Comments on Best Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Fiction - page 2
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the oddest things are on this list. All the Pern books? Harry Potter? Twilight, what?
Why is "To Kill a Mockingbird" on this list?
What is it about utopian and dystopian novels that make them so gooooood.
Ahhhh, Goodreads: Where the likes of Collins and Meyer regularly best the likes of Orwell and Dostoevsky. How refreshingly predictable.
this list is terrible. So many books that don't fit the requirements
A lot of these books don't fit. Creation of an "alternate world" is not the same as a utopia or dystopia!
His Dark Materials - fantasy/alternate world
Metamorphisis - Nightmarish, but not dystopian
Watership Down - Fantasy
Ender's Game - Science-fiction, but not particularly dystopian.
Good Omens - Contemporary fantasy, nothing utopian or dystopian
Graceling - fantasy, nothing utopian or dystopian
A Wrinkle in Time
The Maze Runner - only dystopian in the broadest sense
I love The Hunger Games, but I don't think they're particularly dystopian, as there isn't much political or social commentary. Feed and The Giver are the only true dystopian YA books I can think of.
His Dark Materials - fantasy/alternate world
Metamorphisis - Nightmarish, but not dystopian
Watership Down - Fantasy
Ender's Game - Science-fiction, but not particularly dystopian.
Good Omens - Contemporary fantasy, nothing utopian or dystopian
Graceling - fantasy, nothing utopian or dystopian
A Wrinkle in Time
The Maze Runner - only dystopian in the broadest sense
I love The Hunger Games, but I don't think they're particularly dystopian, as there isn't much political or social commentary. Feed and The Giver are the only true dystopian YA books I can think of.
This list needs a better definition for dystopia. Something like:"A dystopia is a society in a repressive controlled state, kept there through various forms of coercion and often masquerading as a utopia. Police states, caste systems, restricted sense of individuality, repression of invention, abolishment of the family, and technological limitations are a few elements commonly found in dystopian fiction."
Here are a few books that are not dystopian:
The Road - This is a perfect example of anarchy and post-apocalyptic fiction. Since no one is in charge, it is not a dystopia.
Similar post-apocalyptic books in which society, if any exists, are typically to rudimentary to be dystopian: The Stand, I Am Legend, A Canticle for Leibowitz, The Gunslinger, The Passage, Swan Song, Alas, Babylon, Earth Abides
A Clockwork Orange - This may seem dystopian but really it is not. Alex, as the unreliable narrator, is a sociopathic delinquent and the aversion therapy he undergoes, while horrific, was voluntary and not perpetrated against the whole of society. The Metamorphosis also is not representative of society as a whole with its theme of alienation.
Monsters do not automatically denote dystopian societies, likewise, neither do aliens, alien invasions, fantasy realms or wartime governments. Some Examples:
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
The Little Prince
A Wind in the Door
The Left Hand of Darkness
Graceling
The Phantom Tollbooth
Somewhere carnal over 40 winks (which has more votes than ratings)
Neverwhere
The Day of the Triffids
Good Omens
I, Robot
A Wizard of Earthsea
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (as well as any other book in the series)
American Gods
The Mists of Avalon
Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West
Frankenstein
Dracula
New Moon (The Host contains some Utopian/Dystopian ideals but none of the books in the Twilight series do in any form)
Tuck Everlasting
Candide
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell
Gun, with Occasional Music
The Shining
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (including any other book in the series)
Clockwork Angel
Howl's Moving Castle
The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet
Beastly
Dragonflight
Anansi Boys
To Kill a Mockingbird (seriously?)
On the Beach
and so many more...
Heather wrote: "Do people just not know what a Utopia and a Dystopia are?"No... I don't think so. I ask a local book store person if they recommended any good ones that I hadn't read... she pointed me to Jane Austin books. :(
Elisabeth wrote: "A lot of these books don't fit. Creation of an "alternate world" is not the same as a utopia or dystopia!How do you define “Utopia”? Do you define is as an “ideal society” or an ‘ideal society based on my own specific standards or ideals.’ Although the authors may not have been intending to write a Utopian novel, perhaps to some people the 'alternate' world of a particular series or novel IS their definition of the ideal world, i.e. Utopia.
The question that should be asked here is: “what is the criteria for a Utopian novel for this list?”. Is this list based solely on books whose objective was to demonstrate the author’s idea for a Utopian society? Or can it include books that the reader considers to be set in a Utopian society.
If it is the former then according to Wikipedia (who I don’t really consider to be an expert on anything at all, but since it has become a common source I will use it here), there are only 15 genuine Utopian novels ever written. Of which, Plato’s Republic is not included; despite being referenced in the Wikipedia article on “Utopia” as being the first “recorded utopian proposal.” I suppose this particular definition only includes novels written after Thomas Moore’s Utopia.
