Dystopian + Utopian Novels? - Page 2

Latinandgreek · 12-29-2009, 12:15 PM

Oryx and Crake, and the companion novel The Year of the Flood, also by Margaret Atwood.

Greg Anos · 12-29-2009, 05:22 PM

TadW, here's some off the beaten track...

19th Century Utopian fiction.

Looking Backward - Edward Bellamy
The Crystal Button - Thomas Chauncy

20th century Utopian fiction

When The Sleeper Wakes - H G Wells
Beyond This Horizon - Robert Heinlein
The City and the Stars - Arthur C Clarke

boydcarts · 12-29-2009, 08:02 PM

"Stand on Zanzibar" by John Brunner. Especially since it takes place in 2010. The book was clearly a product of its times, but you'll recognize elements of our current times. Not available as an e-book as far as I can tell, but still worth a read.

chlorine · 01-03-2010, 04:32 AM

This perfect day by Ira Levin is indeed a great book on this topic. It seems to me that it is less known than others, and it is not deserved IMO.

Other books, targetted towards a younger audience but very enjoyable for adults are:
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Uglies and its sequels, by Scott Westerfeld.

Charbuque · 01-11-2010, 12:17 AM

My all time favourite Science-Fiction book is 'Candy Man' by Vincent King (no relation to the Candyman movie by Clive Barker) - Sadly out of print but well worth hunting down an old copy. It kicked off my fondness for dystopian novels and I must have reread it half a dozen times.

"This is a remarkable and original novel, A kafka-esque story full of cunning fantasy, enigmatic characters and illusory significance, allied to a devastating concept of our world's future." (from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

taglines · 01-11-2010, 12:49 AM

Finitude by Hamish MacDonald is just out now. e book and paper handbound editions both.

www.hamishmacdonald.com

AndyPittHughes · 10-28-2010, 08:56 PM

This is a new one about espionage after a corporation buys the U.S government
http://www.amazon.com/Turban-Tan-ebo...8313607&sr=1-1

Thjan · 10-29-2010, 04:28 AM

Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Minority Report (short story), A Scanner Darkly, Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb.

Basically everything of him is dystopian but these are my favorites of his work.

Also a very good read:
Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash
Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies

brecklundin · 10-29-2010, 09:50 AM

I just finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And while it really was inventive for it's time, I found it not bad, but not satisfying for some reason I still can't figure out. I preferred story presented in movie version(s) (each movie version was somewhat different and worth watching) which was more divergent than different. What I liked about the story was the back story for the earth and people who were essentially left behind...so it's a story well worth reading just don't expect anything like the movie. That's it, the main plot of the written version has a different goal than the movie versions.

BTW, nice revival of an old thread. Good to bring threads like this back from the morgue.

ctol · 10-29-2010, 03:15 PM

Hopefully it will be released as an ebook soon (only paper and audiobook at the moment), but I would like to suggest Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm. It is a compeling read which won both the Hugo and Locus awards for best novel. And of course the granddaddy of them all, Plato's Republic.

brecklundin · 10-31-2010, 11:20 PM

If you enjoy a dark and brooding dystopian story I really recommend the BBC/PBS Masterpiece Contemporary "The Last Enemy". Unfortunately it is only available in video format...I have been hunting for a book it might have been based on but nothing has cropped up. But the series pretty much was the sort of story that at one time draws you in and at the same time almost makes you need to run away as fast as you can and not want to think about it again.

The whole series in on YouTube as well as Hulu...even though it's not a book, I suspect many who enjoy this sort of story will enjoy it a fair amount:

http://www.youtube.com/show/thelastenemy
http://www.hulu.com/masterpiece-contemporary

The basic premise plays upon the anxiety, frustration and fear in the post 9/11 world. And even though the UK has been headed in this direction for a while, it takes the process to the extreme levels much like Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in the mood it creates. Also fun for feeding your inner conspiracy theory voice...

Anyway it's also a good example of the sort of dystopian stories I really enjoy...keeps me nice and depressed.

James_Wilde · 11-01-2010, 09:49 AM

Kallocain by the Swedish author and poet, Karin Boye. Available from Amazon.

kilohertz53 · 11-03-2010, 08:46 PM

Our American King by David Lozell Martin was definitely dystopic and strange, but certainly held my interest.

Falcao · 11-03-2010, 09:10 PM

I enjoyed The Devil's Advocate by Taylor Caldwell.

Bookworm_Girl · 11-03-2010, 10:00 PM

You have a great list started already! Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde was an interesting book that I read recently. Society is based on what color spectrum you can see. It has parallels to 1984. It's planned to be a trilogy.

10-28-2010, 08:56 PM	#22
AndyPittHughes Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Gurnee, IL Device: kindle	Turban Tan This is a new one about espionage after a corporation buys the U.S government http://www.amazon.com/Turban-Tan-ebo...8313607&sr=1-1

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12-29-2009, 12:15 PM	#16
Latinandgreek Warrior Princess Posts: 5,038 Karma: 9724231 Join Date: Sep 2009 Device: PRS-505; PRS-350, PRS-T1, iPad, Aura HD	Oryx and Crake, and the companion novel The Year of the Flood, also by Margaret Atwood.

