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The Years of Rice and Salt
The Years of Rice and Salt
Kim Stanley Robinson | 2002 | Fiction & Poetry
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
What a stunning, epic tale. A collection of lives, a group of souls described as a jati, wending their way across the centuries of an alternate history.
What if the western / European world was wiped out completely in the 14th century instead of only 1/3rd of the population? Kim Stanley Robinson vividly imagines the stages of life and consequences to the world. The rise and spread of Islam instead of Christianity. The different minds who would awaken to the natural sciences. The empire building of China into the New World. The continuation of Native American cultures through their cooperation and shared values.
Dystopian historical science fiction with serious questions of religion, philosophy, and sociopolitical theories expertly woven together.
  
The Hunger Games (2012)
The Hunger Games (2012)
2012 | Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Jennifer Lawrence (0 more)
So much like Battle Royale (0 more)
Not an original concept, but enjoyable watch
To be fair, I had never heard of the Hunger Games series before the film came out. So when I watched it my first reaction was - this is a rip off Battle Royale! Obviously that changed after the other films came out. However, I enjoyed the concept - because I loved BR. And I especially liked Jennifer Lawrence who always plays such fabulously gritty characters such as in The Winter's Bone. It's not a film you can watch repeatedly though because it is rather dark, and there are zero comedy elements in this dystopian fantasy (obviously). That being said, great acting all round.
  
Ones and Zeroes
Ones and Zeroes
Dan Wells | 2017 | Young Adult (YA)
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
Binary is cool!
This is the sequel to Bluescreen and it definitely adresses some of my qualms with the first. There is a lot more action in the game in this sequel, the Cherry Dogs get into a tourny and it is the main focus of the novel. I love the group effort that present throughout this book, unlike many dystopian society novels where the main character can barely trust anyone and they feel like they have to save the world all by themselves and keep secrets and feel personally responsible for every death their stupid plan caused, this is a breath of fresh air. Everyone plays a part and Marisa definitely couldn’t have done it alone.
  
40x40

Karlaalyy (10 KP) rated The Selection in Books

Jul 14, 2018  
The Selection
The Selection
Kiera Cass | 2012 | Children
8
7.9 (48 Ratings)
Book Rating
Character development (2 more)
Romance
Not your average heroine
Setting wasn’t very descriptive (0 more)
Dystopian fantasy
Contains spoilers, click to show
The story follows America, an unlikely heroine, in a futuristic USA where presidency has been overthrown and monarchy rules. In order to stop riots and rebellions across the country the monarchy organises a selection of women from different social classes (ordered by number) to compete to marry the crown prince. America is a singer, a woman of a lower class above only manual labourers, slaves and the homeless. Her large heart, rebellious spirit and social class endear her to both the prince and the people however the king sees her as a threat and will do everything in his power to get rid of her.
  
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale
Margaret Atwood | 1998 | Essays
7
8.3 (112 Ratings)
Book Rating
The Republic of Gilead allows Offred to serve for only one purpose, and that is to breed. If this does not happen she runs the risk of being hanged, or being sent away to die slowly and painfully of radiation sickness.

This tale of a dystopian future, where many practices such as reading are illegal, and the struggle to create new life, brings in a class structure that rivals history was beautifully written. Atwoods use of language and descriptive imagery allows for you to immerse yourself in how it would feel for Offred.

I’m not normally a reader of these type of stories (hence the lower rating) but I enjoyed this and would certainly be reading the next instalment.
  
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games
Suzanne Collins | 2014 | Young Adult (YA)
9
8.5 (277 Ratings)
Book Rating
Incredible book
This was the first proper dystopian teen book I had read (well before the film's) and I really enjoyed the complexity and reality the author gave to the story, how the mother struggled with her husband's death and what this meant to a family living in such a cut throat world. I loved how you could see why she was doing what she did, that she never planned to get out alive when she saw who was going in with her and how she wasn't the 'darling' of the book nor a 'princess' to be looked after.

The ending of the series was a let down but this book is great to get your teeth into
  
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Back to the Future Part II (1989)
1989 | Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Great Scott!
Mid part of the Back to the Future trilogy, in which Marty McFly experiences and travels to three distinct era's: the far-flung future of 2015(!)(I'm writing this in December 2020 - I want my hoverboard, dammit!), an alternate dystopian (from his and Boc Browns point of view) 1985 and finally back to 1955 as the point of divergence to (re)witness the events of the first movie.

With a cliffhanger ending, this film should really be considered the first part of a longer movie: indeed, I believe that was the original intention before the studios balked at the sheer running length of merging the events of Part II and the (Western) Part III into one!