Do you like dystopias? What are some of your favorites books, worlds, etc.?
Julie:
Dystopias are one of my favorite genres to read. Mainly, because I like to see a creative screwed up world with interesting characters, and dystopias lend themselves to that very well. Like with fantastical worlds, I love a good world building with a unique problem. I’ve taken a break from this genre though because I kind of got burned out after bingeing in it.
Obviously The Hunger Games will top the lists of great dystopias, but there are others that I have enjoyed and have listed in the YA dystopia recommendations page. I haven’t read too many adult dystopias, but Wool is a pretty good one.
Rose:
…..For a while there,I was really into dystopian literature. I liked Enclave by Ann Aguirre, Uninvited by Sophie Jordan, Delirium by Lauren Oliver, just to name a few. Of course, this all started because of The Giver by Lois Lowry in 5th grade. The Hunger Games got me back into dystopia for awhile as well as Divergent. I can’t say that I am “over” dystopian because if I like something, I tend to always like it. I like that it is all about life or death and only take the things that are important. Living becomes minimalist and usually these stories feature a character that shows tremendous growth in the face of hardship. I have not read anything I would really consider dystopian lately. I still like this type of read, but I can sense that readers are growing tiresome. I wonder what the next big thing will be?
Lynn:
There are some good dystopia books out there. And there are some bad dystopia books out there. And I feel like I’ve read some from both categories. I looked over this list from Goodreads and I’ve either read, or marked to read, the majority of the first 40 on the list. And I’m not sure that’s a good thing. I, too, have gotten burned out on dysopia. I think I’ve reached the point where they are just too depressing, as we are too close to some of those scenarios. Julie lists Uninvited, and I so completely agree with her on this book. I just re-listened to the audio before starting the next book. And Uninvited is still as visceral a read as it was a year ago. The world building is amazing. The emotional connection to Davy is heart-pumping. I can seriously imagine our lives getting to the point in the book that Ms. Jordan has described. My problem with dystopia of late is that the first one in the series is great. But the rest of the series isn’t (I’m talking the Matched series, among others here). Or the first one is so uninteresting to me, I’m not even bothering to read the next book (ahem, Maze Runner, I’m looking at you). Maybe I just need to not read any dystopia for awhile.
[…] Julie, Rose, and Lynn share their thoughts on dystopias. […]
As far as adult Dystopia, I just finished The Dead Lands, which I loved. I also liked The Deep, which was dystopian horror (for me it just doesn’t get any better), also Station Eleven was great. Oh course, I love all the YA dystopia as well. It is my favorite genre.
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I’ll have to look those up, they’re all new to me.
Wait, is the Dead Lands by Benjamin Percy? I met him (he was promoting Red Moon though), his voice is SOOOOO COOOOL!!!!
I love dystopian, but I am a bit tired of dystopian romance. I wouldn’t be looking for a boyfriend in that sort of environment. 🙂
Brenda @DailyMayo recently posted…5 Helpful Strategies for Remembering What You Read
Yea I don’t think I’d be looking for love in that kind of situation either. Survive first heh.
I’m with Rose and Lynn. I think I’m over dystopias for a bit. I actually took The Maze Runner off my shelf after returning from Mini-Con based on a comment Jane Yolen made. Maybe I’ll come back to them, but I think I need a change of pace for now. What’s the next big thing in YA lit?
Terri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
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Don’t bother with Maze Runner lol
Thanks for the advice, Julie. 🙂 My husband actually grabbed my copy and is about halfway through it.
Terri M., the Director
Second Run Reviews
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I still love dystopias. There is just something about them that I can’t resist. Maybe someday I’ll get bored with them, but it’s hard for me to imagine!
Nicole @ Feed Your Fiction Addiction recently posted…That Book You Wanted to Love – Let’s Discuss
I can’t resist them too Nicole! I just like to take some breaks since reading too many at once makes them start to sound the same. But then again that is likely due to unskilled authors jumping on the bandwagon.
I don’t read much dystopian fiction. I find the problems facing dystopian societies rather distressing. However, I do have my favorites in the genre. George Orwell’s 1984 is my favorite dystopian novel, but it’s a tough read because of all the political stuff that goes on in the novel.
Ardelia @ The Unplumbed Sea
1984 is a great one, but yes, depressing. I agree that the problems can be stressful to read about, but something about them makes me feel better about our current world hah.
