Why Dystopian Fiction Never Gets Old

The year is 2014. My eighth grade class reads The Giver by Lois Lowry. Everyone at school talks about The Hunger Games’ new sequel, Catching Fire. Divergent is my favorite book, The Maze Runner movie series premieres, and I search up dystopian books at my local Barnes and Noble.

The year is 2017. My junior year class reads 1984 by George Orwell, followed by Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. The Handmaid’s Tale becomes a show, The 100 has one of its best seasons, and Blade Runner 2049 comes out.

The year is 2019. Black Mirror remains one of the most popular series, The Society premieres on Netflix, and Hulu brings back the cartoon Adventure Time. Amazon shows over 40,000 results for “Dystopian Books.”

All of these titles have one thing in common: dystopia. Dystopian works have always been huge—who doesn’t like to read about futuristic, corrupt societies? However, one may wonder why the buzz around the idea has yet to fade.

When I first discovered this genre, I was fully convinced I was the next Katniss Everdeen. I wanted to braid my hair and fight authority like most middle schoolers at the time. Since reading The Hunger Games, I’ve fallen into a hole I cannot escape from. The Divergent series by Veronica Roth was everything to me at one point in time, and I still actively seek out novels exactly like it. Any content that shows similar themes typically interests me, and so many other readers as well.

I love getting lost in these stories. It remains exhilarating to see characters live a thrilling life in such a unique universe. More than that, it’s comforting to see a young person tackle so many problems and take on such a heavy leadership role in defeating whatever evil they must face.

The reason dystopia remains so popular is because it’s easy to connect to the people in the books, shows, and movies. They feel just like me. It feels as though if I was in one of these fictional worlds, I’d be the one going on a quest, forming a strong bond with a team, coping with losing my family, or fighting my power-hungry enemies. The plotlines vary, but one thing remains the same: the stories easily make the consumer feel less alone and give them something to connect to.

An example of this occurs in The Maze Runner book and film series. Spoiler Alert: The characters face extreme circumstances like being trapped in a maze, which ends up being an experiment to help find a cure for a deadly virus. This feels so different from anything most of us have likely experienced, but the characters are relatable and the enemy is old, rich, and power-hungry. It makes the reader or viewer feel understood and like they possess a way to fight the evil currently in control, even when all we are doing is reading a book or watching a movie.

Even if there are haywire experiments, fragmented sectors of society, or the impending doom of an apocalypse, there are bigger meanings to most dystopian fiction. They tackle themes of oppression and totalitarian regimes. Often times, the work critique politics or the growth of technology.

Take one of the newest dystopian series, Black Mirror, for example. Episodes concentrate on a form of technology, like a new product or a social media that dominates the characters lives. At the end of most storylines, the characters either succumb to the technology, spiralling down a dark path, or they break free from the technology holding them back in some way. These dystopian themes may be enticing, but it’s because they tap into something we are all familiar with: the pervasive nature of technology today. It’s interesting to see someone tackle different, creative technologies because our world is littered with so much of the same.

I believe the reason why so many people are drawn to this genre is partly because there’s something inherently exciting about an adventure-filled world that feels so far removed from our own. The characters are brave and hard to forget, their names are unique, and the government is depicted as evil. However, dystopian works can also be a commentary on what is happening in our society. It can be nice to hear someone taking on the problems we wish we could, even if it’s in an entirely new universe.