Best Dystopian Books

Cautionary tales of oppressive societies and futures that challenge us to think about the present.

Top Dystopian Books

Cover of The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

The Coldest Girl in Coldtown

by Holly Black

Tana lives in a world where walled cities called Coldtowns exist. In them, quarantined monsters and humans mingle in a decadently bloody mix of predator and prey. The only problem is, once you pass through Coldtown's gates, you can never leave.<br>One morning, after a perfectly ordinary party, Tana wakes up surrounded by corpses. The only other survivors of this massacre are her exasperatingly endearing ex-boyfriend, infected and on the edge, and a mysterious boy burdened with a terrible secret. Shaken and determined, Tana enters a race against the clock to save the three of them the only way she knows how: by going straight to the wicked, opulent heart of Coldtown itself.<br><i>The Coldest Girl in Coldtown </i>is a wholly original story of rage and revenge, of guilt and horror, and of love and loathing from bestselling and acclaimed author Holly Black.

Young Adult FictionVampiresParanormal, Occult & Supernatural
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Cover of Super Sad True Love Story A Novel

Super Sad True Love Story A Novel

by Gary Shteyngart

The author of two critically acclaimed novels, <i>The Russian Debutante's Handbook</i> and <i>Absurdistan</i>, Gary Shteyngart has risen to the top of the fiction world. Now, in his hilarious and heartfelt new novel, he envisions a deliciously dark tale of America's dysfunctional coming years--and the timeless and tender feelings that just might bring us back from the brink. <p>In a very near future--oh, let's say next Tuesday--a functionally illiterate America is about to collapse. But don't that tell that to poor Lenny Abramov, the thirty-nine-year-old son of an angry Russian immigrant janitor, proud author of what may well be the world's last diary, and less-proud owner of a bald spot shaped like the great state of Ohio. Despite his job at an outfit called Post-Human Services, which attempts to provide immortality for its super-rich clientele, death is clearly stalking this cholesterol-rich morsel of a man. And why shouldn't it? Lenny's from a different century--he totally loves books (or "printed, bound media artifacts," as they're now known), even though most of his peers find them smelly and annoying. But even more than books, Lenny loves Eunice Park, an impossibly cute and impossibly cruel twenty-four-year-old Korean American woman who just graduated from Elderbird College with a major in Images and a minor in Assertiveness. <p>After meeting Lenny on an extended Roman holiday, blistering Eunice puts that Assertiveness minor to work, teaching our "ancient dork" effective new ways to brush his teeth and making him buy a cottony nonflammable wardrobe. But America proves less flame-resistant than Lenny's new threads. The country is crushed by a credit crisis, riots break out in New York's Central Park, the city's streets are lined with National Guard tanks on every corner, the dollar is so over, and our patient Chinese creditors may just be ready to foreclose on the whole mess. Undeterred, Lenny vows to love both Eunice and his homeland. He's going to convince his fickle new love that in a time without standards or stability, in a world where single people can determine a dating prospect's "hotness" and "sustainability" with the click of a button, in a society where the privileged may live forever but the unfortunate will die all too soon, there is still value in being a real human being. <p>Wildly funny, rich, and humane, <i>Super Sad True Love Story</i> is a knockout novel by a young master, a book in which falling in love just may redeem a planet falling apart.

FictionLiterarySatire
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Cover of The Windup Girl

The Windup Girl

by Paolo Bacigalupi

What Happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of "The Calorie Man"( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and "Yellow Card Man" (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these questions.

BioterrorismBioterrorismeFiction
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Cover of Red Rising

