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Dystopian novels, somewhat like 1984 by Orwell?


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Are there any novels that you'd say is in the same genre as George Orwell's 1984? A dystopian novel that isn't filled with sci-fi creatures like vampires, but something that could actually happen in a real country on this planet. It doesn't have to be about a Big Brother observing your every move. But something that most of us would agree would be a bad society to live in. 

 

I've already got The Hunger Games on my TBR list, so no one needs to recommend that one. ;)

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You may already know my suggestion, which is Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. A fairly popular book. It also displays a future authoritarian society like 1984, but instead of fear and punishment it breeds merriment and leisure. It's interesting because it's a functional society where everyone feels fullfilled and no one's poor or hungry; this society even mocks our society's values and way of living. It's a thoughtful read in that there's nothing inherently evil about this society, except the purposeful censorship of certain scientifical concepts and the limitations in free speech when they endanger the current culture. However, it's debatable whether it's a bad society to live in. The novel is no rival to 1984's detail in description and depth in narrative, but a good read nonetheless. 

 

H.G. Wells might have some dystopian novels, given he wrote a lot about future technology and alternate realities. I'd also search the second quarter of the previous century, because the mass production and the fascist regimes might have originated a big number of dystopian novels: at least 1984 and Brave New World came from the period.

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Well, while you're on George Orwell, there is always Animal Farm, which I know won't have athe realism that you wanted, but as it's allogorical......?

 

Also Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury & The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick.

 

I would also recommend The Long Walk and The running Man - both written by Stephen King under the psudeonym Richard Bachman

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I was going to suggest Phillip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle.  Dick creates a curiously strange world no matter what. 

There is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

And I can also recommend Anthem by Ayn Rand.

 

But most of all, hopefully you like tree books, because it is no longer on Kindle, but Swastika Night by Katherine Burdekin is my favorite 1984- ish book and it preceded 1984 by 12 years. 

 

If you like The Long Walk, and want some YA, I can say perhaps The Maze Runner by James Dashner as well.

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I second Anna's recommendation of Swastika Night. It's an alternate future that imagines what would happen if Nazi Germany had won WWII, and it's very good, as is Brave New World. :)

 

I've never read The Handmaid's Tale, but there's also Oryx and Crake (and its sequels), also by Atwood. There are strange creatures in it, but that's not the whole focus, and it deals with a future in which our obsession with genetically modifying plants and animals has finally come back to bite us. It's a slightly bizarre, but very enjoyable read. :)

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I was going to suggest Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale, but others got in ahead of me. :)

 

John Wyndham has several novels that might appeal - Day of the Triffids is one of my favourites, but there's also The Chrysalids, and Trouble With Lichen. The Midwich Cuckoos is good, but more sci-fi than dystopian future.

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You may already know my suggestion, which is Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley. A fairly popular book. It also displays a future authoritarian society like 1984, but instead of fear and punishment it breeds merriment and leisure. It's interesting because it's a functional society where everyone feels fullfilled and no one's poor or hungry; this society even mocks our society's values and way of living. It's a thoughtful read in that there's nothing inherently evil about this society, except the purposeful censorship of certain scientifical concepts and the limitations in free speech when they endanger the current culture. However, it's debatable whether it's a bad society to live in. The novel is no rival to 1984's detail in description and depth in narrative, but a good read nonetheless. 

 

H.G. Wells might have some dystopian novels, given he wrote a lot about future technology and alternate realities. I'd also search the second quarter of the previous century, because the mass production and the fascist regimes might have originated a big number of dystopian novels: at least 1984 and Brave New World came from the period.

 

I have not heard of Brave new world. Will definitely check it out. And I will google on HG Wells' work to see if anything grabs hold of my interest there. 

Thank you for your recommendations!

 

Well, while you're on George Orwell, there is always Animal Farm, which I know won't have athe realism that you wanted, but as it's allogorical......?

 

Also Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury & The Man in the High Castle by Philip K Dick.

 

I would also recommend The Long Walk and The running Man - both written by Stephen King under the psudeonym Richard Bachman

 

I've read The Animal farm, should have stated that. I figured it wasn't very much like 1984, so I didn't mention it. 

