Recommend any dystopian YA books?

[trixie]

Hi,

I need your collective recommendations on dystopian YA novels. A book idea was "born" in my head this morning and I openly admit dystopian isn't my first genre, but I think it's necessary for this idea.

So, any great recommendations? The closest I've come to reading along these lines is the Hunger Games trilogy.

Thank you!

[Moni12]

Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood and Animal Farm by George Orwell.

[Sommer Leigh]

Oh boy, are there dystopian YA books to recommend!!! These are just a few. It sort of depends on what you're looking for because not all dystopians are made equel. I would sort them into the dirty, scary dystopians like The Hunger Games, Ship Breaker, The Maze Runner, The Water Wars, and Restoring Harmony and the clean, psychological dystopians like Delirium, Matched, Uglies, and XVI.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Matched by Ally Condie
The Maze Runner by James Dashner
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
The Water Wars by Cameron Stratcher
XVI by Julia Karr
Restoring Harmony by Joelle Anthony

Not YA but definitely one of the best in the dystopian genre is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It would fall under the very scary, very dirty, hide your eyes dystopian.

[trixie]

Thank you so much for the list! And for breaking into groups. After posting the request last night, I wondered if I should have provided more information about what "dystopian" meant to me. This is great. A hearty thank you to both of you.

Not YA but definitely one of the best in the dystopian genre is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It would fall under the very scary, very dirty, hide your eyes dystopian.

I won't lie, I'm afraid to read this book. I struggle with dystopian settings because I feel so helpless and depressed. I imagine I will feel more of the same after reading The Road, but it seems to be one of the best in the genre. I'll try and check it out from the library this weekend along with old episodes of The Muppet Show to watch when I get overwhelmed with sadness.

[Sommer Leigh]

Thank you so much for the list! And for breaking into groups. After posting the request last night, I wondered if I should have provided more information about what "dystopian" meant to me. This is great. A hearty thank you to both of you.

Not YA but definitely one of the best in the dystopian genre is The Road by Cormac McCarthy. It would fall under the very scary, very dirty, hide your eyes dystopian.

I won't lie, I'm afraid to read this book. I struggle with dystopian settings because I feel so helpless and depressed. I imagine I will feel more of the same after reading The Road, but it seems to be one of the best in the genre. I'll try and check it out from the library this weekend along with old episodes of The Muppet Show to watch when I get overwhelmed with sadness.

Yeah I won't sugar coat it for you, The Road is depressing, but you won't find a better written dystopian setting. I also won't lie, right after I read The Road I reread the YA book The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson to feel all better inside.

[abc]

Yeah I won't sugar coat it for you, The Road is depressing, but you won't find a better written dystopian setting. I also won't lie, right after I read The Road I reread the YA book The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson to feel all better inside.

I was depressed for about a month after reading The Road. It changes you. It's terrible and beautiful.

I also like How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff for Dystopian. And Sharp North by Patrick Cave is a worthy read.

[HillaryJ]

The first dystopian YA I remember reading was Devil on My Back by Monica Hughes. It's Sci Fi. It might have been required reading at some point in elementary school.

[trixie]

I also like How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff for Dystopian. And Sharp North by Patrick Cave is a worthy read.

[/quote]

abc, thanks for this recommendation. I picked up this book along with Sharp North, City of Bones, and one more I can't recall right now. I also put my name on the wait list for The Road, so I imagine disturbing dreams are in my future...

I'm not sure how I feel about the voice in How I Live Now. The lack of "traditional" dialogue and punctuation is distracting, but the second half has picked up. It helps that it's at 190 pg read. :)

[Sommer Leigh]

I also like How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff for Dystopian. And Sharp North by Patrick Cave is a worthy read.

abc, thanks for this recommendation. I picked up this book along with Sharp North, City of Bones, and one more I can't recall right now. I also put my name on the wait list for The Road, so I imagine disturbing dreams are in my future...

I'm not sure how I feel about the voice in How I Live Now. The lack of "traditional" dialogue and punctuation is distracting, but the second half has picked up. It helps that it's at 190 pg read. :)[/quote]


You may already know this, but just an FYI, City of Bones is not dystopian. Pretty good book though.

[paulajewelry]

Another dystopian/zombie book is Forest of Hands and Teeth, more dystopian than zombie written by a competent author. I hate zombies but I liked this.

[Sommer Leigh]

Another dystopian/zombie book is Forest of Hands and Teeth, more dystopian than zombie written by a competent author. I hate zombies but I liked this.

It's a series, the second is called The Dead-Tossed Waves, and the third is coming out in a few days - The Dark and Hollowed Places. I wouldn't call it a dystopian though, it's way more horror with some fantasy aspects. I can't put my finger on what it is, but it is missing something most dystopians have.

In any case, Carrie Ryan, the author, is very good at writing zombies. it's an excellent series.

[abc]

I'd say The Forest of Hands and Teeth and The Dead Tossed Waves are both Dystopian and Zombie. They are set in the future when mankind is training to eke out some kind of normal existence among zombies. There are remnants of the past: the amusement park and there are indications of a controlling government in The Dead Tossed Waves that seem sorta Dystopian fascisty. I liked The Dead Tossed Waves the best out of the two. Looking forward to that third one, Sommer.

[Mira]

Oh, I recently read a very intense YA book. Very dark.

Skin Hunger by Kathleen Duey. An excellent writer, but I thought it was an intense book for YA. Troubluing - it haunted me a bit. It might be the sort of thing you're looking for. :)

[Falls Apart]

Love dystopia. Biggest challenge for authors, though, is making it a truly unique world. My recommendations would be . . .

-Gone series, by Michael Grant. Absolutely adore these books, and they've certainly got the unique part down. Easily the best YA I've ever read.
-The Diary of Pelly D (I forget the author) is certainly an interesting example.
-The Handmaid's Tale. It's not YA, but I think some schools assign it, and it really is an interesting book. Besides, the crazy-feminist side of me wouldn't let me not type it.

[Sommer Leigh]

Love dystopia. Biggest challenge for authors, though, is making it a truly unique world. My recommendations would be . . .

-Gone series, by Michael Grant. Absolutely adore these books, and they've certainly got the unique part down. Easily the best YA I've ever read.
-The Diary of Pelly D (I forget the author) is certainly an interesting example.
-The Handmaid's Tale. It's not YA, but I think some schools assign it, and it really is an interesting book. Besides, the crazy-feminist side of me wouldn't let me not type it.

I'll second The Handmaid's Tale. It is not YA but very good. Magaret Atwood has several dystopian novels that are absolutely amazing. Oryx and Crake is my favorite and she just wrote a companion novel to it called The Year of the Flood. All three of these books are dystopian must-reads, but none of them are YA.