The 16 Best Dystopian Books Of All Time

By Queuebot in Book & Literature on Mar 3, 2010 at 7:07 am

The dystopian genre is a well traveled one, but despite it being somewhat overused and often predictable it can still produce real gems. Take The Handmaid’s Tale, a book that some would probably argue has become relevant all over again of late:

Set in a future where disease and radiation have reduced fertility to a minimum, and a fascist military theocracy has taken over America (or at least part of it). Brutal in its critique of evangelist Christianity and their view on women, Handmaid’s Tale is a harrowing read at the best of times. In it, women have essentially been reduced to chattels, and the few fertile ones assigned to high-ranking military men in order to give them children.

Link – via dailyrevelry

From the Upcoming ueue, submitted by redsfaithful.


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  1. Gail Pink
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 9:56 am

    Natash Richardson (RIP) was in the movie version of the “Handmaid’s Tale.”

  2. Abdul Alhazred
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 12:09 pm

    The Handmaid’s Tale totally copied Revolt in 2100 by Robert Heinlein, except the latter had a happy ending.

  3. Josiah Meints
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 5:37 pm

    Handmaid’s Tale is actually not a critique, or, at least, not a proper one since many of the Scriptural references are misinterpreted and not fully contextualized.

    It’s more about the lengths to which men will go to maintain the subjection of women.

  4. Jackie
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 7:33 pm

    I love the Handmaid’s Tale, and although I haven’t read Revolt in 2100, I have a hard time believing that Margaret Atwood would intentionally plagiarize (or even mimic) another author’s work. She is by far one of the best and most original authors of this century.

  5. Edward
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 8:05 pm

    Screw “The Handmaid’s Tale”. It is perhaps the worst of this august list.

    That being said. I hated all of these works and do not regret reading a one of them. Why do the worst stories get the best writing?

  6. Katey
    Mar 3rd, 2010 at 9:44 pm

    +1 for The Handmaid’s Tale. I was a fan of dystopia in HS but when I read Atwood’s book I thought it blew all the others out of the park. Perhaps because I can relate to the quiet horror of it better as a woman, or perhaps because it’s beautifully written.


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