Monday, June 22, 2009

Thinking the Unthinkable: Books from the Dark Side

Do you like Sci Fi / Fantasy from the Dark Side? Some of the best recent releases have been dystopian fiction - books set in nightmarish worlds where the characters fight for survival, escape and freedom. There's a whole new list of them available in the teen area at the library, but here's a few to get you started...


Maybe you've already read Scott Westerfeld's Uglies series - stories set in the image-obsessed future where every 16 year old is surgically enhanced to fit the one ideal of Beauty.
In addition to a fast-paced story, Westerfeld can really get you thinking about what it means to be attractive and how far you'd go to be beautiful... How about Cory Doctorow's high energy, high tech adventure story, Little Brother? After a terrorist attack, the book's teenage hero uses his wits and willingness to risk it all to evade the high tech police state. Doctorow already had me hooked by the end of the first smart-alecky, hip, humorous first chapter. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a must-read about a horrifying futuristic world with a reality show that pits two children in a fight to the death. The story is topping lots of the year's Best Books lists - and the sequel - Catching Fire - comes out in September. One of the creepier dystopian novels this year is Unwind - Imagine a futuristic world where a war has been fought between pro-life and pro-choice factions. Abortion becomes outlawed, and here's the really creepy part: unwanted teens can be signed away by their parents to be “unwound,” a process in which their bodies are harvested for parts. Watch for the climactic and shocking end...

These stories aren't for the faint of heart - but if you like risk, intense characters, and tight, suspenseful writing, stop by the library and get our new list of dystopian fiction: Thinking the Unthinkable: Books from the Dark Side...

1 comment:

Unknown said...

Nice list :) I LOVED the hunger games and recently bought Little Brother. I've heard of a few of those others, they all sound great. :)
If you liked The Hunger Games you'll most likely like Battle Royale which is more realistic since it is more detailed considering the circumstances.