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

<b><i>NEW YORK TIMES</i> BESTSELLER • <b>Pierce Brown’s relentlessly entertaining debut channels the excitement of <i>The Hunger Games</i> by Suzanne Collins and <i>Ender’s Game</i> by Orson Scott Card.</b></b> <br><br><b>“<i>Red Rising</i> ascends above a crowded dys­topian field.”<i>—USA Today</i></b><br><b><br>ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR—</b><i><b>Entertainment Weekly, BuzzFeed, Shelf Awareness</b><br></i><br><i>“I live for the dream that my children will be born free,” she says. “That they will be what they like. That they will own the land their father gave them.”<br> “I live for you,” I say sadly.<br> Eo kisses my cheek. “Then you must live for more.”</i><br><br>Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he toils willingly, trusting that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.<br><br> But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and lush wilds spread across the planet. Darrow—and Reds like him—are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class.<br><br> Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity’s overlords struggle for power.  He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society’s ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies . . . even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.<br><br><b>Praise for <i>Red Rising</i></b><br><br>“[A] spectacular adventure . . . one heart-pounding ride . . . Pierce Brown’s dizzyingly good debut novel evokes <i>The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies, </i>and<i> Ender’s Game</i>. . . . [<i>Red Rising</i>] has everything it needs to become meteoric.”<b>—<i>Entertainment Weekly<br></i></b><br>“Ender, Katniss, and now Darrow.”<b>—Scott Sigler</b><br><br> “<i>Red Rising</i> is a sophisticated vision. . . . Brown will find a devoted audience.”<b>—<i>Richmond Times-Dispatch</i></b><br><br><b>Don’t miss any of Pierce Brown’s Red Rising Saga:</b><br><b>RED RISING • GOLDEN SON • MORNING STAR • IRON GOLD • DARK AGE • LIGHT BRINGER</b>

FictionScience FictionAction & Adventure
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Cover of Red Rising

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children. But Darrow and his kind have been betrayed. Soon he discovers that humanity reached the surface generations ago. Vast cities and sprawling parks spread across the planet. Darrow and Reds like him, are nothing more than slaves to a decadent ruling class. Inspired by a longing for justice, and driven by the memory of lost love, Darrow sacrifices everything to infiltrate the legendary Institute, a proving ground for the dominant Gold caste, where the next generation of humanity's overlords struggle for power. He will be forced to compete for his life and the very future of civilization against the best and most brutal of Society's ruling class. There, he will stop at nothing to bring down his enemies ... even if it means he has to become one of them to do so.

Science Fiction & FantasyScience FictionAdventure
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Cover of Red Rising

Red Rising

by Pierce Brown

Darrow is a Red, a member of the lowest caste in the color-coded society of the future. Like his fellow Reds, he works all day, believing that he and his people are making the surface of Mars livable for future generations. Yet he spends his life willingly, knowing that his blood and sweat will one day result in a better world for his children.

Literature & FictionAction & AdventureScience Fiction & Fantasy
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Cover of Sunrise on the Reaping

Sunrise on the Reaping

by Suzanne Collins

<p></p><p><b>The unforgettable fifth book in the Hunger Games series: Haymitch's story. Feature film scheduled for November 2026.</b></p><p><b>#1 USA Today Bestseller - #1 <i>New York Times </i>Bestseller - #1 Indie Bestseller - #1 <i>Publishers Weekly</i> Bestseller - A <i>New York Times</i> Editors' Choice</b></p><p><b>"A propulsive, brutal Hunger Games prequel is here. And it's great." <i>The New York Times</i></b></p><p></p><p><b>When you've been set up to lose everything you love, what is there left to fight for?</b></p><p></p><p>As the day dawns on the fiftieth annual Hunger Games, fear grips the districts of Panem. This year, in honor of the Quarter Quell, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes.</p><p></p><p>Back in District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances. All he cares about is making it through the day and being with the girl he loves.</p><p></p><p>When Haymitch's name is called, he can feel all his dreams break. He's torn from his family and his love, shuttled to the Capitol with the three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who's nearly a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. As the Games begin, Haymitch understands he's been set up to fail. But there's something in him that wants to fight . . . and have that fight reverberate far beyond the deadly arena.</p>

Young Adult FictionAction & AdventureSurvival Stories
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Cover of 1Q84

1Q84

by 村上春樹

The novel is a sub-melodramatic sentimental metafictional love story in a ficticious world with two moons in the sky, a thriller packed with cults, assassinations and grotesque sex (newyorkobserver).