While I am not to reference the books in question above as either 'utopian' or 'dystopian,' farbeit for me to denounce something such as LOTR or Harry Potter as 'utopian' if someone (who understands the term correctly) feels it fits their concept of an "ideal society" simply because it isn't textbook or doesn't agree with my own views.
I doubt the people who are including those in this list ACTUALLY believe any of them are actually categorized under "dystopian".
When I created the list, I put utopian, dystopian, and other world fiction together because they all create a literary world that I can get lost in. They are similar in the impression they give me.I see everyone's points, and now I don't see "other world" mentioned on the list anymore, so maybe it got edited?
I did put Tolkien and L'Engle on here, under the "other worlds" sub-category.
But I have no idea how Twilight got added!
Great list. Level 7 by Mordecai Roshwald should be included.
I'm not sure at all why Twilight is up here. A distinct species (vampires, werewolves) in a town does NOT mean utopia/dystopia. pretty stupid.
WOW SERIOUSLY, THE HUNGER GAMES IS NUMBER ONE? WHAT HAS THIS WORLD COME TO??? THE HUNGER GAMES IS IN NO WAY BETTER THAN 1984, ANIMAL FARM, BRAVE NEW WORLD, FAHRENHEIT 451, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, OR NEVER LET ME GO. THERE'S A TON OF STUPID TEENAGE GIRLS ON THIS SITE THAT WILL VOTE FOR AN IDIOTIC NOVEL LIKE THE HUNGER GAMES OVER REAL LITERATURE THAT PROPERLY CONVEYS A DYSTOPIA WITH ACTUAL MEANING. THESE IDIOT GIRLS ARE ONLY VOTING FOR THE HUNGER GAMES BECAUSE THEY HAVE A CRUSH ON THE MALE CHARACTERS. YOU DUMB GIRLS NEED A REALITY CHECK. YOU HAVE CRAP TASTE IN BOOKS, IT IS A DISGRACE TO PUT HUNGER GAMES ABOVE THOSE OTHER NOVELS.
Strange list. Many are not utopian or dystopian in nature. I think some people are confused.......so many of these books are purely science fiction or fantasy.
Becca wrote: "I think its funny that people are asking why Harry Potter and LOTR are up there, and not asking why Twilight is up there..."Twilight's on the list? That is hilarious!!=))
There are a lot of books on this list that aren't really utopia/dystopia... This confuses me.
The Host by Stephanie Meyer would qualify, her other books, the Twilight Series, though don't belong.
The Host? Honestly, people? The sci-fi novel written by Stephanie "sparkly vampires" Meyer?
cosmicdreamer wrote: "WOW SERIOUSLY, THE HUNGER GAMES IS NUMBER ONE? WHAT HAS THIS WORLD COME TO??? THE HUNGER GAMES IS IN NO WAY BETTER THAN 1984, ANIMAL FARM, BRAVE NEW WORLD, FAHRENHEIT 451, THE HANDMAID'S TALE, OR N..."Whoa, calm down! The Hunger Games isn't necessarily "worse" than all those books you mentioned, it's just different. There doesn't have to be a "better" or "worse".
The Hunger Games is still a powerful allegory of our own mass-media MTV-culture-oriented society, highlighting how shallow & desensitized we've all come to be.
Genericusername wrote: "how is it that not one phillip k. dick novel made it to this list?"#37. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? is definitely PKD, and one of my favorite books. :)
Genericusername wrote: "how is it that not one phillip k. dick novel made it to this list?"The Man in the High Castle is on here, too. Also a PKD novel. #86. :)
Oh my god I can't believe the Hunger Games is ahead of so many classics. I mean, REALLY???????
I wouldn't call The Road dystopian. Post-apocalyptic, but not dystopian.
OK nevermind. Clearly a lot of people don't know what Utopian and dystopian fiction is.
Dayna! wrote: "Oh my god I can't believe the Hunger Games is ahead of so many classics. I mean, REALLY???????"Who's to say that it won't be a classic in time?
These modern dystopia books being written for young people aren't necessarily worse than the classic ones. The classic ones are very very political, whereas these ones tend to explore more obscure ideas. Regardless, I think House of the Scorpion is the best of the lot.
Gabriel wrote: "The Host? Honestly, people? The sci-fi novel written by Stephanie "sparkly vampires" Meyer?"The Host is so different from the Twilight Series, sometimes I doubt she really wrote it.
