dystopian novels: I like them
Aug. 14th, 2010 08:33 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gmonkey42Here's a good blog post: The 16 Best Dystopian Books of All Time
Here's the list, but click the link first and read the discussion of each book.
16. That Hideous Strength by CS Lewis - haven't read it, don't plan to. I liked the Narnia books when I was a kid but I'm totally over C.S. Lewis and his right-wing Christian bullcrap.
15. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - YES. The way I first heard of it was it was recommended to me by my very cool 11th grade history teacher; he perceived my interest in feminism and said I'd probably like it. I did. Right after I'm done typing this post, I think I'm going to go to the library web site and see where there's a copy.
14. The Sword of Spirits trilogy by John Christopher - haven't read it and the description doesn't wow me.
13. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - haven't read it; just added it to my Amazon wishlist. My birthday's coming up!
12. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd - YES! I like that it being a graphic novel didn't disqualify it from this list. I love everything of Alan Moore's that I've read. He's amazing. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the movie.
11. Neuromancer by William Gibson - actually own a copy and have never gotten around to reading it.
10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - it's on my to-read list but there are several other books before it. I hate to admit that I actually haven't seen Blade Runner.
9. The Book of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe - haven't read it but based on the description, it sounds really good.
8. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. - haven't read it. Might add it to my to-read list.
7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I actually didn't like this one. I read it as a teenager (voluntarily! not for school!) and I was disappointed. It just seemed really heavy-handed and predictable. But I might have a very different opinion if I re-read it now.
6. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - haven't read it; probably won't because I already know the book's ending (WTF, that is a much better ending than the movie. The movie ending makes the title not make sense.)
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - LOVE IT. I liked 1984 - the other iconic dystopian future book that we all had to read in high school - but I enjoyed Brave New World a lot more. And I'm going to brag a little and say my interpretation of it was more sophisticated than my classmates': I got that John wasn't right either. We weren't supposed to admire him; it's not black-and-white like that. But I can see how his philosophy seems really, really compelling to cynical teenagers who think they know everything. I admit I get that more now than I did then. But I like to think I'm not completely mis-remembering and I got it to some extent then.
4. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - see above. I didn't like what's-er-name. The characters kind of bugged me, I found the characters in Brave New World a lot more interesting.
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - seen the movie, mainly because I was fangirling Malcolm McDowell after he was in Star Trek: Generations (DON'T JUDGE ME) but haven't read the book. And I probably won't. The ultraviolence thing doesn't appeal to me.
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - haven't read it. Probably won't. Super bleak and depressing doesn't appeal to me either.
1. The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson - ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME. I love all the details of the worlds he created: the real one and the virtual world of the primer. I think I might go get it off the shelf and re-read it right now, actually.
And here are some books that aren't apocalyptic but I've just added them to my wishlist. See, my mum always asks what I want for birthdays and Christmas and the Amazon wishlist has made it so much easier.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - I like historical fiction and it always blew my mind how medieval people would commit to this massive building project that wouldn't even be completed in their lifetime. Its inclusion may or may not have anything to do with the fact that Sylar likes it. I admit nothing.
World War Z as mentioned above.
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower book 1) by Stephen Kingand Peter Straub - apparently the first few were Stephen King on his own? OK. I was super into Stephen King books in junior high, before I got super into Michael Crichton books. I read Jurassic Park before it was a movie! I was in 7th grade! I'm oddly proud of that. Anyway. I like Stephen King books and I like fantasy. I especially like series of books so when I finish one book, I can look forward to the continuation of the story.
Promethea by Alan Moore - another graphic novel. I've read Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (books 1 & 2), and Lost Girls; the last of which had substantially more XXX lesbian porn than I expected, therefore I regretted having asked my mom for it for Xmas via the same handy Amazon wishlist. She didn't say anything. I'm hoping she didn't notice. Anyway, Promethea looks cool and it's another series so if I like it, I can get lots more enjoyment out of it.
Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Women and Girls by Ellen Snortland - I can't remember which feminist blog I saw this recommended on. It sounds cool so I want it.
