The 30 Greatest Dystopian Books Of All Time
Published by Forbes on Jul 29, 2024
Written by Josh Lora
“For decades, writers have conjured nightmare worlds to terrify generations of readers. While the dystopian genre may have had a huge peak in the early 2010s, with dozens of additions to the dystopia canon, dystopian books have existed for almost two hundred years.
This list of best dystopian books will define what the dystopian genre consists of and guide readers across the landscape of dystopian novels, from books featuring seemingly perfect societies in the near future, to advanced civilizations paralyzed by inequality. These books are dark, thought-provoking tales that challenge the reader by invoking systemic problems and flinging them into stark relief.”
Coming in at number 6 on the list (just behind chilling classics like George Orwell’s 1984 and Maragret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale):
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
A blend of post-apocalyptic and dystopian fiction, The Dog Stars also centers on a society ravaged by a global pandemic, leaving pockets of survivors to fend for themselves in a largely uninhabited world. Receiving a radio transmission after years of silence, protagonist Hig and his dog set out to discover the mysteries of the new world and the dangers outside his pocket of safety. Gripping, moving, and poignant, The Dog Stars is recommended for readers who love stories about human perseverance and against-all-odds survival fiction. Peter Heller’s The Dog Stars can be purchased from publisher Penguin Random House.
View the full list and article here.