Dystopia Land discussion

The reason I ask this is because on a different discussion post, a question was raised about YA novels and will any of them become classics. This made me think about when does the average reader discover dystopia stories. I was introduced to them in either 7th during 1974-75 through Animal Farm in school. It makes sense because about this age kids start to question authority and readings about questionable authority catches the young's attention. In other words, it was great way to learn to think.

How about you?

YA is a fairly new genre, so I think that some of the novels classified that way today absolutely will become classics. If those same novels had been written fifty years ago they would not have been shelved as YA because it wasn't an option!

I think I read The Long Walk when I was 12, so that would have been 6th or 7th grade. I'm not sure of that really qualifies as dystopic, but it certainly made me search out more books with that same "feel". I discovered Planet of the Apes soon after and I was hooked.

I agree that 'The Long Walk' is certainly dystopia and a very good story at that. To me, 'Planet of the Apes' is straight up science fiction, but incredible social commentary.

I also agree that YA is going to turn out classics. Remember, when science fiction started, it was pulps and considered for kids...

I would argue that PotA really is dystopic because it's OUR future. The humans mucked up their world and the apes evolved and eventually dominated the humans.

But that's a really soft argument. ;)

I guess the John Wyndham novels The day of the Triffids and The Kraken Wakes when I was about 17 somewhere in the 80ies..
Although I didn't know the term then. All i could think was why doesn't something nice like that happen to me..
Cozy Catastrophies are my favorite..

I was in High School before I first read dystopian science fiction. We had to read a book of short stories by Ray Bradbury. I distinctly remember not liking it and yet I couldn't put it down. After a while I decided to give up the fight and just enjoy it.

When I was in high school, around 11-12, we read The Giver in my English class, and I loved it.

But at that time, I did not make the link with the dystopia genre (I didn't even know it existed).

A couple of years later, my litterature teacher asked us to read 1984 during holidays. I remember it very well. I was in Egypt at that time, and started it one morning on the bus. I could barely put it down all day, and would sneek some reading whenever I could (it was a school trip, and teachers were expecting us to listen to our guides). I loved this trip to Egypt and was fascinated by the country, so I think it's quite significant about the attraction this book had on me. Fortunately for me, we had long bus rides that day and I had finished the book by the end of the day, so I could go on with the rest of the trip unhindered and could fully appreciate it (but I think my friends were a bit annoyed about my enthusiasm regarding this book).

But as soon as I was back home, I had to check everything I could about it, and that's how I discovered the world of dystopia. Needless to stay, I never really left it since then.

During my A-Levels (17-18 years old) we were able to choose two books to compare and contrast a genre, and I was given sci-fi/dystopian. My teach gave me a list of books and to choose two, so I chose Fahrenheit 451 and Nineteen Eighty-Four and they were both brilliant! My favourite out of the two is definitely Fahrenheit 451, though.

After completing the essay I read Brave New World and then got in to YA dystopias like The Hunger Games.

I'm a writer as well and prefer writing in this particular genre so it's always good to read as much of it as possible!

Junior high. The first ones I read were the classics: Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, Brave New World, 1984.

Melaslithos wrote: "When I was in high school, around 11-12, we read The Giver in my English class, and I loved it.

But at that time, I did not make the link with the dystopia genre (I didn't even know it..."

When I read Animal Farm I didn't make the link either, of course it was seventh grade. It wasn't until a year or so when I started to notice all the dystopia and the social critique that went with the genre.

When I turned 10 one of my birthday presents was Animal Farm. It lit the fire of reading for me. Dystopian fiction had me hooked still to this day 24 years later.

The Status Civilization, and The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, are classic greats and recommended reads.

The Giver Quartet, and Legend trilogy, are great newer dystopian novels.

Well, I am only 13 now. I believe the first dystopian novel I read was the hunger games when I was 10. I had been begging my mom to let me read it for about 6 months and when she finally let me, I loved it. Some of my most recent favorites are The Selection series by Kiera Cass and the Legend series by Marie Lu.