Genericusername wrote: "how is it that not one phillip k. dick novel made it to this list?"There is 4 PKD books in the first 200 (all I've looked through)
first being (31) Do Androids Dream of Electric... Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Then High Castle, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and A Scanner Darkly....
Granted I thought he should have been much higher since one of his focuses is dystopia...and he is one of my favorite authors.
That awkward moment when half of these books are neither dystopian or utopian...
Si pusieron en utopias/distopias a 100 años de soledad, se notan que no cachan ná pa'donde va la micro con el "Realismo Mágico"// If you put "One hundred years of solitude" in this list, clearly don't understand what "Magic Realism" is
Oscar wrote: "How is "gormeghast" not up there?"Excellent book, but not dystopian.
The Hunger Games #1. Are you kidding me? 1984's dystopia is so much more in depth than that of the hunger games. In Oceania everybody is subject to constant watch and living hell on a daily basis, in the Panem only 23 people (in the novel 22) have to die.
How the heck is the Hunger Games a better dystopia than F451 or 1984? HOW???
I am confused as to why "The Hunger Games" is on this list, never mind the top. Is it really better than 1984, Brave New World, or Battle Royal (the book it plagiarizes)? Shame you can't vote a book off the list. ;P
Shreya wrote: "How the heck is the Hunger Games a better dystopia than F451 or 1984? HOW???"completely agree with you here. one is a piece of "literature" and the other is a popular young adult novel. As always, it's about perspective. In 50 years 451 will still be remembered and celebrated while the Hunger Games series will fade. Granted I liked the Hunger Games I just don't think it's as a significant piece of writing as some of these others, like 451....
How are "The Hunger Games" better than "The Giver" or classics like "1984"? C'mon people, just because a book has tons of hype doesn't mean it's the end all be all of dystopian fiction!
Sara wrote: "How is one hundred years of solitude Utopian, Dystopian or other worldly?I wish someone could illuminate me."
Love your comment.
Emily wrote: "Harry Potter and The Lord of the Rings do not belong on this list."I whole heartedly agree. Sometimes I wonder if people even know what the word "dystopian" means
This list and it's standings has me highly concerned. The Hunger Games, number one? Out ranking Lord of the Flies, Battle Royale, and A Clockwork Orange? Ack.
"Dystopias are often characterized by dehumanization,[1] totalitarian governments, environmental disaster,[2] or other characteristics associated with a cataclysmic decline in society." - Wikipedia. Half of these books do not even come close to falling under this category. Harry Potter for one is practically even a utopia; a world where magic and magical creatures exists would be and is much desired, even if there is seriously only one bad guy ever. Plus it even has a happy ending. Secondly, having the hunger games be number 1? Ridiculous. Not only is it just a good book at best, but it's not even original. Battle Royale is nearly the same exact book only better, darker, and it was written first. Whoever voted on this list has obviously never actually read books in their life; merely heard about them from friends who actually know what they're talking about.
Horton Hears A Who... HORTON HEARS A MOTHERFUCKING WHO!Are you fucking kidding me?! This is seriously one of the most abysmal excuses for a literary list that I have seen in my life, and that is saying something considering the absolute dreck that most people seem to favour nowadays. Words cannot truly encapsulate the massive pile of shite that is this list and while it may be of utterly no consequence that it exists it still somehow manages to be a burden upon my soul. I could go on at length about what a travesty it is that The Hunger Games managed to eke out first place above 19-fucking-84. Weeks could be spent lamenting the fact that anything written by Stephanie "I can't write for shit" Meyer made it onto this list, let alone made it into a spot above Snow Crash and Neuromancer!
But I honestly can't be fucked to do so. Just let it be said that Orwell and Wells and Philip K. Dick would be rolling around in their graves if they gave a single shit what a bunch of mongrel idiots such as this community is made up of think. I'll just cap off my insults by saying whoever submitted a Dr. Seuss book to this list and anyone who voted on it should be beaten to death with one of Robert Jordan's prologues.
Hi everyone,I have created a new group called Goodreads All Sorts and I'd love for people to join it or just even just give it a look. It's a group that discusses anything and everything. There will be monthly group reads, movies, and music. There is a folder for everything you could think of. I'd really like if people could spread the word because I'd love for the group to be a success. Here is the link to the group:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/9...
Thanks very much,
Jack :-)
Amber wrote: "The Wanting Seed"should be rated high too.
My book, The Orb of Truth, was placed onto this list by someone and I feel it is not the correct category. Can the admin please remove my book from this list?The Orb of Truth by Brae Wyckoff is an epic fantasy.
thank you!
NOTHING by Stephenie Meyer should be here!"
YES! My god, how does no one know of this book?