New York Times bestsellerFictionNEW LIST 20111231
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Cover of The Knife of Never Letting Go

The Knife of Never Letting Go

by Patrick Ness

<p><b>A dystopian thriller follows a boy and girl on the run from a town where all thoughts can be heard – and the passage to manhood embodies a horrible secret.</b><br><br>Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him -- something so awful Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears too. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn't she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd's gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.</p>

Young Adult FictionAction & AdventureSurvival Stories
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Cover of Ready Player One A Novel

Ready Player One A Novel

by Ernest Cline

<b>#1 <i>NEW YORK TIMES </i>BESTSELLER </b>• <b>Now a major motion picture directed by Steven Spielberg.</b><br><br><b>“Enchanting . . . <i>Willy Wonka </i>meets <i>The Matrix</i>.”—<i>USA Today </i>• “As one adventure leads expertly to the next, time simply evaporates.”—<i>Entertainment Weekly</i></b><br><br><i>A world at stake. A quest for the ultimate prize. Are you ready?</i><br><br>In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days.<br><br>When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself. <br><br>Then Wade cracks the first clue. Suddenly he’s beset by rivals who’ll kill to take this prize. The race is on—and the only way to survive is to win.<br><br><b>NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY <i>Entertainment Weekly </i>• <i>San Francisco Chronicle </i>• <i>Village Voice </i>• <i>Chicago Sun-Times </i>• <i>iO9 </i>• <i>The AV Club</i></b><br><br>“Delightful . . . the grown-up’s Harry Potter.”<b>—<i>HuffPost</i></b><br><br>“An addictive read . . . part intergalactic scavenger hunt, part romance, and all heart.”<b>—CNN</b><br><br>“A most excellent ride . . . Cline stuffs his novel with a cornucopia of pop culture, as if to wink to the reader.”<b>—<i>Boston Globe</i></b><br><br>“Ridiculously fun and large-hearted . . . Cline is that rare writer who can translate his own dorky enthusiasms into prose that’s both hilarious and compassionate.”<b>—NPR</b><br><br>“[A] fantastic page-turner . . . starts out like a simple bit of fun and winds up feeling like a rich and plausible picture of future friendships in a world not too distant from our own.”<b>—<i>iO9</i></b>

Humor & EntertainmentHumorComputers & Internet
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Cover of Kindred

Kindred

by Octavia Butler

<b><b>Experience the novel that redefined American literature by the <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Parable of the Sower, </i>MacArthur “Genius," and Nebula and Hugo award winner<br><br>Selected by<i> The Atlantic</i> as one of the "most consequential novels of the past 100 years"</b> <br><br></b><i>"I lost an arm on my last trip home. My left arm."<br></i><br>Dana's 26th birthday celebration ends when she's ripped from 1976 California and thrust onto a Maryland slave plantation in 1815. Her mission: keep alive the white boy who will grow up to assault her ancestor—because without him, she'll never be born.<br><br>Every trip back grows more dangerous. Dana feels the lash, wears the chains, endures the daily terror that defined millions of lives. She can't just read about slavery's horrors—she lives them, bleeds from them, nearly breaks under them.<br><br>Butler doesn't let you observe from a safe distance. You're trapped in Dana's skin as she navigates impossible choices: submit to survive, or resist and risk everything. You'll feel her desperation as she fights to preserve her humanity while the plantation's brutality threatens to consume her.<br><br>This isn't historical fiction—it's time travel that cuts straight to the bone of American racism. Butler pioneered the neo-slavery narrative that inspired Colson Whitehead's <i>Underground Railroad</i> and Ta-Nehisi Coates's <i>Water Dancer</i>. But <i>Kindred</i> remains unmatched in its raw power to make slavery's legacy feel immediate, personal, and inescapable.<br><br>You'll finish this book changed. Dana's story will lodge itself in your chest and refuse to leave. You'll understand, in ways textbooks never taught you, how the past lives in our present—and why that matters more than ever.<b><br><br></b> “Where stories about American slavery are often gratuitous, reducing its horror to explicit violence and brutality, <i>Kindred</i> is controlled and precise” (<i>New York Times</i>).<br><br>“Reading Octavia Butler taught me to dream big, and I think it’s absolutely necessary that everybody have that freedom and that willingness to dream.” <br>—N. K. Jemisin <br><br>This book has been published with two different covers. Customers will be shipped the cover available.

