Dystopia Land discussion

I've been thinking of putting up some short stories for group reads instead of whole books. Seems easier and and not that obliging. I would love some short story suggestions.

Is there a discussion thread for The Lottery yet?

Ooh, also as another suggestion, how about "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin? It can be read free online here.

Michele wrote: "Is there a discussion thread for The Lottery yet?"

Oh, I'll make one now, Sorry :D

Michele wrote: "Is there a discussion thread for The Lottery yet?

Ooh, also as another suggestion, how about "The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas" by Ursula Le Guin? It can be read free online here."

Here it is: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Will it be here, if there is? Or elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this one.

Marilyn wrote: "Will it be here, if there is? Or elsewhere. I'm looking forward to this one."

Here is the link for the discussion topic. I like to create a new one for each book/story read, but it is okay if you guys open discussion topics as well. ;)

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Can you put some Ray Bradbury in there? It might not be exactly dystopian. I have some other suggestions that are "almost dystopian" but not quite. Should I suggest any?

If it's not raunchy, I would like to suggest you to read my short story The Axe.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1...

Roderick wrote: "Can you put some Ray Bradbury in there? It might not be exactly dystopian. I have some other suggestions that are "almost dystopian" but not quite. Should I suggest any?"

Please go ahead :]

I noticed that this one is also free, shelved as Dystopian and the author is Ursula K. Le Guin
The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas

Another free dystopian short stor:
2BR02B

And this is an anthology of dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories:
After: Nineteen Stories of Apocalypse and Dystopia

And another compilation of dystopian stories:
Brave New Worlds

Found another one:

Dystopia: Collected Stories

I'll read 2BR02B. Should I start a discussion topic for it, or is that the job of the moderator?

Thanks,
Rick

I would be willing to provide free copies of my short stories should the group be interested in discussing them. Thanks!

Roderick wrote: "I'll read 2BR02B. Should I start a discussion topic for it, or is that the job of the moderator?

Thanks,
Rick"

No go ahead. I'm leaving it to you.


Vardan wrote: "I would be willing to provide free copies of my short stories should the group be interested in discussing them. Thanks!"

That seems like a great idea, what would the other participants say?

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Roderick wrote: "I'll read 2BR02B. Should I start a discussion topic for it, or is that the job of the moderator?

Thanks,
Rick"

No go ahead. I'm leaving it to you.


Vardan wrote: "I would be w..."

Thanks, Ellie, I would also be willing to participate in any discussion that may take place

So what should we read next? It can be some of Vardans short stories, or anything else that you guys think would be appropriate?

Do we want to read a collection or just one or two singles?

Michele wrote: "Do we want to read a collection or just one or two singles?"

For me if doesn't matter, though I think it would be best to discuss the stories separately if it is a collection, or just the most notable ones.

Which ones do you have in minds?

For stories, let's see...I mentioned The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas before, it's one of my favorites. Ayn Rand's Anthem is a novella so almost a short story. Ooh, or what about Harrison Bergeron?

Michele wrote: "For stories, let's see...I mentioned The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas before, it's one of my favorites. Ayn Rand's Anthem is a novella so almost a short story. Ooh, or w..."

The ones who walked away from Omelas is something that I wanted to read for some time.

It's the first time I am hearing about Harrison Bergeron, but I would be up for it as well. If it turns out to be as good I might start liking Vonnegut. :)

I don't mind re-reading Anthem, if other people are up for it.

But lets see what other people will say as well.

I really need to read The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Other than The Lottery and 2BR02B and short story compilations, I can't even think of any other well-known dystopian short stories.

Chris wrote: "I really need to read The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas. Other than The Lottery and 2BR02B and short story compilations, I can't even think of any other well-known dystopian short sto..."

Well let's read it then. Because I also want to read it. If Michele agrees with our choice :D

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Well let's read it then. Because I also want to read it. If Michele agrees with our choice :D "

You mentioned earlier in the thread that it is available for free. Do you happen to know which site has it? I didn't find it for free on Amazon the way I did 2BR02B.

I found it here: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/dun...

I hope that isn't against any copyright. I remember I found Anthem for free, no sure I've seen this one though.

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "I found it here: http://www-rohan.sdsu.edu/faculty/dun...

I hope that isn't against any copyright. I remember I found Anthem for free, no sure I've seen this one though."


Awesome, thanks!

I opened a discussion topic here: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Thanks, To Read.

Hi guys. I was looking at Vardan's short stories. Should we give a try to the I, the Provocateur or The After/Life?

