The 25 best dystopian books of all time

1984 by George Orwell (1949)

George Orwell’s classic tale of governmental oversight and constraints of freethinking remains relevant in modern discourse as the term “Orwellian” is used (and misused) constantly. But the book that coined that term, 1984, is a thought-provoking and expertly crafted novel.

The story follows Winston Smith, a skillful worker rewriting history in the Ministry of Truth, who starts to look back fondly on the days before the Party took over the region of Oceania and implemented their cult of personality devoid of free thought and individuality. With its beautiful prose and incredible world-building, Orwell’s 1984 remains more relevant today than ever before, making it a must-read for our times. —Robert English

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (1999)

Before The Hunger Games‘ explosive popularity, Koushun Takami’s Battle Royale originated the thorny concept of a dystopian future in which children square off in a deadly competition. The controversial novel (and its 2000 film adaptation) is set in an alternate version of Japan run by a fascist government that instills fear in the masses by selecting 50 junior high school students every year and forcing them to kill each other until only one remains. Takami’s novel is inherently thought-provoking on a conceptual level, but what elevates it is its investment in the humanity of the competition’s unlucky participants. —Kevin Jacobsen

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley (1932)

Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World is one of the best American novels of the 20th century (and a subpar short-lived show on Peacock in 2020) and surprisingly apt at predicting future scientific advancements, including reproductive technology and psychological conditioning. In a dystopia whose citizens are genetically engineered and set into a hierarchy, the novel’s protagonist, “Alpha” psychologist Bernard, challenges the system and the forces behind it by daring to explore the old world…and even bring part of it back with him. Controversial and thought-provoking, Brave New World is a novel that has enjoyed continued analysis. —R.E.

A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess (1962)

Anthony Burgess creates a terrifying and transgressive future in A Clockwork Orange, a tale of youth rebelling against authority, but in a far less charmed or inspiring manner than other contenders on this list. Our narrator is Alex, an apathetic and depraved teen gang leader who is as pleased by violence as he is enthralled with classical music. But when his heinous crimes land him in state-sanctioned aversion therapy, morality’s lines only get blurrier.

With inventive slang and a controversial finale that has had fans and scholars debating the character’s motivations for decades, A Clockwork Orange is a prime example of dystopian literature done right. The 1971 film adaptation from director Stanley Kubrick is also an artful interpretation of Burgess’ nightmare world. —R.E.

The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin (1974)

Science fiction author Ursula K. Le Guin’s Hainish Cycle series spans seven books about a human society that has colonized multiple planets in the galaxy — and 1974’s The Dispossessed is the standout installment. In the novel, Shevek, a physicist, must travel to a utopian world, Urras, in order to take down the walls of hatred his planet of anarchists have developed. Unique in its explorations of anarchy, capitalism, and individualism, The Dispossessed deserved each one of its many awards, and is an undeniable cornerstone for the genre. —R.E.

The Drowned World by J.G. Ballard (1962)

Incredibly prescient and undeniably unique, J.G. Ballard’s The Drowned World is a striking work of dystopian climate fiction. Set in the year 2145, where climate change and solar radiation have melted the polar ice caps and swallowed most of the human world, a biologist and his team navigate a hellish landscape populated by giant iguanas and prehistoric monsters. The novel is unsettling but thrilling, and a classic work that has stood the test of time. —R.E.

Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card (1985)

Ender’s Game is one of the select few winners of both the Nebula award and the Hugo award for achievement in sci-fi/fantasy fiction, though its 2013 film adaptation got mixed reviews. This classic novel — often read by high schoolers despite its mature themes — is set in a futuristic world where Earth’s inhabitants have fought in two conflicts with an alien species known as the “buggers,” and now they’re hoping to prevent a third. Child soldiers are recruited, including the gifted Andrew “Ender” Wiggin, for a series of war simulations to help fight against the aliens…but can the government be trusted? —K.J.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury (1953)

A classic of world literature, Fahrenheit 451 follows Guy Montag, a firefighter whose job is to burn books along with the houses where the now-illegal texts are hidden. But, once Guy meets his young neighbor, Clarisse — who teaches him about the freedom and imagination of the past — he begins to question his role in the world and what’s at stake when we deny basic truths. Striking in its satire with a message more important than ever, Ray Bradbury’s deftly written novel remains a must-read for any fan of fiction. —R.E.

