Dystopian Fiction

Cautionary tales of altered realities and alternate societies...

Updated November 15, 2025
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The dream hotel
Lalami, Laila
Paper Book
* LONGLISTED FOR THE WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION 2025 * * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK MARCH 2025 * 'A gripping, Kafkaesque foray into an all-too-plausible future' JENNIFER EGAN'So cleverly conceived, so relevant, that everyone should read it and...
Awake in the Floating City
Kwan, Susanna.
Paper Book
LONGLISTED FOR THE CENTER FOR FICTION FIRST NOVEL PRIZE * An utterly transporting debut novel about the unexpected relationship between an artist and the 130-year-old woman she cares for--two of the last people living in a flooded San Francisco of the future, the home neither is ready...
My sister
Paper Book
One summer's day in 2056 in the mountains of southern France, a warning siren goes off- inside the belly of the receding glacier above the spa-centre village, a large pocket of water is about to give way-just as it did 150 years earlier. Hundreds of people died in the floods that followed.
The night alphabet
Taylor, Joelle
Paper Book
'Joelle Taylor has a Midas touch with words' Diana SouhamiA Cosmo best books to look forward to in 2024 pick'A glorious jewel of a novel' Sophie Ward'Exhilarating, profoundly beautiful and exquisitely written' Salena Godden'A mesmerising debut from...
Salvage
Mills, Jennifer.
Paper Book
Two estranged sisters reconnect in the aftermath of ecological and social collapse, in this work of suspenseful, deeply human literary speculative fiction. They drift in their sleep, waiting for something. The end of the world, or another escape. But the world is still here. There's no...
What We Can Know
McEwan, Ian
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * From the Booker prize-winning, bestselling author of Atonement and Saturday, a genre-bending new novel full of secrets and surprises; an immersive exploration, across time and history, of what can ever be truly known. "It gave me so...
Dengue boy : a novel
Nieva, Michel
Paper Book
"I can't remember the last book that pushed science fiction's potential for weirdness as far as Dengue Boy."--The Washington Post "A wildly original anti-capitalist satire."--The Guardian "A psychedelic fever dream."--Esquire "An...
The Island of Last Things
Sloley, Emma.
Paper Book
Camille is a keeper at the last zoo in the world, on Alcatraz Island. Reserved around humans, she is happy to spend her days caring for chimpanzees and tree frogs, and a magnificent, restless jaguar, while outside nature crumbles. Resistance groups and brutal cartels are fighting to shape the world...
The last murder at the end of the world
Turton, Stuart
Paper Book
THE NUMBER ONE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLER THE COUNTDOWN HAS BEGUN Abi keeps them safe. One hundred and twenty-two islanders and their three beloved scientists live in harmony, kept safe from a poisonous security barrier with the help...
What I would do to you
Harper, Georgia
Paper Book
'Surprising, ferocious and stubbornly full of heart.' Hayley Scrivenor, author of Dirt Town 'Books of this calibre are hard to find, especially from debut authors. ' Alicia Guiney, Readings 'An original and powerful thriller....
The great undoing
Allsopp, Sharlene
Paper Book
WINNER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF QUEENSLAND FICTION BOOK AWARD SHORTLISTED FOR THE COURIER-MAIL PEOPLE''S CHOICE QUEENSLAND BOOK OF THE YEAR AWARD ''Sharlene Allsopp''s The Great Undoing is groundbreaking storytelling -...
You're safe here
Stephens, Leslie (Novelist)
Paper Book
Wellness, motherhood, and technology converge in a near future California, as three women's seemingly innocuous decisions have further-reaching consequences than any of them could imagine in this timely, clever, and white-knuckled thriller. In 2060, the WellPod is the latest...
If You Go
Robinson, Alice.
Paper Book
When Esther wakes with a breathing tube down her throat, she has no idea where she is or how she got there. In terrible physical condition, Esther is tended to by Grace, the only other person in the building. In the half-consciousness of her recovery, Esther is desperate to get back to...
