8 Dystopian Reads for Our Times

How would you describe the past two years? Surreal? Orwellian? Dystopian? There’s a new breed of fiction that is touching on experiences of the pandemic, climate disaster and more terrifying futures that are starting to feel all too real. Continue reading for eight great works of dystopian fiction.

The Hush by Sara Foster

Bestselling author Sara Foster’s latest novel is set in a post-COVID Britain. Citizens are forced to wear smart watches (sound familiar?) that monitor their health, track their location, spending, and even record their conversations. Surveillance laws restrict individual freedoms and control women’s reproductive rights. This makes for one terrifying hypothetical scenario but a fantastic work of fiction.

Buy a copy of The Hush here.

The Last Woman in the World by Inga Simpson

In The Last Woman in the World, Simpson envisages a near-future Australia that is affected by bushfires, pandemics and climate disasters. It’s both an edge-of-seat literary thriller and a powerful lament to our natural world.

Buy a copy of The Last Woman in the World here.

Unsheltered by Clare Moleta

At times tender, at times terrifying, Unsheltered is an engrossing, unpredictable novel set in an unrecognisable future Australia. It’s a brilliant debut – a feat of imagination that asks if our humanity is the only protection we have left.

Buy a copy of Unsheltered here.

The Others by Mark Brandi

Brandi’s latest novel, The Others, is a timely tale, told from the perspective of a child. It deftly touches upon the aftermath of the pandemic on society, the impact of mental illness, and the innocence of children, both gained and lost.

Buy a copy of The Others here.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Masterfully conceived and executed, this haunting vision of the future in which women are reduced to sexual servitude places Margaret Atwood at the forefront of dystopian fiction. Its enduring popularity is evident through the award-winning TV adaptation and its place on our Top 100 list year after year.

Buy a copy of The Handmaid’s Tale here.

1984 by George Orwell

Another classic, 1984 is George Orwell’s terrifying vision of a totalitarian future in which everything and everyone is slave to a tyrannical regime. There’s good reason the term Orwellian entered our vocabulary…

Buy a copy of 1984 here.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The hugely popular YA series that was also turned into a hit film series. In a future America controlled by the tyrannical Capital, twelve boys and twelve girls are forced to appear in a live event called The Hunger Games. There is only one rule: kill or be killed.

Buy a copy of The Hunger Games here.

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Divergent is another blockbuster YA read turned film, about 16-year-old Tris who must make difficult choices in a future society that is divided into five factions based on human virtues.

Buy a copy of Divergent here.