Dystopian fiction

                With increasing interest in Suzanne Collin’s series, The Hunger Games, the dystopian genre seems to be overtaking vampire novels in popularity.  So what is a dystopia?  According to Wikipedia, “a dystopia is the idea of a society in a repressive and controlled state, often under the guise of being utopian”.  Some classic science fiction novels feature dystopias such as George Orwell’s 1984.  Even the television industry is getting behind this genre with the new television series, Revolution, airing on NBC this fall.  Based off of the many questions we are getting at the Reference Desk for similar titles we put together a list to help you find other books and movies in this genre.

If you are looking for classic dystopian novels these titles are for you:
A Canticle for Lebowitz by Walter M. Miller
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Looking for some newer titles?  Here are a few titles written in the past 10 years:
Armageddon’s Children by Terry Brooks
The hunger games by Susanne Collins
The bar code tattoo by Suzanne Weyn
Gone by Michael Grant
Feed by M. T. Anderson

Looking for a more visual experience?  Check out these films:
The Island
Minority Report
V for Vendetta
Children of Men
Book of Eli

* photo courtesy of Google images