The horses
Matthewson, Janina
Paper Book
A moving story of isolation and mankind's connection with nature, perfect for fans of Emily St. John Mandel and Jon McGregor.Sarah wakes up one morning feeling that something big, something irrevocable has happened. To the small island community of Black Crag, it seems as though the rest of...
Toward eternity : a novel
Hur, Anton
Paper Book
"A love story spanning multiple millenniums, life-forms and variations on immortality, the book posits Victorian poetry as a weapon of empire, insists on nature's resilience in the face of genocide, and manipulates prose into something like a new language....Toward Eternity...
Burn : a novel
Heller, Peter
Paper Book
From the best-selling author of The Dog Stars and The Last Ranger, a novel about two men-friends since boyhood-who emerge from the woods of rural Maine to a dystopian country racked by bewildering violence Every year, Jess and Storey have made an annual pilgrimage...
The thinning
Simpson, Inga
Paper Book
A powerful literary page-turner about two young people in a race against time to reach a monumental solar eclipse, from famed Australian novelist Inga Simpson'We haven't always lived like this . . .' Kris grew up by an observatory, learning about telescopes and planets, inspired by the...
Gliff
Smith, Ali
Paper Book
O brave new world, that has such people in't. Once upon a time not very far from now, two children come home to find a line of wet red paint encircling the outside of their house. What does it mean? It's a truism of our time that it'll be the next...
Hum
Phillips, Helen
Paper Book
A Most Anticipated Book for The New York Times, The Washington Post, Time, Goodreads, LitHub, and Book Riot A Best Book of the Summer for Esquire, Electric Lit, and Town & Country A People Book of the...
The mark
Fríða Ísberg
Paper Book
A debut novel of urgent big ideas imbued with pacy plotting and atmospheric power, by an exciting Icelandic literary talent.
The Morningside : a novel
Obreht, Téa
Paper Book
"A touching, inventive novel about belonging and loss" (People) from the critically beloved, New York Times bestselling author of The Tiger's Wife and Inland "I marveled at the subtle beauty and precision of Obreht's prose. . . Read in the context of...
Tomorrow's children
Polansky, Daniel
Ebook
From Hugo Award nominated author comes a high-octane post-apocalyptic romp set in the ruins of Manhattan. Years ago, Tomorrow - a noxious cloud of funky gas - descended on Manhattan, cutting the island off from the rest of the world and mutating the remaining population.
Hurdy Gurdy
Ackland, Jenny.
Paper Book
A powerful and important novel with a crucial and timely feminist message, from the Stella Prize-shortlisted author of Little Gods.
Briefly Very Beautiful
Dineen, Roz.
Paper Book
A startlingly beautiful story of a family's survival, and an unforgettable dystopian vision of a familiar world in flames Shortlisted for the Climate Fiction Prize 2024A Spectator Book of the Year 2024 'Impossible to put down' Daily...
Juice
Winton, Tim.
Paper Book
'A masterful story for the ages . . . a book to hold close in the whip of hot wind, to commiserate with, to sing with. To read and weep.' TARA JUNE WINCH, GUARDIAN 'A hold-your-breath adventure set in an utterly plausible, sun-hammered future, JUICE will stab your...
The lost cause
Doctorow, Cory
Paper Book
It's thirty years from now. We're making progress, mitigating climate change, slowly but surely. But what about all the angry old people who can't let go? For young Americans a generation from now, climate change isn't controversial. It's just an overwhelming fact of life. And so are...
The deluge
Markley, Stephen
Paper Book
A New York Times Notable Book "This book is, simply put, a modern classic. If you read it, you'll never forget it. Prophetic, terrifying, uplifting." --Stephen King From the bestselling author of Ohio, a masterful American epic charting a near future...
To Battersea Park
Hensher, Philip
Paper Book
'A brilliantly conceived and audacious novel from one of our most consistently intelligent and beguiling writers' William Boyd 'Surefooted and emotionally generous ... A serious achievement' Guardian 'Masterful' Telegraph 'A...
