Love them and I found the giver to be very raw and intense. Makes me emotional just thinking about it's ending. It's about a "utopia" that the main character finds is actually a dystopia. It's theme is about forbidden knowledge and sacrifice.
Dystopian novels are my favorite! James Dashner is a brilliant author (all his books are beautiful). Maze Runner series was my favorite. I am now reading Eye of Minds.
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Failed to include 1984, the world's most renowned dystopian novel. Can't take this seriously...
I've only read the Divergent and the Darkest Minds series, I really like them just not how they were wrapped up in the end. The ending were just... hmm.. I have high hope for the Red Queen though... still waiting for the 3rd book
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