Does listening to audiobooks count as reading? Here it does. Let’s discuss your favorite reads — or listens.
All tagged dystopia
I don't give five stars easily and almost never to a series book, or a YA novel, but “Sunrise on the Reaping” earns it. Propulsive, gutting and almost unbearably tense, it takes the familiar structure of the series and makes it feel more personal, more political and more devastating than ever.
Octavia E. Butler’s storytelling is gripping but uneven, blending chilling foresight with a narrative that sometimes felt disjointed. While her vision of America is undeniably powerful, the novel’s fragmented structure and numerous themes occasionally dilute its impact.
While “The Testaments” may not be as beloved as the original – let’s be honest, few sequels are – I still found it to be a compelling page-turner that stands as a masterclass in dystopian fiction.
A chilling exploration of power, oppression and the fragility of democracy – far from light reading, especially given today’s political climate – even those familiar with the series will find the novel a more visceral experience.
José Saramago's “Blindness” is a harrowing exploration of humanity stripped bare. The novel’s premise—a sudden, inexplicable wave of blindness—is a chilling backdrop for a descent into a Hobbesian world of survival and savagery.
The alternating timelines – one focused on a small group of Shen Fever refugees, and the other Candace’s experiences as the daughter of Chinese immigrants – allow Ma the runway to take her core themes in interesting directions, but it felt like the merging of two novels into one versus a cohesive narrative.
Expectation: A true continuation of the first novel, picking up where things left off for the Anishinaabe as they enter the next phase of survival in the Canadian north.
Reality: Less intimate and more standard dystopian tale, the slow pacing and underdeveloped characters may deter some readers, but the emotional ending provides a satisfying conclusion to the story.
Expectation: Stories to chill-the-bones from a noted voice in the Black horror genre.
Reality: Interesting scenarios and characters are largely overshadowed by ancillary details and incomplete endings.
Expectation: An action-packed post-apocalyptic First Nations-set thriller.
Reality: A slowburn story that uses the end-of-times as an allegory for settler colonialism, the Indigenous focus is what sets this apart from other, similar tales.
Expectation: A dark dystopian view of mass incarceration as blood sport entertainment.
Reality: While crammed a little too full of characters and plots, a highly creative concept, four stellar characters and a fantastic audiobook narration made this an engrossing read.
Expectation: A richly drawn character study that brings the tears.
Reality: The epitome of a character-driven story that lacks the emotional heft of Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” but is still an exceptional work of fiction.
Expectation: A moody, intelligent apocalyptic tale for modern times.
Reality: A mess.
Expectation: A high-brow thriller set in the post-apocalyptic Midwest.
Reality: A richly drawn character study that expertly balances multiple, intersecting plots and timelines.
I’m not going to tell you anything about this book other than it is the worst one I’ve read this year and probably in the top three worst books I’ve actually finished.