The ferryman : a novel
Cronin, Justin
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "Next to impossible to put down . . . exciting, mysterious, and totally satisfying."--STEPHEN KING   From the author of The Passage comes a riveting standalone novel about a group of survivors on a hidden island utopia--where...
End of story
Swanson, Louise
Paper Book
THE THRILLER THAT EVERYONE IS RAVING ABOUT THIS SUMMER 'Absolutely show-stopping' JANICE HALLETT 'Unputdownable' SOPHIE HANNAH 'So intense! So gripping!' B.P. WALTER 'A tour-de-force' CHRIS WHITAKER 'Wow!'<...
Camp zero
Sterling, Michelle Min
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A Today Show #ReadwithJenna Book Club Pick Libby Book Award Winner for Best Diverse Author In a near-future northern settlement, the fates of a young woman, a professor, and a mysterious...
The drift : a novel
Tudor, C. J
Paper Book
Three ordinary people risk everything for a chance at redemption in this audacious, utterly gripping novel of catastrophe and survival at the end of the world, from the acclaimed author of The Chalk Man. "The wildest thriller of the year is three thrillers in one....
The Marriage Act
Marrs, John, (Freelance journalist)
Paper Book
From the bestselling author of THE ONE, now an eight-part NETFLIX series. Set in the same world as THE ONE, THE MARRIAGE ACT is a dark, high-concept thriller.'One of the most exciting original thriller writers' Simon KernickWhat if marriage was the law? Dare you disobey?Britain. The near-future. A...
Arch-conspirator
Roth, Veronica
Paper Book
In this gripping and atmospheric reimagining of Antigone, #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth reaches back to the root of legend and delivers a world of tomorrow both timeless and unexpected. "I'm cursed, haven't you heard?"
The deck
Farrell, Fiona
Paper Book
What is the point of inventing stories when reality eclipses imagination? A little way off in the future, during a time of plague and profound social collapse, a group of friends escapes to a house in the country where they entertain themselves by playing music, eating, drinking...
Chain-gang all-stars
Adjei-Brenyah, Nana Kwame
Paper Book
A NEW YORK TIMES TOP TEN BOOK OF THE YEAR * FINALIST FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION * A READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK * NATIONAL BESTSELLER * Two top women gladiators fight for their freedom within a depraved private prison system not so far-removed from...
Titanium noir
Harkaway, Nick
Paper Book
Prophet song
Lynch, Paul
Paper Book
Julia : a novel
Newman, Sandra
Paper Book
A PEOPLE Magazine Must-Read Book for Fall 2023 | An Esquire Best Book of Fall 2023 | A Guardian Biggest New Book of 2023 | A LitHub Most Anticipated Book of 2023 An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell's 1984, from the...
Enclave
Coleman, Claire G.
Paper Book
  , 'These are troubling times. The world is a dangerous place,' the voice of the Chairman said. 'I can continue to assure you of this: within the Wall you are perfectly safe.' Christine could not sleep, she could not wake, she could not think. She stared, half...
The stranger
Hore, Kathryn
Paper Book
An uncompromising and compelling feminist Western for readers of The Natural Way of Things.
Our missing hearts
Ng, Celeste
Paper Book
THE REESE WITHERSPOON OCTOBER BOOK CLUB PICK'Governments are right to fear words. They can change hearts and topple tyrannies....It's impossible not to be moved by Margaret Miu's courage, or to applaud her craftiness...And Bird is a brave and believable character, who gives us a relatable portal...
The pharmacist
Atalla, Rachelle
Paper Book
'A compulsive, claustrophobic but wonderfully compassionate read, beautifully written and set within a brilliantly realised world. Rachelle Atalla is a major talent and I can't wait to see where her mind goes next' KIRSTIN INNES, AUTHOR OF SCABBY QUEEN'An unflinching portrayal of what...
