The Best Dystopian Novels Plunge You into Darkness but Also Give You Hope

Our first novel is The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells (1895). The protagonist travels into a world where humanity is divided into two races. One is the peaceful and childlike Eloi and the other is the monstrous Morlocks. Based on this, Wells showcases the widening gap between the socioeconomic classes.

Our next stop is Aldous Huxley's (1932) Brave New World. This society, called the World State, is centered on science and control. Here, there is no place for emotions and individuality. At a young age, children are taught that there are no long-lasting relationships. This new world is disease-free and people live on controlled and superficial happiness.

The tour brings us to Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell (1949). Big Brother takes its job seriously and keeps a keen eye on people, places, and things. Winston Smith is a low-ranking member of “The Party,” and is discontent with the ever-present intrusion of Big Brother. It controls every aspect of the lives of the people. Here, privacy and free thought are things of the past. “The Party” gives a picture of absolute power, and it isn’t pretty.

We pull up short to the year 1951 to John Wyndham's The Day of the Triffids. There’s a meteor shower, which blinds most of the population. To wit, there are plants with stingers that hunt humans. The sighted people are tasked with taking care of the blind, and they must also figure out a way to stop the growth of the plants that have locomotive ability. This novel explores survival and community service.

We can feel the heat as we approach Ray Bradbury’s 1953 novel Fahrenheit 451. This future society bans books. Any that are found are burned by “firemen.” The protagonist is a fireman whose conscience bothers him. He’s beginning to feel that perhaps burning books isn’t the right thing to do. He’s in a dilemma that involves his personal beliefs and his loyalty to the government. The act of burning books allows us to realize what the abolition of human individuality entails.

Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson (1978) is a dystopian story where wealthy people have fled the city, leaving behind the poor who are controlled by a murderous criminal. In desperation, a young woman bargains with the gods. New legends are formed. This story showcases magic and folklore.

 Next, we come eye to eye with Margaret Atwood’s 1985 story of The Handmaid's Tale. In this story about a totalitarian state, most of the women are infertile. However, some of the handmaids are fertile and must bear children for the elite couples who cannot. This is a hard gaze into the misuse of religion to justify inequality.

Continuing our tour, we come to The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006). In this post-apocalyptic world, a father and son trek across a barren landscape, hoping to survive cunning people who try to kill and eat them. Despite fighting many threats and facing gripping starvation, the bond between father and son grows. The test for survival looms large in this novel.

Next, we enter the arena of The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008). In this story, teens compete in a televised death match. The rich organize the Hunger Games yearly where a boy and a girl fight in battle. This is done by the rich to punish the poor districts. The games help in desensitizing that which is horrible.

 Our tour ends with Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014). This is a tale about a devastating flu that cripples the world population. A nomadic group of actors roam the scattered outposts and face many threats. These survivors attempt to reconstruct civilization while embracing the power of the arts despite the bleakness of times.