FictionScience FictionTime Travel
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Cover of Divergent

Divergent

by Veronica Roth

<p>This first book in Veronica Roth's #1 New York Times bestselling Divergent trilogy is the novel the inspired the major motion picture starring Shailene Woodley, Theo James, and Kate Winslet. This dystopian series set in a futuristic Chicago has captured the hearts of millions of teen and adult readers.</p><p>Perfect for fans of the Hunger Games and Maze Runner series, Divergent and its sequels, Insurgent and Allegiant, are the gripping story of a dystopian world transformed by courage, self-sacrifice, and love. Fans of the Divergent movie will find the book packed with just as much emotional depth and exhilarating action as the film, all told in beautiful, rich language.</p><p>One choice can transform you. Beatrice Prior's society is divided into five factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). Beatrice must choose between staying with her Abnegation family and transferring factions. Her choice will shock her community and herself. But the newly christened Tris also has a secret, one she's determined to keep hidden, because in this world, what makes you different makes you dangerous.</p><p>And don't miss Veronica Roth’s thrilling novel Carve the Mark.</p>

Young Adult FictionDystopianRomance
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Cover of The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One)

The Hunger Games (Hunger Games, Book One)

by Suzanne Collins

This Special Edition of <i>The Hunger Games</i> includes the most extensive interview Suzanne Collins has given since the publication of <i>The Hunger Games</i>; an absorbing behind-the-scenes look at the creation of the series; and an engaging archival conversation between Suzanne Collins and YA legend Walter Dean Myers on writing about war. The Special Edition answers many questions fans have had over the years, and gives great insight into the creation of this era-defining work.<p></p>In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to death before-and survival, for her, is second nature. Still, if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weigh survival against humanity and life against love.

Young Adult FictionDystopianAction & Adventure
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Cover of The Maze Runner Series

The Maze Runner Series

by James Dashner

<b>A must-have gift for <i>every</i> collection--from the die-hard Maze Runner fan to the YA book lover just coming to the series to the binge reader who's catching up before <i>The Death Cure</i> movie hits theaters in 2018! This boxed set has the first four paperback books in the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling Maze Runner series: <i>The Maze Runner</i>, <i>The Scorch Trials</i>, <i>The Death Cure</i>, and <i>The Kill Order</i>. Look for the final book in the series<b>--</b><i>The Fever Code</i><b>--</b>on sale now!</b> <p> When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's welcomed to his new home, the Glade, by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone. <p> Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive. <p> Join Thomas and the Gladers in all five books in the Maze Runner series as they uncover the secrets of the maze; discover WICKED, the shadowy organization who put them there; and fight to survive in a new and dangerous world. <p> Enter the World of the Maze Runner series and never stop running. <p> <b>The first and second books, <i>The Maze Runner</i> and <i>The Scorch Trials</i>, are now major motion pictures, with the third--<i>The Death Cure</i>--coming to theaters in 2018, and feature the star of MTV's <i>Teen Wolf</i>, Dylan O'Brien; Kaya Scodelario; Aml Ameen; Will Poulter; and Thomas Brodie-Sangster! Also look for James Dashner's newest bestselling series--The Mortality Doctrine: <i> The Eye of Minds</i>, <i>The Rule of Thoughts</i>, and <i>The Game of Lives</i>.</b> <p> <b>Praise for the Maze Runner series: </b><br> <b>A #1 <i>New York Times</i> Bestselling Series</b><br> <b>A <i>USA Today</i> Bestseller</b><br> <b>A <i>Kirkus Reviews</i> Best Teen Book of the Year</b><br> <b>An ALA-YASLA Best Fiction for Young Adults Book</b><br> <b>An ALA-YALSA Quick Pick</b> <p> "[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as <b>a fusion of <i>Lord of the Flies</i>, <i>The Hunger Games</i>, and <i>Lost</i>.</b>"--EW.com <p> "Wonderful action writing<b>--fast-paced</b>...but smart and well observed."<b>--</b><i>Newsday</i> <p> "[A] <b>nail-biting</b> must-read."<b>--</b>Seventeen.com <p> "Breathless, <b>cinematic action.</b>"--<i>Publishers Weekly</i> <p> "<b>Heart pounding</b> to the very last moment."--<i>Kirkus Reviews</i> <p> "<b>Exclamation-worthy.</b>"--<i>Romantic Times</i>