I think I actually have Fahrenheit 451. I didn't know what it was about though. Haven't read it yet. Now I have to check it out. 

Will also look into the others you suggested.

Thank you!

 

I was going to suggest Phillip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle.  Dick creates a curiously strange world no matter what. 

There is The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood.

And I can also recommend Anthem by Ayn Rand.

 

But most of all, hopefully you like tree books, because it is no longer on Kindle, but Swastika Night by Katherine Burdekin is my favorite 1984- ish book and it preceded 1984 by 12 years. 

 

If you like The Long Walk, and want some YA, I can say perhaps The Maze Runner by James Dashner as well.

 

Another novel I forgot to mention that I've read. The handmaid's tale. I liked it. Read it for school a number of years ago. Will check out Anthem. 

And I only buy books made of trees or whatever material CDs are made of. I can't read long texts on a screen. So I'll look up Swastika night. Sounds eerie with the word swastika in it. 

Now where have I heard the title The maze runner before...? Has it been made into a movie?

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

I second Anna's recommendation of Swastika Night. It's an alternate future that imagines what would happen if Nazi Germany had won WWII, and it's very good, as is Brave New World. :)

 

I've never read The Handmaid's Tale, but there's also Oryx and Crake (and its sequels), also by Atwood. There are strange creatures in it, but that's not the whole focus, and it deals with a future in which our obsession with genetically modifying plants and animals has finally come back to bite us. It's a slightly bizarre, but very enjoyable read. :)

 

Darn it, another novel I forgot to mention that I've read, Oryx & Crake. But I had no idea that there were sequels to it. What the...?! How did I not know that? Must check them out. 

Thanks for the info!

 

I was going to suggest Brave New World and The Handmaid's Tale, but others got in ahead of me. :)

 

John Wyndham has several novels that might appeal - Day of the Triffids is one of my favourites, but there's also The Chrysalids, and Trouble With Lichen. The Midwich Cuckoos is good, but more sci-fi than dystopian future.

 

Will check out Wyndham as well. I don't think I've heard of him before.

Thanks for the recommendations!

 

How about The Giver by Lois Lowry. It's a pretty quick read, but very powerful.

 

Will check that one out too.

Thank you!

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And I only buy books made of trees or whatever material CDs are made of. I can't read long texts on a screen. So I'll look up Swastika night. Sounds eerie with the word swastika in it. 

Now where have I heard the title The maze runner before...? Has it been made into a movie?

Thanks for the suggestions!

 

 

Darn it, another novel I forgot to mention that I've read, Oryx & Crake. But I had no idea that there were sequels to it. What the...?! How did I not know that? Must check them out. 

Oh that's right, I remember you can't read on the computer/ ink, etc.  Definitely find Swastika Night, it's amazing to think of such a world.  Yes, Maze Runner was made into a movie (one of the rare instances where the movie was better than the book) but Maze Runner (the book) and The Scorch Trials (it's sequel, there are 3, and a prequel) are both good.  GL with the MaddAddam trilogy (Oryx and Crake, etc), I got to MaddAddam and just couldn't hack it anymore.

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Oh that's right, I remember you can't read on the computer/ ink, etc.  Definitely find Swastika Night, it's amazing to think of such a world.  Yes, Maze Runner was made into a movie (one of the rare instances where the movie was better than the book) but Maze Runner (the book) and The Scorch Trials (it's sequel, there are 3, and a prequel) are both good.  GL with the MaddAddam trilogy (Oryx and Crake, etc), I got to MaddAddam and just couldn't hack it anymore.

 

I've put Swastika Night and some others of the recommendations in my wishlist where I usually order my books from. So next time I put in an order....... :)

 

I though I had heard Maze Runner as a movie title. Glad I got it right. 

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  • 1 year later...

Have you tried Children Of Men by P D James? If you've seen the film, the book is totally different, I mean, if I'd written the book and a production company had come to me with this proposal I'd have told them to keep their money. Seriously, it's a good read - very Orwellian.

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It's so good, isn't it? The hardcover is on BookOutlet right now for only USD$6.99.

That's a great price! It's double that for Kindle! But I'm addicted to my Kindle ;)

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