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Hi guys. I was looking at Vardan's short stories. Should we give a try to the I, the Provocateur or The After/Life?"

Thanks so much for the suggestion Ellie...I will be thrilled to participate in the read-along and any possible discussion.

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Hi guys. I was looking at Vardan's short stories. Should we give a try to the I, the Provocateur or The After/Life?"

Ooh, those look great!

From the author's goodreads page: "Vardan...mixes influences from writers such as Stephen King, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harry Harrison, Alfred Bester, Ernest Hemingway and Ian Fleming with the eternal themes of a man's strive for freedom, the quest for self discovery and the knowledge of the unknown, presented on the backdrop of sometimes fantastical surroundings and events."

Pretty amazing set of influences!!

for a little taste of my writing, you can pick up my short story The White Wolf: The Hunts I it's currently free on Amazon here:

The White Wolf: The Hunts I

I have discounted the rest of my books to 0.99c because I kind of figured that my priority is really sharing my works with the readers - not making a spaceship load of money (which anyway seems highly unlikely in our present circumstances)

Vardan wrote: "(which anyway seems highly unlikely in our present circumstances) "

It's sad. It also seems very difficult for a good author to be found as there is a flood of people publishing. At least anyone can publish, they don't need to be approved by a publishing house. A lot of pros and cons coming from this digital era.

Michele, everyone else, should we try some of his works? I was also thinking Kafka has some free of copyright novels. The Trial and The Metamorphosis can both be read on GR and are around 200 pages.

Hi Ellie,

You said, "It's sad. It also seems very difficult for a good author to be found as there is a flood of people publishing. At least anyone can publish, they don't need to be approved by a publishing house. A lot of pros and cons coming from this digital era."

I fully agree with you there. I would also say that's what's being published by the big houses isn't necessarily the best writing either in many cases. It's a very subjective business.

I would be willing to read short stories as this is a short stories thread. That means works less than 20 pages for me, preferably free, but I'd be willing to support the author for .99 cents. Vardan's works didn't look like short stories to me. Is that correct Vardan? I'm always willing to let an author try to get me intrigued. Hopefully, that doesn't take 100 pages to do or I probably won't make it.

I think some Kafka would be great, but for a book read, right?

Roderick wrote: "I fully agree with you there. I would also say that's what's being published by the big houses isn't necessarily the best writing either in many cases. It's a very subjective business."

Yes, since they publish what would sell the most, it seems to target specific audiences, which means less diversity. Books are more accessible.



Well I am trying to find free short stories. And it's certainly easier to have a discussion about a short story, since it can be read in a day, and it is going to be fresh in the minds of people for a good discussion.

I'm not sure I could arrange a book discussion with enough participants for a good discussion. We could try though. We can have a poll or a separate topic. Nominate some books (free or not) and have a group read.

Hi Ellie,

Yeah, I think it's a good idea to have books separate from short stories. What I've done in the Trauma Novels GR group (I'm a moderator) is start a thread titled "What's Next?", gather recommendations, then start a poll based on those for the next month. You were also a positive influence on me :-) I liked the short story idea and I started a thread for that too...Whenever there is a lull in book discussions, short stories are nice fillers...Hope I'm helpful here...Whatever you decide, I support you 100%...Love what you're doing here...

Roderick wrote: "Hi Ellie,

You said, "It's sad. It also seems very difficult for a good author to be found as there is a flood of people publishing. At least anyone can publish, they don't need to be approved by a..."

Hey Roderick,

Both The After/Life and I, the Provocateur are novels but I can suggest my short stories The Uncertainty Consolation and The Old Man and the Flower ...both stories are on a .99c sale on Amazon.

Concerning the preference for traditionally published or indie authors, the jury is stil very much out on the topic and I think the core issue is the story that is being told. In that sense, the indie author has much more liberty than an author whose work is accomodated to the current market needs by an agent and a publishing house. At the same time, the indie author is prone to auto-limitations for the same purpose :)

Roderick wrote: "Hi Ellie,

Yeah, I think it's a good idea to have books separate from short stories. What I've done in the Trauma Novels GR group (I'm a moderator) is start a thread titled "What's Next?", gather ..."

Thanks, we used to have a monthly read, but not many people were taking part of and I wasn't always able, so I though, hey a short story would be better. But we can give a try with a book. I'll open another topic for that soon :)

Thanks, it's good if any of my ideas help other mods. I was even thinking there should be a group only for short stories, but didn't find any.

