I've been reading/rereading books like 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451 and I'm looking for more of it from diverse perspectives. I just finished Never Let Me Go [loved it] and I have Parable of the Sower in TBR.
I'm already radicalized, it's just for this type of book I'm only really aware of the obvious ones.
by Scattered_Sigils
9 Comments
‘Heat and Light’ by non binary Australia First Nations author Ellen Van Nerven
The collection is structured so it has two sections of interconnected miscellaneous short stories and then a novella called ‘Water’ ( the main event here) which is a dystopian allegory with clear satirical elements ( eg. the politicians’ personalities and propaganda) for the atrocities that occurred during the colonisation of Australia, and incorporates lots of aspects of First Nations culture like connection to the land and the presence of ancestral spirits. It’s so cleverly written but very accessible, and though some of the political commentary is geared more towards Australia, its message is universally applicable and I don’t think a non Australian reader would be at a disadvantage. Thematically, it looks at the legacy of colonialism as well as questioning whether humans have the right to dominate aspects of the natural world, eg. plants, which ties in so well with a more climate change based dystopian future. I read this book for my uni literature studies class and can’t recommend it highly enough
Not sure if it’s a perfect fit but The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin is amazing and is technically a dystopian satire, just perhaps not in the same way as the books you referenced.
Hollow Kingdom by Kira Jane Buxton
I don’t know if it’s satire, by Upright Women Wanted by Sarah Gailey.
*Chain Gang All-Stars* might fit?
Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
Several People are Typing by Calvin Kasulke. Kind of like the Office crossed with a low-key Matrix. loved it.
The Handmaid’s Tale
The Sellout by Paul Beatty. It isn’t officially dystopian, but also really is. And it is hilarious.