Here's the list, but click the link first and read the discussion of each book.
16. That Hideous Strength by CS Lewis - haven't read it, don't plan to. I liked the Narnia books when I was a kid but I'm totally over C.S. Lewis and his right-wing Christian bullcrap.
15. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood - YES. The way I first heard of it was it was recommended to me by my very cool 11th grade history teacher; he perceived my interest in feminism and said I'd probably like it. I did. Right after I'm done typing this post, I think I'm going to go to the library web site and see where there's a copy.
14. The Sword of Spirits trilogy by John Christopher - haven't read it and the description doesn't wow me.
13. World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War by Max Brooks - haven't read it; just added it to my Amazon wishlist. My birthday's coming up!
12. V for Vendetta by Alan Moore and David Lloyd - YES! I like that it being a graphic novel didn't disqualify it from this list. I love everything of Alan Moore's that I've read. He's amazing. I still haven't gotten around to seeing the movie.
11. Neuromancer by William Gibson - actually own a copy and have never gotten around to reading it.
10. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick - it's on my to-read list but there are several other books before it. I hate to admit that I actually haven't seen Blade Runner.
9. The Book of The New Sun by Gene Wolfe - haven't read it but based on the description, it sounds really good.
8. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr. - haven't read it. Might add it to my to-read list.
7. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - I actually didn't like this one. I read it as a teenager (voluntarily! not for school!) and I was disappointed. It just seemed really heavy-handed and predictable. But I might have a very different opinion if I re-read it now.
6. I Am Legend by Richard Matheson - haven't read it; probably won't because I already know the book's ending (WTF, that is a much better ending than the movie. The movie ending makes the title not make sense.)
5. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley - LOVE IT. I liked 1984 - the other iconic dystopian future book that we all had to read in high school - but I enjoyed Brave New World a lot more. And I'm going to brag a little and say my interpretation of it was more sophisticated than my classmates': I got that John wasn't right either. We weren't supposed to admire him; it's not black-and-white like that. But I can see how his philosophy seems really, really compelling to cynical teenagers who think they know everything. I admit I get that more now than I did then. But I like to think I'm not completely mis-remembering and I got it to some extent then.
4. Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell - see above. I didn't like what's-er-name. The characters kind of bugged me, I found the characters in Brave New World a lot more interesting.
3. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - seen the movie, mainly because I was fangirling Malcolm McDowell after he was in Star Trek: Generations (DON'T JUDGE ME) but haven't read the book. And I probably won't. The ultraviolence thing doesn't appeal to me.
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy - haven't read it. Probably won't. Super bleak and depressing doesn't appeal to me either.
1. The Diamond Age, or A Young Lady’s Illustrated Primer by Neal Stephenson - ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS OF ALL TIME. I love all the details of the worlds he created: the real one and the virtual world of the primer. I think I might go get it off the shelf and re-read it right now, actually.
And here are some books that aren't apocalyptic but I've just added them to my wishlist. See, my mum always asks what I want for birthdays and Christmas and the Amazon wishlist has made it so much easier.
The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett - I like historical fiction and it always blew my mind how medieval people would commit to this massive building project that wouldn't even be completed in their lifetime. Its inclusion may or may not have anything to do with the fact that Sylar likes it. I admit nothing.
World War Z as mentioned above.
The Gunslinger (The Dark Tower book 1) by Stephen King
Promethea by Alan Moore - another graphic novel. I've read Watchmen, V for Vendetta, The Killing Joke, League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (books 1 & 2), and Lost Girls; the last of which had substantially more XXX lesbian porn than I expected, therefore I regretted having asked my mom for it for Xmas via the same handy Amazon wishlist. She didn't say anything. I'm hoping she didn't notice. Anyway, Promethea looks cool and it's another series so if I like it, I can get lots more enjoyment out of it.
Beauty Bites Beast: Awakening the Warrior Within Women and Girls by Ellen Snortland - I can't remember which feminist blog I saw this recommended on. It sounds cool so I want it.