I was 14 years old, it was 1984 and the book? 1984. :)

Michelle wrote: "I was 14 years old, it was 1984 and the book? 1984. :)"

LOL, Michelle. Exactly the same with me (I read 1984 in 1984), only I was 15. :-)

I was 13, it was around 1980, and I broke my arm at the beginning of the summer. Stuck in the house, my sister gave me her copy of Ira Levin's This Perfect Day, and I've been a sci-fi junkie ever since. (Of course Star Wars coming out in 1977 helped!)

Hunger games!!!!

I was introduced to Dystopia as a child in the 60s watching B sci-fi and horror movies, but the first end-of-the-world type book that I read was Alas, Babylon when I was about 10 years old. There was a copy lying around the house that had been my brother's from some old high school summer reading assignment of his. He was off in college by then.

In middle school we were assigned The Chrysalids by John Wyndham. I loved this book and have been a fan of this genre since. I just recently re-read it and loved it all over again.

I still have a copy of The Chrysalids in my personal library. ☺

So it seems to be as early as 10 and as late as 15. I notice it is the 6, 7, 8 grades that seem to be the main years to start to read dystopia.

So let me ask this now, do you constantly read dystopia or is it one of many genres? For me it is one of many genres. I have a soft soft for dystopia because the best of it is social commentary and I happen to really love commentary.

Like Papaphilly dystopian novels tend to be my favorites, but I read a wide variety. The only thing I avoid is non-fiction, but even those pop up in my reading pile occasionally, I just don't seek them out.

Dystopian fiction is a fav, but not the only one. I like mysteries, suspense, espionage, etc. I'll read just about anything, as long as it's well-written.

As most people here, I read a bit of everything, but dystopia is one of my favorites.

I really didn't hear dystopia being assigned a genre until a few years ago. I read 1984 in High School ( mid 1970's). I loved it and how it made me think about the world and the way we live in it. Kinda scary too to realize our world could become like 1984. ( in some ways it has!). I really like this genre and try to get 7th and 8th graders in my school interested too. Over the summer I read The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. I consider this dystopian. Very thought provoking. I also liked Hunger Games and the Divergent books.

I read a lot of different genres but I have always loved dystopian books since I was about 14, which was a very long time ago! I was surprised when this became its own genre, as I thought it was just me who liked stories about possible bleak futures. I read all the classics long before hunger games was a twinkle in the author's eye/brain. :)

Rob wrote: "I was 13, it was around 1980, and I broke my arm at the beginning of the summer. Stuck in the house, my sister gave me her copy of Ira Levin's This Perfect Day, and I've been a sci-fi..."

I loved This Perfect Day.

Besides dystopia, what else is everyone reading? I read lots of sci fi, horror, and tons of non fiction.

Papaphilly wrote: "Besides dystopia, what else is everyone reading? I read lots of sci fi, horror, and tons of non fiction."

Sci-fi and occasionally non-fictions. Mostly sci-fi.

I was probably 12 or so when I first read Lois Lowry's The Giver.

I was 15 when I watched and read The Hunger Games, and then continued on reading the trilogy. Then when I was 16 we did a Utopia topic in school and got introduced to many dysptopian movies and the book 1984 (Which I haven't read yet). I have loved Dystopian books and movie ever since. It wasn't that long ago, so i hope to read many more books. So far my favorite dystopian books were The Giver by Lois Lowry, and the Divergent trilogy by Veronica Roth :)

7 years ago

Canette wrote: "7 years ago"

How old were you?

I was in grade 7 when I read the Giver and loved it but didn't know about the dystopian genre until grade 8 when I read the Divergent Series and saw the movies that fell in love with the series and I entered my dystopian era. Ever since then, I have read so many dystopian books that slowly introduced me to mystery books. Though I will always prefer and love dystopian books.

High school when I read Fahrenheit 451. That would be the 1960's. But I didn't get into sci fi or dystopian reads until many decades later.