The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993)

An influential and crowd-pleasing work, Lois Lowry’s acclaimed novel is the first in a franchise that kept on giving. Jonas, a 12-year-old in a colorless environment, is chosen to become the new Receiver of Memory as a life assignment, a role that forces him to remember the entire past of the world and confront the dark truth about his society’s hidden secrets. Spawning countless sequels and a 2014 movie starring Jeff Bridges, Meryl Streep, and Taylor Swift, The Giver is a classic work of YA dystopian fiction for the ages. —R.E.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1985)

Margaret Atwood’s cultural phenomenon has found a resurgence in popularity after the success of the Hulu series starring Elisabeth Moss and connections to current political events — and it’s just as powerful as it was when it first hit bookshelves in 1985. Offred, a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, remembers the years before, living peacefully with her husband and daughter. But now, she exists in a world where she is forbidden to read, forced to make a baby for her “commander,” and only as valuable as her ovaries. Satirical, horrifying, and surprisingly funny, The Handmaid’s Tale is an incredible work of American literature that deserves every ounce of recognition it has accumulated over the past decades. —R.E.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (2008)

At the height of YA book-to-movie franchise adaptations, Suzanne Collins’ dystopian trilogy stands as one of the best of its time. This first novel follows aloof teen Katniss Everdeen, who volunteers in her sister’s place to fight in the annual battle royale-style Hunger Games while rebellion brews in the 12 districts of a dystopian future North America.

Full of dimensional characters, a pulse-pounding plot, and profound social commentary, the original Hunger Games trilogy is some of the 21st century’s best in YA and dystopian fiction, with two prequel books having been written since: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (about the 10th annual Hunger Games/Coriolanus Snow’s villain origin story) and Sunrise on the Reaping (about the first Quarter Quell/Haymitch Abernathy’s backstory). All the books have been or will be adapted into films, with Sunrise on the Reaping expected to hit theaters in November 2026. —R.E.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding (1954)

William Golding’s haunting debut novel follows a group of British schoolboys who are evacuated by air amid an unspecified war. After their plane crashes on a remote island, the stranded boys try to establish order, though things gradually take a disturbing turn as many of them give in to their darkest impulses.

At first glance, Lord of the Flies may not seem to fit neatly into the category of dystopian novel, but its depiction of a corrupt society formed in the ashes of disaster helps it share a lot of DNA with others on this list. —K.J.

The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick (1962)

Winner of the coveted Hugo award, The Man in the High Castle imagines a world where the United States lost World War II and persecution and slavery persist under Imperial Japanese and Nazi rule. The 1962 novel — which was made into an Amazon series (2015–2019) — launched the career of the now-household name of Philip K. Dick, being an idealistic work of prose and one of his many science fiction masterpieces. It’s a daring and controversial story that makes readers question the “what-ifs” of historical events in such vivid and jarring detail that it just may feel like reality. —R.E.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (2005)

What if everything you have ever known and loved was a lie? Kathy has to face this question in Never Let Me Go after she and her two friends, Ruth and Tommy, escape the grounds of their English boarding school to learn about the world outside for the first time. Nobel Prize winner Kazuo Ishiguro’s riveting novel (which was adapted into a movie in 2010) is part mystery, part love story, and part scathing critique of how humans treat the vulnerable and different in a world where people are disposable…and even replicable. —R.E.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler (1993)

Set in the mid-2020s, the Parable of the Sower‘s world ravaged by war, disease, and chronic water shortages doesn’t feel so far off. But Octavia E. Butler’s mesmerizing prose and incredible leading characters make the case for hope in the face of it all.

After her parents die in a fire, Lauren Olamina travels from a crumbling Los Angeles with other refugees to the safety of the North while coming up with a plan for the salvation of the world. But, in this gripping novel, Lauren must also navigate her “hyper-empathy,” which allows her to experience the emotions and hardships of those around her in a world full of pain and suffering. As the first installment of the deeply affecting (and sadly unfinished) Parable series, Parable of the Sower is an excellent introduction to one of the greatest American authors in recent memory. —R.E.

The Power by Naomi Alderman (2016)

With a small twist of nature, suddenly, the entire world changes. In Naomi Alderman’s contemporary work, the recognizable world is all but the same, except for the shocking revelation that teenage girls can now conduct electricity to cause intense physical pain or death to others. By mixing up the societal roles of authority, The Power — which was adapted into an Amazon series (2023) starring Toni Collette — helps mirror our current world and confront our mindsets and predispositions through its fictional history of how women assumed societal dominance. —R.E.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline (2011)

Set in 2045, Ernest Cline’s novel immerses us in a world ruined by climate change and burdened by overpopulation. Rather than confront their bleak circumstances, much of the populace escapes into OASIS, a virtual reality system in which users can be whoever they want to be.

