Literary Hub » Dystopian fiction

“It’s Okay But It’s Also Really Not.” When Dystopian Fiction is No Longer a Thought Experiment

“It’s Okay But It’s Also Really Not.” When Dystopian Fiction is No Longer a Thought Experiment

Yume Kitasei Explores the Different Forms Dystopias Can Take, On and Off the Page

By Yume Kitasei | October 6, 2025

The Climate Fiction Prize has announced its first shortlist.

The Climate Fiction Prize has announced its first shortlist.

By Brittany Allen | March 19, 2025

Why We Fear Real-Life Dystopia but Love Dystopian Fiction

Why We Fear Real-Life Dystopia but Love Dystopian Fiction

Laila Lalami: "Our world... may not be the best of all possible worlds, but it’s the one we have—and the one we make."

By Laila Lalami | March 13, 2025

The Iron Heel"> How Jack London Foresaw the Anti-Democratic Future With <em

How Jack London Foresaw the Anti-Democratic Future With <em

The Iron Heel">

The Iron Heel">How Jack London Foresaw the Anti-Democratic Future With The Iron Heel

Ken McGoogan on the Dangers of Oligarchic Totalitarian Rule in Fiction and in Real Life

By Ken McGoogan | September 23, 2024

Pink Dystopia: Gabrielle Korn on How a Decade in Women’s Media Inspired Her Novel

Pink Dystopia: Gabrielle Korn on How a Decade in Women’s Media Inspired Her Novel

“What no one said out loud was that it already did mean something—to other people’s bottom line.”

By Gabrielle Korn | December 12, 2023

Enigmatic Apocalypse: A Dystopian Mystery Reading List

Enigmatic Apocalypse: A Dystopian Mystery Reading List

Claire Fuller Recommends Rumaan Alam, Margaret Atwood, Kazuo Ishiguro, and Others

By Claire Fuller | June 8, 2023

Best Reviewed
Books of the Week

How Will America Address the Post-COVID Wave of Homelessness?

By Keen On | January 14, 2021

Jonathan Lethem on the Wishfulness of Dystopian Fiction

By First Draft: A Dialogue on Writing | December 7, 2020

Literary Disco: Comfort Reads for Election Week (Farewell to Dystopia?)">Literary Disco: Comfort Reads for Election Week (Farewell to Dystopia?)

By Literary Disco | November 3, 2020

In Praise of the Dream-Logic of Speculative Fiction

In Praise of the Dream-Logic of Speculative Fiction

Sophie Mackintosh on the Art That Takes Us Into Uncharted Territory

By Sophie MacKintosh | June 30, 2020

8 Gilded Age Stories That Predicted the Future

8 Gilded Age Stories That Predicted the Future

These Writers Foresaw Solar Power, the Internet, and Vaping

By Stephanie Gorton | February 28, 2019

Counting Down the Top Literary News Stories of 2017: 30 to 21

Counting Down the Top Literary News Stories of 2017: 30 to 21

From Twitter Gaffes to American Invasions

By Literary Hub | December 27, 2017

30 Dystopian Novels By and About Women

30 Dystopian Novels By and About Women

Our Future Bodies, Our Future Selves

By Emily Temple | November 16, 2017

The Handmaid's Tale Adapts More Than the Novel: Here is America"> <em

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The Handmaid's Tale Adapts More Than the Novel: Here is America">

The Handmaid's Tale Adapts More Than the Novel: Here is America">The Handmaid's Tale Adapts More Than the Novel: Here is America

Will All of This Become Ordinary?

By Emily Temple | April 17, 2017

1984 That Relate To You Right Now"> All of the Passages In <em

All of the Passages In <em

1984 That Relate To You Right Now">

1984 That Relate To You Right Now">All of the Passages In 1984 That Relate To You Right Now

There's a reason it's selling out everywhere

By Emily Temple | January 27, 2017