Mirroring elements of society, the environment, religion, politics, or technology, dystopian novels present a world that, though eerily familiar, can become much more frightening than reality. Read below for the top 5 Dystopian book must-reads.
According to Vulture.com, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, being one of the most well-known dystopian books, continues to be a go-to for anyone starting to read dystopian novels. The trilogy tells the story of Katniss Everdeen, a sixteen-year-old girl living in a world divided into twelve districts, all ruled over by the rich and powerful Capitol. Every year, the Capitol holds a raffle called The Reaping, which determines which twenty-four twelve to eighteen-year-olds will take part in the Hunger Games, a brutal fight to the death. Katniss volunteers when the government selects her sister’s name, and the plot spirals out from there.
Legend by Marie Lu, an underrated novel, tells the story of a future where the U.S has split into two warring nations, the Republic and the Colonies. Legend tells the stories of June Paris, the Republic's most perfect prodigy, and Day, their most wanted criminal. Chapters alternate between Day and June's perspectives, an unusual feature that gives the book more depth. Day and June have no reason to ever meet until the night of June's brother Metias’s murder, and Day becomes the prime suspect. June sets out on a mission to track down her brother's killer and bring him to justice, but on her trip, starts to discover the shocking secrets the Republic has been hiding.
Divergent by Veronica Roth, an original in the dystopian genre, tells the story of sixteen-year-old girl Beatrice Prior, who lives in a futuristic city divided into five factions. Each of these believes the old world fell because of a different negative human trait. Beatrice grew up in Abnegation, the selfless faction, but now has the option of moving to a new faction, which would mean leaving her beloved family and old identity behind. After finding out she possesses a trait called divergence, Beatrice must figure out how to navigate her new faction while discovering herself and hiding her dangerous abilities.
The Maze Runner by James Dashner, takes place in The Glade, a small area surrounded by a huge stone maze. Fifty boys all aged between twelve and eighteen live inside The Glade, and none of them remember anything about their previous lives except their first names. Each month a new boy arrives through an old lift. When Thomas arrives, the Gladers notice that things start to change. Thomas seems different, more curious than the previous boys, and has a strange urge to join the runners, the Gladers, who try to find a way out of the deadly and mysterious maze. Then one day later, a girl arrives into the glade, and everything changes.
Lastly, Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard, follows Mare Barrow, a girl living in poverty and pickpocketing her way to survive. Mare lives in a world where the government divides people by the color of their blood, red or silver, due to the godlike powers of the silver-blooded nobles. After a strange encounter and a whirlwind day among the royals, Mare unlocks powers only a Silver should possess, powers that could destroy her world forever, or save it.
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