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I just read “Divergent” by Veronica Roth in less than three days.
This is nothing short of a miracle in my New Mommy state.
Try as I might I have not been able to digest a book in less than a week since January. Usually my eyes become heavy when I read at night, or Alexa wakes up early from her nap if I read during the day.
So why does “Divergent” break the barriors? Is it because it is the best written novel I’ve ever read? No.
It’s because it’s dystopian fiction, one of my favorite genres.
Write about an evil government and oppressed society, and I’m your biggest fan. I’m not sure what this says about me exactly, and maybe I don’t want to know, but at least I’m not alone.
Take a look at Wikipedia’s roundup of dystopian novels and you’ll see that in the past few years there has been an outbreak of these stories (most likely due to the success of The Hunger Games trilogy) — so I’m not the only one who likes to get philosophical about the way we live.
8 Great Dystopian Novels
Here are 8 great dystopian novels, past and present. Some of these may be series, but I think most will agree that the first book in the series is usually the best.
Brave New World
The World State has separated society into five castes (Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon) and keeps them content in their duties by feeding them the perfect drug: Soma. Families are illegal; children are raised by the state.
1984
Big Brother is watching you, and revising history and information as it sees fit.
Logan’s Run
People only live till they’re 21 years old, then they must report to the Sleepshop to die. Those who refuse (runners) seek Sanctuary while trying to avoid the Sandmen who are hunting them.
The Long Walk
One hundred teen boys participate in The Long Walk, in which they must keep a pace of 4 mph without stopping. If they stop, they are killed. The last boy standing wins “The Prize.”
The Host
An alien race of “Souls” inhabits Earth. One of them is inserted into a captured human rebel who doesn’t allow herself to be so easily suppressed as the rest of the human race.
The Hunger Games
Post-apocalyptic America is now Panem, and the Capitol is in charge. In order to keep the people in the districts complacent, they force teenagers to participate in the Hunger Games, a fight to the death on nationally televised TV.
Matched
The Society picks out everything for you: your career, your death date, the extent of your few possessions, your mate.
Divergent
Chicago is divided into five factions, each dedicated to a particular virtue (honesty, selflessness, bravery, peacefulness and intelligence). Teenagers must pick their faction, and if they don’t choose wisely they could end up faction-less, which is worse than being homeless.
