The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian book that takes place in a country known as Panem, where the Capitol has oppressive control over the twelve other districts. Katniss Everdeen, a teenager from District 12, volunteers to take her sister's place in the Hunger Games. The Hunger Games are a fight to the death involving teenagers from each district. The story follows Katniss as she experiences the Hunger Games.
Uglies is a dystopian novel set in a society where everyone gets a mandatory cosmetic surgery at 16 to become a “Pretty.” The story follows Tally Youngblood, a 15-year-old girl eagerly waiting her transformation. However, she starts doubting the system when she meets Shay, a rebellious girl who resists the operation and introduces Tally to the Smoke, a hidden city of people who reject societal beauty standards.
Warcross by Marie Lu follows a teenage hacker/bounty hunter, Emika Chen, in a futuristic New York City. Emi makes a living by tracking down illegal gamblers in the brain-computer interface game known as Warcross. Unfortunately, her profits aren’t enough to save her from eviction, leading her to steal power ups at the Warcross Championships. She does get caught, but instead of being arrested, Emi gets hired by the creator of Warcross, Hideo Tanaka, to find an elusive hacker known as Zero.
Harry Turtledove's We Install is an action-packed science fiction novel that explores the potential consequences of advanced technology and social change. The plot centers around a near-future society where incredibly realistic androids are becoming increasingly integrated into everyday life, offering services from household chores to companionship.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman takes place in a world where humanity has conquered natural forms of death with the help of a godlike artificial intelligence known as the Thunderhead. To prevent Earth from overpopulating, an organization known as the Scythes formed to “glean” citizens at random. The story follows two teenagers, Citra Terranova and Rowan Damisch, who are selected by Scythe Faraday to train as his apprentices. Neither have a choice in the matter, but must compete for the title of scythe.
“It is not lives we regret not living that are the real problem. It is the regret itself. It's the regret that makes us shrivel and wither and feel like our own and other people's worst enemy. We can't tell if any of those other versions would of been better or worse. Those lives are happening, it is true, but you are happening as well, and that is the happening we have to focus on.”
Allegiant by Veronica Roth is the third and final book in the dystopian Divergent series. Tris’s entire world has changed, everything she once believed has changed, and now, it is up to her to discover the truth. Her city is bordered by a fence, keeping them in, and everyone else out. Together, with the help of their few remaining loyal friends, Tris and Tobias devise a plan to escape the city and see the world outside the fence. Unfortunately, the world outside the fence is just as corrupt as inside the wall.
Insurgent by Veronica Roth is the second book in the dystopian Divergent series. Tris’ city has always been made up of five factions, but when two of the factions team up to target another, the future of the city becomes uncertain. After Tris and Tobias ended the attack, they were forced to flee, hiding from the government leaders who would kill them for their acts of insurgence.
Lord of the Flies by William Golding is a classic dystopian book. The story occurs sometime in the future, during the next world war. A plane of young British boys crashes on a small island. With minimal resources from the outside world, the boys try to find ways to survive. Some are focused on getting rescued, while others just want to have some fun. Ralph, originally the boy placed in charge, struggles to maintain order among the boys, especially against Jack, who is leading the boys down a dangerous path.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury is a classic, dystopian book. The story takes place in the future, in a world where it is illegal to own books. Guy Montag works as a fireman, and his job is to burn books, and the houses in which those books are held. He has done this job for nearly 10 years and has never thought anything was wrong. He was just doing his job and helping his community.