Vardan wrote: "In that sense, the indie author has much more liberty than an author whose work is accomodated to the current market needs by an agent and a publishing house."

That is what I was thinking, but you said it way better. :D

Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Vardan wrote: "In that sense, the indie author has much more liberty than an author whose work is accomodated to the current market needs by an agent and a publishing house."

That is what I was th..."

It's a tough call... I mean when I look at the indie market today the amount of rip-off ninjas and cash-grab wannabes is remarkable. It is understandable for people are trying to use an opportunity to make some money but at the same time it is eventually a losing game (50 shades of grey is laughing at me right about now) as the low quality supply is always bigger than the readers' demand and 99.9% of the indie books go unnoticed. Thus, if there is a 99.9% chance that not many people will read your works isn't it better to write what you really want to write and use the kind of creative liberty that only indie publishing can grant?

Vardan wrote: "Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Vardan wrote: "In that sense, the indie author has much more liberty than an author whose work is accomodated to the current market needs by an agent and a publishing ho..."

Vardan,

I'll read one of your short stories and participate in any discussion about it. Which one would you suggest? BTW, I have a friend in Armenia who does TedX talks every now and then. Very nice guy.

Hi Ellie, you're right. I find it difficult to get people to participate. I think it helps when you let your members choose, but it isn't a guarantee. I've been lucky to find a few people that really do like to talk about books. I'll commit to participating in any conversation about "The Trial" or "Metamorphosis" if you do a monthly read.

I also agree with you on your Indie opinions. Since supply overwhelms demand, how do you tell what is quality vs. garbage? Amazon's rating system doesn't really provide differentiation does it? Is that on purpose? I predict we'll see more reputable Indie filtering sites pop up. As an author myself, I believe Indie does have its place though. It is a haven where stuff traditional publishing will never touch can have a life. I've had one agent essentially tell me to take out the metaphors because it isn't marketable. As my quest for representation continues, having the freedom to do it like I like becomes more and more appealing. The danger though is one can get lost in the mosh.

It's a changing world, and everyone who is a serious writer must adapt. The adaptation isn't painless however.

All the best!

Roderick wrote: "Vardan wrote: "Ellie [The Empress] wrote: "Vardan wrote: "In that sense, the indie author has much more liberty than an author whose work is accomodated to the current market needs by an agent and ..."

Thanks so much, Roderick! I suggest reading The Uncertainty Consolation if you're in the mood for a more existential sci-fi and The Old Man and the Flower for a post-apocalyptic tale...

Armenia is a small place and I will probably recognize the person you are talking about... what is his name?

Vardan, just bought "The Old Man and the Flower." I like these dystopian themes. Sounds similar to "The Road" which is a top-ten book for me. Will be interested to read.

My friend's name is Hayk Hakobyan. He has been traveling the world working in various places over the years but now is back in Armenia (for how long, I'm not sure)...

I found out I have the two novels I suggested. I don't remember if you send them to me or if they were free at some point. But we can go for a short story.

Roderick, I bought the same one so we can discuss it. I also recently finished the Road, and I am a fan of dark and depressing works.

Edit: Another point I was thinking about a group read is that people don't read with all the groups they participate in, but usually choose one. I know that I wouldn't like all my reads to be dictated by a poll or a group.

edit2: I might disappear the next 3-4 days because I have some really long shifts. I have opened a discussion topic for this story here

Sounds good to me!

RE> Dystopia themes....We better be careful or we'll start sounding like Marvin from "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy"...ie..."I'm so depressed..." :-)

At least we'll understand the answer to the universe...Which is?

Roderick wrote: "At least we'll understand the answer to the universe...Which is? "

42 if I remember correctly.

Yes! :-)

the one crucial thing is never, ever leave without a towel (yeah, and don't panic:))

Roderick wrote: "Vardan, just bought "The Old Man and the Flower." I like these dystopian themes. Sounds similar to "The Road" which is a top-ten book for me. Will be interested to read.

My friend's name is Hay..."

thanks Roderick and thank Ellie :) I hope you enjoy it

Ellie, let me know when you post the discussion thread. To all the skeptics out there listening (myself included), this story is worth the read.

Roderick wrote: "Ellie, let me know when you post the discussion thread. To all the skeptics out there listening (myself included), this story is worth the read."

hey Roderick...I think here is the topic: https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

I look forward to hearing your opinion about the story :) and thanks for overcoming your skepticism

Here is a dystopian stand alone short about "the ignorant voter" in the dystopian nation of City-State: