CAA: Christian Anime Alliance

What are your favorite dystopian stories? Here are mine:
Blade Runner
Brave New World
1984
The Giver
Gathering Blue
V

I think I pretty much agree with your list, though I haven't seen Blade Runner. . . Brave New World and The Giver are definitely my favorites.

I would second The Giver, and the concept behind Fahrenheit 451 wasn't awful, but the author who's name escapes me wasn't the most talented.

I keep forgetting to read Fahrenheit 451. My sister adores it though. I can't even think of too many dystopia stories! Sad day...I really enjoyed Minority Report, though I'm not sure if that falls under "dystopia" or not. . .

I'm gonna be shocked if anyone recognizes this, but if we're talking Big Brother dystopias, I love the world described in "Invitation to the Game." And I have since I was in middle school.

Oh here's an excellent one I forgot: We. If you haven't read this book, you should!

I haven't heard of either of those! I will definitely check them out.

No love for Equilibrium, Ergo Proxy or Animal Farm? In addition to the already-mentioned ones, these three are top of the pops.

Great post!

Brazil.

Where people die for innocent typos in the bureaucratic process and cosmetic surgery is a luxury of the rich.

...Oh wait.

TheSubtleDoctor (post: 1368359) wrote:No love for Equilibrium, Ergo Proxy or Animal Farm? In addition to the already-mentioned ones, these three are top of the pops.

Great post!

I can't say anything about Ergo Proxy, but I didn't much enjoy Equilibrium outside of some spectactular fight scenes. For a society without emotion it's stunning how many of them were experiencing emotions even on the drug (Revenge, hatred, envy...) also
[spoiler]I don't buy that the kid was able to fool everyone.[/spoiler]

As for Animal Farm, good dystopia I guess, but I usually look for them to be slightly less allegorical.

Mr. Hat'n'Clogs (post: 1368159) wrote:I would second The Giver, and the concept behind Fahrenheit 451 wasn't awful, but the author who's name escapes me wasn't the most talented.

Ray Bradbury wasn't the most talented...

Okay, he ain't Shakespeare, but ... wow.


As for me, I'm going to go with Atlas Shrugged. I'm also very big on "1984".

EricTheFred (post: 1368413) wrote::eh: Ray Bradbury wasn't the most talented...

Okay, he ain't Shakespeare, but ... wow.

I guess I just wasn't very fond of his style, I dunno. It was good enough for me to get through it, especially in the second part, but I didn't really enjoy the rest. Beatty was well-written though, I liked him. Which perhaps is why I didn't enjoy the first and third parts as much, no Beatty.

EricTheFred (post: 1368413) wrote:Atlas Shrugged.

Bleugh. Ayn Rand.

Etoh*the*Greato (post: 1368436) wrote:Bleugh. Ayn Rand.

I had a similar attitude about her for the first thirty or so years of my life. Same thing with Allen Drury, James Michener and Leon Uris; I couldn't read anything by them until I grew out of some youthful restlessness. It's not fit stuff for the instant gratification years.

I'm adding another to the list, although it kinda stretches the definition of Dystopia. "A Canticle for Liebowitz" is a long-time favorite for me. (And who can tell me which sci-fi TV show slipped an homage to it into one of the episodes?)

Visioneers
THX 1138

[quote="EricTheFred (post: 1368445)"]I had a similar attitude about her for the first thirty or so years of my life. Same thing with Allen Drury, James Michener and Leon Uris]

Ooh! Canticle for Liebowitz is wonderful. But no... My issue with Rand has less to do with any desires for self gratification and more the blanket disdain she displays towards everyone. Her concept of "free thinking" is anyone who thinks like her.

I have little patience when someone uses the word "sheeple" in an argument un-ironically, and she's the one who coined the term.

Etoh*the*Greato (post: 1368454) wrote:Ooh! Canticle for Liebowitz is wonderful. But no... My issue with Rand has less to do with any desires for self gratification and more the blanket disdain she displays towards everyone. Her concept of "free thinking" is anyone who thinks like her.

I have little patience when someone uses the word "sheeple" in an argument un-ironically, and she's the one who coined the term.

Well, I've heard that Faulkner was an arrogant so-and-so too. I don't have any liking for Rand's political philosophy either (even though way too many of my fellow libertarian types tend to confuse it with libertarianism, which it isn't.) I'm not at all fond of David Weber's political philosophy either, yet I like his stories too.

I often have little difficulty enjoying a story whose philosophy I might not agree with, but for some reason hers always kind of... Flicked particular switches in my head. She's just a very hateful person. And yeah, I'll definitely agree about Faulkner. His poetry belies a lot of that ego, though. Weber I can't really speak for. I could actually mention George R. R. Martin. His entire blog is given over to his political rantings which have no bearing on what he writes, but he's actually a fantasy writer and I've done enough to derail this thread.

As far as Dystopian writers go, you can't get much better than Cyberpunk father William Gibson.