When the architect of OASIS announces he’ll be handing over control of the system to the player who solves a series of nostalgia-based puzzles, avid gamer Wade Watts seizes the opportunity, going up against an evil corporation in the process. While dystopian novels tend to have a foreboding sense of darkness within them, this best-selling sci-fi book takes a refreshingly vibrant approach, which didn’t fully translate to its 2018 film adaptation. —K.J.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy (2006)

Made into a 2009 film starring Viggo Mortensen and Kodi-Smit McPhee, The Road is a stunning and brutal vision of the future by legendary writer Cormac McCarthy. For an unnamed father and son living in a burned, decaying America, their only hope on a perilous journey to the coast is their connection to each other. McCarthy’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel is a beautifully composed, totalistic vision of the good and the bad of the human condition that only this author — so famous for violent depictions and searing social critiques — could write. —R.E.

Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (1969)

In this seminal work by Kurt Vonnegut, readers are taken on the nonlinear journey of Billy Pilgrim, a man “unstuck in time,” as his lived timeline ricochets from early childhood, late adulthood, surviving the firebombing of Dresden in World War II (an event the author actually lived through), and even a stint in an alien zoo on the planet Tralfamadore. Slaughterhouse-Five has since been hailed as one of the greatest novels of all time and a work of unmatched clarity that remains one of the strongest pieces of antiwar literature ever written. —R.E.

The Stand by Stephen King (1978)

Stephen King’s 1978 dystopian novel is more than 1,000 pages of dazzling prose and a tale of the fight for humanity. After a man escapes a biological testing facility, unwittingly spreading a strain of a flu virus that decimates 99 percent of human life, two leaders with varying styles of peace and violence emerge, putting the fate of the world in the hands of the few survivors. Bloated with ideas and vivid descriptions, The Stand is one of the greatest works by the King of Horror and has been turned into two TV miniseries (1994 and 2020, with the latter featuring a new ending by King). —R.E.

Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel (2014)

Adapted into an HBO Max miniseries (2021–2022), Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven is a tribute to art and human connection. Merging past and present through characters all across North America, the novel follows a nomadic troupe of actors as they perform Shakespeare plays and classical music in a world ravaged by a flu that wiped out nearly the entire human race.

With rich characters and an exciting form, St. John Mandel has crafted a modern classic full of hope in the face of suffering. EW’s critic gave the novel an A grade, writing, “This is not a story of crisis and survival. It’s one of art and family and memory and community and the awful courage it takes to look upon the world with fresh and hopeful eyes.” —R.E.

The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (1895)

H.G. Wells’ 19th-century novel The Time Machine follows a time traveler into the future, 80,000 years beyond his life, to a world of two races: the Eloi and the Morlocks. Mirroring the duality of man, these separate classes paint a picture of a terrible future for all of humankind. With breathtaking storytelling and a science fiction plot that helped spawn a century of inspiration, The Time Machine is a timeless novel that will continue to enthrall readers for years to come. —R.E.

V for Vendetta by Alan Moore (1982–1989)

“Remember, remember, the Fifth of November, the Gunpowder Treason and Plot. I know of no reason why the Gunpowder Treason should ever be forgot.” Masked anarchist V recites this iconic rhyme in Alan Moore’s beloved graphic novel, connecting the Gunpowder Plot to his ongoing crusade against a tyrannical British government.

V for Vendetta is a rousing piece of fiction, as is its 2005 film adaptation. The story, which comprises three books altogether, explores the dangerous yet heroic actions taken by a group of rebels to topple a totalitarian regime that has inflicted fear and hatred upon its citizens. Vivid in its imagery and all-too-plausible in its portrayal of a society on the brink of collapse, V for Vendetta remains timeless. —K.J.

The Wall by ​​John Lanchester (2019)

Among the more contemporary dystopian literature is this suspenseful and satirical 2019 novel by John Lanchester. The Wall takes place on an island nation in a world ravaged by climate change, insulated from the widespread disaster by the titular Wall. Protagonist Joseph Kavanagh’s role as a Defender on the island is to protect a section of the Wall from the Others, survivors looking to escape the rising seas on the outside. Suspenseful and timely, Lanchester’s work is a compelling read of modern sociological issues seen through an affecting lens only the best fiction can achieve. —R.E.

We by Yevgeny Zamyatin (1924)

Yevgeny Zamyatin’s We is the worthy precursor to much of the dystopian fiction readers have enjoyed for the last 100 years. The novel follows D-503, a mathematician in a totalitarian 26th-century society, who discovers something that will change the world: He has a soul. The numerous translations from its native Russian have kept its poetic prose and brilliant themes of individual freedom for a wide audience to enjoy and ponder. —R.E.