I love dystopia and probably always will. But I agree with you Lynn. Lately I love book 1 and then it’s all downhill 🙁 Uninvited is a great example – I LOVED it. And I’ve been stumbling my way through Unleashed since April 1st, trying not to DNF it. 🙁 I finished MazE Runner, but only really liked book 1. *sigh* all this unrealized potential!
Berls recently posted…“The Reckoning” S1:E9 | Outlander Thoughts
Yea too many series needed to have just stopped with one book.
Dystopian is definitely a genre I enjoy. I’m with you, Julie, in liking to see a creatively screwed up world with interesting characters. It is kinda scary sometimes to think how close we are to some of these scenarios or how it really could happen. Some of my favorites are: Hunger Games (of course!), Shatter Me, and Fahrenheit 451.
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Shatter Me was so awesomely written! One of my faves as well.
I was never into dystopia, so I can’t say that I am over it. I think the only dystopia I’ve read and loved is the books by Margaret Atwood, and some classics like Brave New World and 1984. The newer lot all seem to blend into each other.
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I still need to read Brave New World.
I absolutely love dystopian books! I think those are my favorite. Hunger Games is still my favorite dystopian series. The only bad thing is that people keep writing more and more of them because people love them so much and not all of them are good. Some of the newer ones just seem repetitive or like copycats of earlier, more popular ones.
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Very true, Cynthia. The more popular the genre, the more the newer ones just blend into the books we’ve already read. But yes, there are some good ones out there!
I’m a big dystopian fan, yes! I love them and have read so many of them. I will say this though, I’m getting pickier. Over the last 3 years, the reading market has been so completely glutted with dystopians, and a lot of them are plays on previously published ones. So I pick up a book and find I’m reading basically the same book I’ve read before by another author. So if it isn’t truly original, or a completely new take on something that’s already been done, I don’t usually pick it up.
I definitely agree on the Sophie Jordan Uninvited. Great one!
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Good point, Shannon. Maybe being more choosy before reading the next dystopia will help me get over the slump of all the bad ones.
Like most of you, I’ve read a few too many dystopias over the last couple of years. I still like the genre, but I’m not as enthusiastic about it as I was, because once the hype around dystopias started, I read a lot of bad (Matched, Divergent, Delirium) along with the good (The Hunger Games, The Darkest Minds, the Uglies series). I’ll still definitely read a lot more dystopian books in the future, because I love that they take our contemporary fears and problems and escalate them into a dystopian world. I think dystopias can teach us a lot about the problems we’re facing at present. I also agree with what Rose said about character development – when done well, the protagonists usually have GREAT character development throughout the book and that is one of my favorite things. Something I’ve been enjoying lately are apocalyptic books, because they’re similar to dystopian books but not quite so hyped that tons of bad ones are published (yet).
Vlora @ Reviews and Cake recently posted…Game Time!
I agree with you, Vlora. I like how dystopia takes our contemporary fears and shows us where we should be fixing things, before it’s too late. And yes, the good ones do have some great character development.
I think this is where reviews come into play, and we’ll need to be pickier, definitely. Good call on the apocalyptic. They are similar but not as saturated of a genre.
I love it. Brave New World is an amazing novel, even though was written a few decades ago. Divergent, the first book, was pretty amazing. Also, obviously, The Hunger Games. The rest – and I did read a lot of them – are kind of bleeding into one another. Still, I continue to pick them up. I’m reading Only Ever Yours now 🙂 Happy Easter!
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Dystopia books do tend to all blend together for me, too, Ramona. I think that’s why I haven’t read any recently. I can’t tell the ones I’ve read apart.
I need to read Brave New World. But I’m with you, I read a lot of dystopias but I don’t remember most of them since they just bleed into one story now.
I have been reading a lot of dystopian books lately. I just finished the Enclave series and read an adult dystopia called Archivist that was really good. I like them, but like watching too many horror movies, they do get a little predictable, so I need a break in between all of them. I also hate how they are ALL series!
Kaitlin Michelle recently posted…My Thoughts on Archivist by Corryn Anderson
For sure on the series situation, Kaitlin. And some of the books are really just one long book, cut up into a series. And that drives me crazy.
Wool is by far one of my favorite dystopias!
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I haven’t read Wool yet, Rachelle. It looks good, though!
I don’t know if it is lendable, but I can share it with you if it is 🙂