I’ve always found myself drawn to apocalyptic and dystopian stories, but I hadn’t thought much about it until the last few years, as I worked in the book industry, and got to see first-hand how popular dystopian books can be, especially in response to the world around us. 

Dystopian fiction has been popular for a long time, with early examples including Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle In Time, and Lois Lowry’s The Giver, but many of us have seen recent booms in publishing, including the early to mid-2000s boom in young adult dystopian books (and adaptations), from The Hunger Games, to Divergent, to The Maze Runner. 

But why are we so obsessed with dystopian fiction?

Some speculate our fascination with dystopian fiction is a form of escapism: even as the world around us gets darker and scarier, you can read a story, even one that’s set in a hopeless and horrific world, and escape your own. You might be going through a hard time, but it could be worse… there could be zombies!

Others find inspiration in dystopian fiction. Even though these books feature doom, gloom, and themes of oppression and violence – they also often hold a strong undercurrent of hope and resilience. Usually, the heroes are brave and honourable. And usually they survive, or at least defeat the great evils of their world!

Still others might find a dark fascination with dystopian stories. Just like turning your head to look at an accident, some of us can’t help but hold a grim fascination for these dark themes and terrible worlds. 

But whatever the reason, dystopian books can be a great way to pass the time. So, I’ve compiled a list of some must-reads in the genre that you should add to your reading list.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale is a classic, with new readers picking it up all the time.  Set in the near future, in what was once the United States, and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has responded to a declining birthrate and social unrest by putting into place policies from the Puritans, and the Book of Genesis. In this book, we meet Offred, a Handmaid residing in the home of a Commander and his wife. She is allowed out once a day to the food market, she’s not permitted to read, and she’s hoping the Commander will get her pregnant, because she only has value if her ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she was an independent woman, and had a husband and child, but all of that is gone, and everything has changed.

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman

Jacqueline Harpman’s I Who Have Never Known Men is back in print for the first time since 1997, and has seen a huge surge in popularity in the last few years. Deep underground, forty women live imprisoned in a cage, watched over by guards, with no memory of how they got there, no concept of time, and only the vaguest memories of their lives before. Here, a young girl, the fortieth prisoner, is an outcast, but soon she becomes the key to the others’ escape and survival in the strange world that awaits them above the ground. This is a heartbreaking and haunting post-apocalyptic story about female friendship, intimacy, and the lengths people will go to in order to maintain their humanity, even in the face of devastation. 

Alchemised by SenLinYu

Earlier this year had the opportunity to interview SenLinYu, author of the bestselling Alchemised, and I was thrilled about the opportunity, because this dark, dystopian fantasy was one of the most talked about books of 2025. Set in a dark, fictional world, the story follows once promising alchemist Helena Marino. In the aftermath of a long war, Paladia’s new ruling class consists of corrupt guild families, and a group of depraved necromancers whose awful undead creatures helped bring about their victory. Helena’s friends and allies from the Resistance were brutally murdered, her powers have been suppressed, and the life and the world she once knew have been destroyed. According to the Resistance’s records, she was once a healer of little note, but her enemies wonder if there’s more to her than meets the eye, so they send her to the powerful and ruthless necromancer, the High Reeve. Now, trapped in his dark, crumbling estate, Helena is trying to save both herself, and her secrets.

Daggermouth by H. M. Wolfe.

Originally a self-published phenomenon, H. M. Wolfe’s Daggermouth has been picked up by a publisher, with a gorgeous deluxe edition coming this summer. Set in a corrupt surveillance state, this is an enemies-to-lovers dystopian romance following a mercenary who has botched an assassination of the president’s son, so she is forced to marry him. Their union isn’t a love story, it’s a battlefield. However, as secrets come to light, and betrayals start to fester, Greyson, the heir, and Shadera, the mercenary, must decide whether they want to continue annihilating each other, or burn the city to the ground together.

Storm Breaker by Nisha J. Tuli

New from the bestselling #BookTok phenomenon Nisha J. Tuli is Storm Breaker, the first in a young adult dystopian romantasy series, from the publishers of Fourth Wing. Nineteen-year-old Poet Graves has always found safety in New Manhattan… just as long as she obeys. She was raised within the ruling house, and betrothed to a powerful heir, so she enters Amery Academy knowing that her future has already been decided. But Amery isn’t anything like she’d imagined — it’s brutal and dangerous, and all the while, Poet is hiding a dangerous secret – one that could get her killed. When a dangerous outsider from beyond the city walls enters the academy, Poet is drawn to him, despite everything she’s been taught to believe… but choosing him could cost her everything.

Land of Milk and Honey by C Pam Zhang

C Pam Zhang’s Land of Milk and Honey is set in a world where smog has spread, and food crops are disappearing. A chef escapes her dying career in the city in order to take a job in a mountaintop colony that seems to have avoided the world’s troubles. Here, the sky is clear again, and there are plenty of rare ingredients around. Her enigmatic employer and his daughter have built a beautiful and lush life for the global elite, and the chef becomes awakened to the pleasures of taste, touch, and her own body. Her boundaries start to erode, and soon she’s pushed to the center of an attempt to reshape the world.

