A Warning of Things to Come (That Have, Uh, Already Come)

November 7, 2024 6:22 PM

"How to Find Hope in Dystopian Fiction" in JSTOR Daily (February 2016). "10 Must-Read Dystopian Novels: Our Readers’ Picks" in Open Culture (March 2016). "Column: Dystopias are fantastic in fiction. But do you really want to live in one?" by jscalzi in the Los Angeles Times (November 2016).
posted by cupcakeninja (15 comments total)

so I saw the list and said to myself if 'We' is not it, it's not worth reading but it is at #1.
"D-503 begins to have dreams, which disturb him, as dreams are thought to be a symptom of mental illness. Slowly, I-330 reveals to D-503 that she is involved with the Mephi, an organization plotting to bring down the One State. She takes him through secret tunnels inside the Ancient House to the world outside the Green Wall, which surrounds the city-state"

whistle while you work.
posted by clavdivs at 7:22 PM on November 7, 2024 [1 favorite]

Slowly, I-330 reveals to D-503 that she is involved with the Mephi,

Involved with the MeFi?!
posted by otherchaz at 7:57 PM on November 7, 2024 [8 favorites]

interesting, it is an interesting question or premise about hope within the fiction of a dystopian world.
from the first: link,

"You need to ask yourself what kind of robot overlord you want to serve."

this is a sprocket question.

remove the robots and put in zombies.
The Walking Dead/ the ones who live. seems we have a dystopian system hidden within the old world, using an uncommon rationale and even Green technology, the fact that those who are taken with leadership abilities are killed, would those personalities saved from the outside world contribute or bring down the hidden machine trying to reclaim the world from the dead. Does it address that aspect of human nature to be free no matter what the cost, like Taylor in the Church of the underground bomb whose last Act of defiance is pushing the red ruby rod down only to have more time travel explaining how all this madness began.
posted by clavdivs at 8:39 PM on November 7, 2024

this is my jam, thanks for posting!
posted by chavenet at 12:46 AM on November 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

It’s crucial that we use dystopias to inspire social and technological innovation.

obligatory
posted by chavenet at 2:58 AM on November 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

I've been playing Disco Elysium a lot the last few weeks. It is, strangely, very comforting and inspirational to me right now. It's all about how you pick yourself up and keep going, no matter how brutal the past. No matter your own failures, no matter the grief and regret for beautiful things lost and opportunities squandered. And it ends with a miracle (not a spoiler), so that helps.

And I think I'm going to relisten to the Balance arc of The Adventure Zone, specifically for the Stolen Century. Because I need stories, right now, about confronting evil, again and again, over and over, and keeping at it, no matter what.
posted by meese at 7:23 AM on November 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

this is my jam, thanks for posting!

I looked at the "10 Must-Read Dystopian Novels" link and four of the ten books were things we read in my book club already. (Incidentally - we're based in NYC but we meet almost exclusively online now, and one of our latest regulars signs on from Canada. So if anyone wants to join, feel free...let me know if you do, too, I can give the head of the group a heads-up that I know you, we've had a couple of videobombing incidents and the host is a little cautious.)
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:39 AM on November 8, 2024 [3 favorites]

Well, I sure didn’t find hope in A Canticle For Leibowitz, that’s for sure.
posted by bz at 9:13 AM on November 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

I find it a bit disturbing that this line of thought (as presented by the OP) ends in 2016!
posted by pjenks at 10:01 AM on November 8, 2024

But since this is definitely my jam, here's some of my favorites since then (in no particular order):

Micaiah Johnson, The Space Between Worlds
Paul Lynch, Prophet Song
David Koepp, Aurora
Nick Fuller Googins, The Great Transition
Jonathan Lethem, The Arrest
Michael Christie, Greenwood
Sandra Newman, The Heavens
Ling Ma, Severance
Paolo Bacigalupi The Water Knife

and I've just started Stephen Markley's The Deluge... so far I like it and it's endless (40h audiobook!)
posted by pjenks at 10:19 AM on November 8, 2024 [2 favorites]

pjenks very solid list, I have read about half. I just read the sequel to The Space Between Worlds (Those Beyond the Walls) and its really good. Johnson's anger and passion are absolutely scorching throughout it.
posted by supermedusa at 1:08 PM on November 8, 2024 [1 favorite]

The Deluge is D.A.R.K.
posted by supermedusa at 1:09 PM on November 8, 2024

bz, I am reading A Canticle for Leibowitz right now. First time for me, and it's a definitely a book from another era. Lots of surprises, many elements I've seen reused since then.
posted by cupcakeninja at 5:50 AM on November 9, 2024

I would add The Genocides by Thomas M. Disch to the list.

In these trying times, I find that I prefer my dystopias to be satirical, so I have turned my attention to Warhammer 40K, where there, among the dross, are a few gems.
posted by bouvin at 11:06 AM on November 9, 2024

Feeling like maybe we could use The Power right about now. Is it a dystopia? yes. Would it be nice to shoot electricity out my fingers at Donald Trump? also yes.
posted by hydropsyche at 1:21 PM on November 9, 2024 [1 favorite]