Ever wonder what the world will look like in 50 years? In dystopian fiction, authors let their imaginations roam down dark paths as they write about future societies in which things have gone terribly wrong for humanity. Usually, these nightmarish situations focus on environmental problems, controlling governments and other detriments to society while offering commentary on our current social conditions.
Although this sounds dark and depressing, dystopian fiction is hugely popular and spans multiple genres, featuring some of the most amazing fiction ever written.
So if you're looking to try something new, dark and dangerous, give these dystopian titles a try:
On Such a Full Sea by Chan-Rae Lee, which earned the cover of The New York Times Book Review in January, focuses on the life of Fan, a young woman who lives in a colony in futuristic America known as B-Mor. Her family has been there for decades as her ancestors came across from an environmentally destroyed China. She works in a small community providing food for the mysterious upper class. She lives a peaceful and content life until the day the man she loves disappears unexpectedly and Fan decides to leave her colony to venture into the treacherous depths of a new, chaotic America to find him. Beautiful prose, elegant storytelling and intriguing adventure make this story truly original.
Dystopian authors often use imaginative and futuristic technology as part of their backdrop. In Ready Player One by Earnest Cline, Earth has become so unlivable that people spend all of their time in the OASIS, a utopian virtual reality game where people log in to escape the horrors of the world around them. But things get less than idyllic when the creator of the game dies and leaves a final quest behind for its users. He has hidden five keys in the game and whoever can find them will win his fortune and inherit the company. Wade Watts is desperate to win the jackpot and devotes all of his time to the task, as millions do around the world. But when Wade finally manages to discover the first key, he finds himself in extreme danger, coming under attack from people who will do absolutely anything to win. This book is an action-packed adventure that will capture you from the beginning. Creative and chilling, Ready Player One will appeal to those who crave a fast-paced thrill ride.
In a world where Facebook and Twitter are so entwined in our lives, reading a book like Feed by M.T. Anderson is fascinating. Titus and Violet are two teens growing up in a futuristic world where, at birth, the internet is implanted in your brain and is referred to as "the feed." The feed gives you information about things to buy, things to do, places to go and more. It invades your thoughts with advertisements and has made people insensitive, stupid and shallow. And when Violet's feed begins to malfunction, Titus is forced to reconsider the life to which he has become accustomed. This book is a brilliant social commentary that targets our deepest fears about consumerism and corporate control, with clever and imaginative details that make it eerily realistic.
If you're looking for some Canadian classics, Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood is a wonderful place to start. The first novel in the three-book series is set in a futuristic world where genetic engineering has taken over. The story is told by Snowman, the last "normal" human left on Earth, and jumps between past and present as he recalls how the world came to this sorry state and how he played an important role in its destruction. Oryx and Crake is at times funny, at times disturbing but always interesting and beautifully written. And if you love Oryx and Crake, you can grab the next two titles in the series, The Year of the Flood and MaddAdam.
For more dystopian titles, contact your local library. We love talking about books, so if you're looking for your next great read, visit or call us and we'll be happy to help.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Sarah Dearman is information services librarian at the Terry Fox Library in Port Coquitlam.