Juvenile FictionAction & AdventureYoung Adult Fiction
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Cover of The Maze Runner

The Maze Runner

by James Dashner

<b>A must-have gift for every collection--from the die-hard Maze Runner fan to the binge reader looking for a new to viewers of the blockbuster movie franchise! This boxed set has all of the paperback books in the #1 New York Times bestselling Maze Runner series: <i>The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order</i>, and <i>The Fever Code</i>.<br></b> <br>When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's welcomed to his new home, the Glade, by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone. <p>Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive. <p>Join Thomas and the Gladers in all five books in the Maze Runner series as they uncover the secrets of the maze; discover WICKED, the shadowy organization who put them there; and fight to survive in a new and dangerous world. <p>Enter the World of the Maze Runner series and never stop running.<br> <b><br>"[A] mysterious survival saga that passionate fans describe as a fusion of Lord of the Flies, The Hunger Games, and Lost."--<i>EW</i></b>

Young Adult FictionAction & AdventureDystopian
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Cover of The Moon and the Other

The Moon and the Other

by John Kessel

<b>A <i>Washington Post</i> Best Science Fiction and Fantasy Selection of 2017</b><br> <br> <b>“Charming, sexy.” —<i>The Washington Post</i></b><br> <br> <b>John Kessel, one of the most visionary writers in the field, has created a rich matriarchal utopia, set in the near future on the moon, a society that is flawed by love and sex, and on the brink of a destructive civil war.</b><br><br>In the middle of the twenty-second century, over three million people live in underground cities below the moon’s surface. One city-state, the Society of Cousins, is a matriarchy, where men are supported in any career choice, but no right to vote—and tensions are beginning to flare as outside political intrigues increase.<br> <br>After participating in a rebellion that caused his mother’s death, Erno has been exiled from the Society of Cousins. Now, he is living in the Society’s rival colony, Persepolis, when he meets Amestris, the defiant daughter of the richest man on the moon.<br> <br>Mira, a rebellious loner in the Society, creates graffiti videos that challenge the Society’s political domination. She is hopelessly in love with Carey, the exemplar of male privilege. An Olympic champion in low-gravity martial arts and known as the most popular bedmate in the Society, Carey’s more suited to being a boyfriend than a parent, even as he tries to gain custody of his teenage son.<br> <br>When the Organization of Lunar States sends a team to investigate the condition of men in the Society, Erno sees an opportunity to get rich, Amestris senses an opportunity to escape from her family, Mira has a chance for social change, and Carey can finally become independent of the matriarchy that considers him a perpetual adolescent. But when Society secrets are revealed, the first moon war erupts, and everyone must decide what is truly worth fighting for.

FictionFantasyScience Fiction
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Cover of The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel) A Novel

The Handmaid's Tale (Graphic Novel) A Novel

by Margaret Atwood

<b>The stunning graphic novel adaptation • A must-read and collector’s item for fans of “the patron saint of feminist dystopian fiction” (<i>New York Times</i>).</b><br> <br><b>Look for <i>The Testaments</i>, the sequel to <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i></b><br> <br>In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive.<br><br>Provocative, startling, prophetic, <i>The Handmaid’s Tale</i> has long been a global phenomenon. With this beautiful graphic novel adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s modern classic, beautifully realized by artist Renée Nault, the terrifying reality of Gilead has been brought to vivid life like never before.

Comics & Graphic NovelsLiteraryScience Fiction
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Cover of 1984

1984

by George Orwell

<b>Written more than 70 years ago, <i>1984</i> was George Orwell’s chilling prophecy about the future. And while 1984 has come and gone, his dystopian vision of a government that will do anything to control the narrative is timelier than ever...<br><br><b>• Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s <i>The Great American Read •</i></b><br></b><br>“<i>The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.</i>”<br><br>Winston Smith toes the Party line, rewriting history to satisfy the demands of the Ministry of Truth. With each lie he writes, Winston grows to hate the Party that seeks power for its own sake and persecutes those who dare to commit thoughtcrimes. But as he starts to think for himself, Winston can’t escape the fact that Big Brother is always watching...<br><br>A startling and haunting novel, <i>1984</i> creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing from start to finish. No one can deny the novel’s hold on the imaginations of whole generations, or the power of its admonitions—a power that seems to grow, not lessen, with the passage of time.