The men : a novel
Newman, Sandra
Paper Book
From the author of The Heavens, a dazzling, mindbending novel in which all people with a Y chromosome mysteriously disappear from the face of the earth Deep in the California woods on an evening in late August, Jane Pearson is camping with her husband Leo and their five-year...
The measure : a novel
Erlick, Nikki
Paper Book
INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The Read With Jenna Today Show Book Club Pick! "A story of love and hope as interweaving characters display: how all moments, big and small, can measure a life. If you want joy, love, romance, and hope--read with us." --Jenna Bush Hager ...
Aurora : a novel
Koepp, David
Paper Book
SOON TO BE A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE FROM NETFLIX AND ACADEMY AWARD-WINNING DIRECTOR KATHRYN BIGELOW "Fantastic story, a real page-turner. Impossible to put down." - Stephen King From the author of Cold Storage comes a riveting, eerily plausible thriller, told with the menace and flair...
The immortal King Rao : a novel
Vara, Vauhini
Paper Book
Finalist for the 2023 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction * One of The New York Times 100 Notable books of 2022 * One of NPR's Books We Love in 2022 * Named a Best Book of the Year by Esquire, Vox, Philadelphia Inquirer, and Literary Hub Shortlisted for the...
The last white man
Hamid, Mohsin
Paper Book
From the internationally bestselling author of Exit West, a story of love, loss, and rediscovery in a time of unsettling change One morning, Anders wakes to find that his skin has turned dark, his reflection a stranger to him. At first he tells only Oona, an old friend,...
Liberation day : stories
Saunders, George
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * "One of our most inventive purveyors of the form returns with pitch-perfect, genre-bending stories that stare into the abyss of our national character. . . . An exquisite work from a writer whose reach is galactic."--Oprah Daily  
The Collections
Donovan, Patricia (New Zealand author)
Paper Book
'Killer. That's the accusation they flung at me and days later I still felt debased by it, and besmirched. This is where my story begins. Where the seeds of uncertainty that I'd so long shut my eyes to, began to take root.' So begins Claris Millar's account of her struggles to first abide by the law...
Poster girl
Roth, Veronica
Paper Book
"Poster Girl is a captivating story full of twists and turns--and no easy answers. I couldn't put this book down." --Karin Slaughter, New York Times bestselling author of Girl, Forgotten  From #1 New York Times bestselling author Veronica Roth, a...
The school for good mothers : a novel
Chan, Jessamine
Paper Book
Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence | Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | Selected as One of Barack Obama's Favorite Books of the Year! In this New York Times...
The book of sand
Clare, Theo
Paper Book
'Shocking and satisfying ...a compelling, absorbingly different quest fantasy' Guardian 'An utterly original novel from an extraordinarily creative mind' Karin Slaughter 'Unique and fearless' Mark Billingham 'I inhaled it! It's...
To paradise
Yanagihara, Hanya
Paper Book
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER * From the award-winning, best-selling author of the classic A Little Life--a bold, brilliant novel spanning three centuries and three different versions of the American experiment, about lovers, family, loss and the elusive promise of utopia.
Machinehood
Divya, S. B.
Paper Book
From the Hugo Award nominee S.B. Divya, Zero Dark Thirty meets The Social Network in this science fiction thriller about artificial intelligence, sentience, and labor rights in a near future dominated by the gig economy. Welga Ramirez, executive bodyguard and ex...
Salt lick
Allison, Lulu.
Ebook
The stranding
Sawyer, Kate
Paper Book
AS HEARD ON BBC RADIO 4'S BOOK AT BEDTIME WINNER OF THE FICTION PRIZE AT THE EAST ANGLIAN BOOK AWARDS 2021 'A poignant and page turning apocalyptic tale of the foibles, strengths and hopes of humanity. I was gripped, both terrified...
The last wild horses : a novel
Lunde, Maja
Paper Book
Translated into 40 languages, winner of the Norwegian Bookseller's Prize, and the most successful Norwegian author of her generation, Maja Lunde returns with a heart-wrenching tale, set in the distant past and the dystopian future, about extinction and survival, family and hope. ...

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