The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He

Joan He’s The Ones We’re Meant to Find follows Cee, who has been trapped on an abandoned island for three years with no memories of her past, or why she’s here. All she knows is that somewhere out there, she has a sister named Kay, and it’s up to Cee to cross the ocean to find her. In another world, 16-year-old STEM prodigy Kasey lives in an eco-city. With climate change driving increased natural disasters, eco-cities provide clean air, water, and shelter, with residents committing to spend at least a third of their time in stasis pods, in order to reduce their environmental footprint. While Kasey doesn’t mind the lifestyle, her popular, extroverted sister Celia hated it, preferring the outside world. But no one could have predicted that Celia would take a boat out to sea and never return. Now, three months later, Kasey has given up hope, knowing that logically, Celia is dead. But she decides to retrace Celia’s steps anyways, not knowing where the mystery will lead her.

Moon of the Crusted Snow by Waubgeshig Rice

Waubgeshig Rice’s Moon of the Crusted Snow is an immersive and beautiful story set in a small Anishinaabe community in Northern Ontario, where suddenly, everything goes dark. Cut off, the community is confused, and panic starts as food supplies dwindle. While the band council and some members of the community struggle to maintain order, an unexpected visitor arrives, escaping the crumbling society in the South. Soon after, others follow, and the visitors manipulate the tired and hungry community in order to take control of the reserve, and force the community to lose its grip on power. Tensions rise, as does the death toll. Frustrated, a group of young friends and their families turn to the land and Anishinaabe tradition in order to help their community thrive again, hoping to restore order, while grappling with impossible decisions.

Severance by Ling Ma

Ling Ma’s Severance is a revolutionizing of a zombie apocalypse, full of thoughtful social commentary and millennial ennui. It goes back and forth between our narrator’s life leading up to the epidemic that wipes out most of humanity, and her present-day where she’s trying to make it to a safe haven with a group of survivors. Candace Chen is a millennial drone so devoted to routine that she barely notices when a plague sweeps through New York. Shen Fever spreads, people flee, and companies halt their operations. She won’t be able to make it on her own forever, so she finds a group of survivors, led by a power-hungry IT tech named Bob. They’re travelling to a place called The Facility, which Bob promises will have everything they need to start society again — but Candace is carrying a secret. One she knows will be exploited if Bob finds out. Should she escape from her rescuers?

This is Not A Test by Courtney Summers

Courtney Summers’ This is Not A Test is a gripping and unputdownable story set at the end of the world, during a zombie apocalypse. It’s the end of the world, and six students find themselves living in their high school. But the shelter is little comfort when the dead won’t stop pounding at the doors outside. One bite is all that it takes to kill someone, and bring them back as a monster. To Sloane, however, that doesn’t sound so bad… she was ready to leave this world before the apocalypse even began, and now she’s in a life-or-death survival scenario when she doesn’t even know if she wants to be alive. This was dark and complicated, messy, and compelling, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it since I read it.

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins’ latest bestseller, Sunrise on the Reaping, revisits the world of The Hunger Games with a prequel set 24 years earlier, during the 50th Hunger Games. This year, twice as many tributes will be taken from their homes and thrown into a fight to the death. In District 12, Haymitch Abernathy is trying not to think too hard about his chances – all he wants is to make it through the day, and be with the girl he loves. But when his name is called, his dreams come crashing down around him, as he’s torn from his family and his love, and sent off to the capital, with three other District 12 tributes: a young friend who’s like a sister to him, a compulsive oddsmaker, and the most stuck-up girl in town. Haymitch knows that he’s been set up to fail, but as the Games begin, there’s something in him that wants to fight, and wants that fight to stretch beyond just the arena. With a (sure-to-be-devastating) film adaptation coming this November, if you haven’t read it yet, revisit the world of Panem with this fast-paced, heartbreaking, and all too timely story.

The Sixth Faction by Veronica Roth

Coming October 6th, Veronica Roth is revisiting her bestselling Divergent series through a reimagining of the story: What if Beatrice (Tris) had made a different choice? Featuring many of the characters you grew to love (or hate) in the original Divergent series, this brand-new duology is perfect for anyone craving heart-pounding action, political intrigue, and romance, all in one. Beatrice Prior stands on the brink of a decision every person in her world has to make — a decision between five futures, and five factions. She’s got a plan — she’s going to make the bravest choice, leaving her family and Abnegation behind, in order to join Dauntless. But when tragedy strikes at her Choosing Ceremony, everything changes — including Beatrice herself. Her ensuing decision throws her into the crosshairs of an underground rebellion, and in the path of a boy with dangerous secrets – a boy with only a number for a name. One choice will change everything.

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Ameema Saeed (@ameemabackwards) is a storyteller, a Capricorn, an avid bookworm, and a curator of very specific playlists and customized book recommendations. She’s a book reviewer, a Sensitivity Reader, a book buyer at Indigo Books & Music, and the Books Editor for She Does the City, where she writes and curates bookish content, and book recommendations. She enjoys bad puns, good food, dancing, and talking about feelings. She writes about books, big feelings, unruly bodies, and her lived experiences, and hopes to write your next favourite book one day. When she’s not reading books, she likes to talk about books (especially diverse books, and books by diverse authors) on her bookstagram: @ReadWithMeemz