FictionClassicsPolitical
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Cover of Delirium

Delirium

by Lauren Oliver

<p>Lauren Oliver's powerful New York Times bestselling novel Delirium—the first in a dystopian trilogy—presents a world as terrifying as George Orwell's 1984 and a romance as true as Romeo & Juliet.</p><p>In an alternate United States, love has been declared a dangerous disease, and the government forces everyone who reaches eighteen to have a procedure called the Cure. Living with her aunt, uncle, and cousins in Portland, Maine, Lena Haloway is very much looking forward to being cured and living a safe, predictable life. She watched love destroy her mother and isn't about to make the same mistakes.</p><p>But with ninety-five days left until her treatment, Lena meets enigmatic Alex, a boy from the Wilds who lives under the government's radar. What will happen if they do the unthinkable and fall in love?</p><p>Delirium received starred reviews from Kirkus and School Library Journal, and was named a Best Book of the Year by USA Today, Kirkus, Amazon.com, YALSA, and the Chicago Public Library and was selected as one of NPR's Top 100 Best Ever Teen Novels. </p><p>Supports the Common Core State Standards</p>

Juvenile FictionLove & RomanceSocial Issues
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Cover of Steelheart

Steelheart

by Brandon Sanderson

<b>The #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestseller from Brandon Sanderson, the #1 <i>New York Times</i> bestselling author of <i>Oathbringer</i>, coauthor of Robert Jordan’s The Wheel of Time series, and creator of the internationally bestselling Mistborn trilogy. And don’t miss the rest of the Reckoners series: <i>Firefight</i> and <i>Calamity</i>!</b><br>   Ten years ago, Calamity came. It was a burst in the sky that gave ordinary people extraordinary powers. The awed public started calling them Epics.<br>   Epics are no friends of man. With incredible gifts came the desire to rule. And to rule man, you must crush his will.<br>   Now, in what was once Chicago, an astonishingly powerful Epic named Steelheart has installed himself as emperor. Steelheart possesses the strength of ten men and can control the elements. It is said that no bullet can harm him, no sword can split his skin, and no fire can burn him. He is invincible. Nobody fights back . . . nobody but the Reckoners.<br>   A shadowy group of ordinary humans, the Reckoners spend their lives studying Epics, finding their weaknesses, and then assassinating them. And David wants in.<br>   When Steelheart came to Chicago, he killed David’s father. For years, like the Reckoners, David has been studying, and planning, and he has something they need. Not an object, but an experience.<br>   He has seen Steelheart bleed.<br>   And he wants revenge.<br><b><br>Praise for the Reckoners Series:</b><br><br> <b>#1 <i>New York Times</i> Bestselling Series</b><br><br> “<b>Another win for Sanderson</b> . . . he’s <b>simply a brilliant writer.</b> Period.” —Patrick Rothfuss, author of the <i>New York Times</i> and <i>USA Today</i> bestseller <i>The Name of the Wind</i><br>  <br> “<b>Action-packed.</b>” —EW.com<br>  <br> “<b>Compelling</b>. . . . Sanderson uses plot twists that he teases enough for readers to pick up on to distract from the more dramatic reveals he has in store.” —<i>The A.V. Club</i>

Young Adult FictionBoys & MenDystopian
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Love Dystopian books? Get AI-powered recommendations tailored to your taste in the BookMatcher app.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best dystopian books to read?

Our curated list features the top dystopian books based on reader reviews, critical acclaim, and AI analysis. Top picks include "The Coldest Girl in Coldtown" by Holly Black.

How do I find dystopian books similar to ones I've enjoyed?

Use BookMatcher's "Find Books Like Yours" feature. Enter any dystopian book you love, and our AI will recommend similar reads based on themes, writing style, and atmosphere.

What's the best way to discover new dystopian books?

Take our 60-second Book Match Quiz for personalized recommendations, or browse our curated dystopian lists. You can also download the BookMatcher app for AI-powered recommendations tailored to your taste.

As an Amazon Associate, BookMatcher earns from qualifying purchases. Book recommendations are independently curated by our AI and editorial team.