13 Books to Read If You Loved "The Hunger Games"
Dystopian page-turners, right this way
What can we say? Corrupt governments, draconian rules, dissenting voices—the more dystopian the fictional future, the better. So if you miss cheering on Katniss Everdeen in Panem, here are several more books to try.
1.
Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines
In the not-too-distant future, the Gladiator Sports Association has surpassed football as the most popular sport in the country, and 18-year-old Lyn is unwillingly pulled into its violent world. Buy the book
2.
The Matched Trilogy by Ally Condie
In this dystopian universe, citizens are matched with the partners they will marry for life. Cassia thinks she was matched with the wrong person and makes it her mission to find out why. Buy the book
3.
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Way before Katniss, there was Jonas, a boy assigned the role of “Receiver of Memory” in his utopian (ooh, or is it dystopian?) town. There are three more books in the series, so get reading. Buy the book
4.
The Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth
Set in a post-apocalyptic Chicago, people are divided by personality type. When Tris’s aptitude test comes up inconclusive, she is told she is Divergent and warned never to tell anyone. Buy the book
5.
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Published in 1932, this sci-fi classic is the original dystopian novel. If you’ve already read it, read it again. (And try not to get too freaked out about by how accurate it is.) Buy the book
6.
1984 by George Orwell
OK, you probably read this in eighth-grade English class, but it’s definitely worth a trip back to Airstrip One as an adult. Just watch out for Big Brother. (No, not the TV show.) Buy the book
7.
The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld
This quartet of novels is set in a (you guessed it) dystopian world where everyone is forced to get plastic surgery and be made “pretty.” But Tally Youngblood rebels against her image-obsessed society. Buy the book
8.
V for Vendetta by Alan Moore
This 1989 graphic novel tells the story of V, a mask-wearing anarchist who creates a plan to kill his former captors, and his protégé, a young woman named Evey Hammond. Buy the book
9.
The Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
Seven hundred years after humans have colonized other planets, the universe has created a social hierarchy based on color. Sixteen-year-old Darrow, a working-class Red, struggles to join the elite Gold class. Buy the book
10.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Arguably Bradbury’s best novel, you can get through this classic sci-fi read in an afternoon—but the eerie story will stick with you for much longer. Buy the book
11.
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
Set in the Republic of Gilead, this beloved dystopian novel tells the story of Offred, a woman kept as a “handmaid” for reproductive purposes, as most women are no longer able to have children. Buy the book
12.
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
What began as a short story has expanded into 15 novels in what Card calls the “Enderverse.” In the first, Ender Wiggin is a boy trained to fight in the military with a variety of games. Buy the book
13.
The Delirium Trilogy by Lauren Oliver
Scientists have found the cure for love, which is now understood to be a disease. But 95 days before she’s due for her treatment, Lena Haloway falls head over heels. Uh-oh. Buy the book