12-29-2009, 05:22 PM	#17
Greg Anos Grand Sorcerer Posts: 11,355 Karma: 35112572 Join Date: Jan 2008 Device: Pocketbook	TadW, here's some off the beaten track... 19th Century Utopian fiction. Looking Backward - Edward Bellamy The Crystal Button - Thomas Chauncy 20th century Utopian fiction When The Sleeper Wakes - H G Wells Beyond This Horizon - Robert Heinlein The City and the Stars - Arthur C Clarke

12-29-2009, 08:02 PM	#18
boydcarts Connoisseur Posts: 85 Karma: 30 Join Date: Feb 2009 Device: Nook WiFi, iPad2	"Stand on Zanzibar" by John Brunner. Especially since it takes place in 2010. The book was clearly a product of its times, but you'll recognize elements of our current times. Not available as an e-book as far as I can tell, but still worth a read.

01-03-2010, 04:32 AM	#19
chlorine Addict Posts: 276 Karma: 100000 Join Date: Jan 2009 Device: Kindle paperwhite 2	This perfect day by Ira Levin is indeed a great book on this topic. It seems to me that it is less known than others, and it is not deserved IMO. Other books, targetted towards a younger audience but very enjoyable for adults are: - The Giver by Lois Lowry - Uglies and its sequels, by Scott Westerfeld.

01-11-2010, 12:17 AM	#20
Charbuque Junior Member Posts: 2 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Hanlin V5	My all time favourite Science-Fiction book is 'Candy Man' by Vincent King (no relation to the Candyman movie by Clive Barker) - Sadly out of print but well worth hunting down an old copy. It kicked off my fondness for dystopian novels and I must have reread it half a dozen times. "This is a remarkable and original novel, A kafka-esque story full of cunning fantasy, enigmatic characters and illusory significance, allied to a devastating concept of our world's future." (from fantasticfiction.co.uk)

01-11-2010, 12:49 AM	#21
taglines Banned Posts: 96 Karma: 334 Join Date: Nov 2009 Device: nook	Finitude by Hamish MacDonald is just out now. e book and paper handbound editions both. www.hamishmacdonald.com

10-29-2010, 04:28 AM	#23
Thjan book addict Posts: 24 Karma: 36 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Omega - Afterlife Device: Kindle 3, Sony PRS-650	Philip K. Dick - Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, The Minority Report (short story), A Scanner Darkly, Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb. Basically everything of him is dystopian but these are my favorites of his work. Also a very good read: Neal Stephenson - Snow Crash Richard K. Morgan - Altered Carbon, Broken Angels, Woken Furies

10-29-2010, 09:50 AM	#24
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	I just finished Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? And while it really was inventive for it's time, I found it not bad, but not satisfying for some reason I still can't figure out. I preferred story presented in movie version(s) (each movie version was somewhat different and worth watching) which was more divergent than different. What I liked about the story was the back story for the earth and people who were essentially left behind...so it's a story well worth reading just don't expect anything like the movie. That's it, the main plot of the written version has a different goal than the movie versions. BTW, nice revival of an old thread. Good to bring threads like this back from the morgue.

10-29-2010, 03:15 PM	#25
ctol Groupie Posts: 152 Karma: 303523 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Arizona Device: Nook, Fire Tablet, Windows RT Tablet Windows Phone	Hopefully it will be released as an ebook soon (only paper and audiobook at the moment), but I would like to suggest Where Late The Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm. It is a compeling read which won both the Hugo and Locus awards for best novel. And of course the granddaddy of them all, Plato's Republic.

10-31-2010, 11:20 PM	#26
brecklundin Banned Posts: 1,906 Karma: 15348 Join Date: Jun 2007 Device: mine	If you enjoy a dark and brooding dystopian story I really recommend the BBC/PBS Masterpiece Contemporary "The Last Enemy". Unfortunately it is only available in video format...I have been hunting for a book it might have been based on but nothing has cropped up. But the series pretty much was the sort of story that at one time draws you in and at the same time almost makes you need to run away as fast as you can and not want to think about it again. The whole series in on YouTube as well as Hulu...even though it's not a book, I suspect many who enjoy this sort of story will enjoy it a fair amount: http://www.youtube.com/show/thelastenemy http://www.hulu.com/masterpiece-contemporary The basic premise plays upon the anxiety, frustration and fear in the post 9/11 world. And even though the UK has been headed in this direction for a while, it takes the process to the extreme levels much like Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in the mood it creates. Also fun for feeding your inner conspiracy theory voice... Anyway it's also a good example of the sort of dystopian stories I really enjoy...keeps me nice and depressed.

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11-01-2010, 09:49 AM	#27
James_Wilde Guru Posts: 802 Karma: 4727110 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Sweden Device: Iriver Story	Kallocain by the Swedish author and poet, Karin Boye. Available from Amazon.

11-03-2010, 08:46 PM	#28
kilohertz53 Zealot Posts: 141 Karma: 671 Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Harwichport, MA Device: Sony PRS-500, Sony PRS-350, Augen "The Book"	*Our American King* by David Lozell Martin was definitely dystopic and strange, but certainly held my interest.

11-03-2010, 09:10 PM	#29
Falcao Banned Posts: 1,344 Karma: 1028477047 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Nueva Andalucía Device: Sony PRS 650	I enjoyed The Devil's Advocate by Taylor Caldwell.

11-03-2010, 10:00 PM	#30
Bookworm_Girl E-reader Enthusiast Posts: 4,873 Karma: 36507503 Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Southwest, USA Device: Kindle Oasis 3; Kobo Aura One; iPad Mini 5	You have a great list started already! Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde was an interesting book that I read recently. Society is based on what color spectrum you can see. It has parallels to 1984. It's planned to be a trilogy.