Utopian & Dystopian
Books with Utopian or Dystopian as the main genre within the Speculative category. Discover stories featuring settings that appeal, intrigue, or disturb the reader.
Works are alphabetized by author. Genres are listed beside works. For details about a specific work, refer to the author’s Substack. The Library is not responsible for content on individual authors’ Substacks.
(N) Novel / (NA) Novella / (NT) Novelette (B) Nonfiction Book
(C) Complete / (I) Serial In Progress
(F) Free / ($) Paid / (F)→($) Preview Available
Utopian
The Legend of Leanna Page: Vol. I – A Beginning | Cedar Flyte | Utopian (N) (I) (F)
The legendary Leanna Page is known throughout all Elenvia for her trials and adventures, which led to their better world. Now, that legend is being introduced to our world by Cedar Flyte, themself the descendant of an Elenvian, in a fast-paced mythopoetic queer literary fantasy. As Flyte writes in their Dedicatory Epistle, “Perhaps [The Elenvian’s] stories can be a lesson in their world’s attainability, but if you rather not consider it so then consider it only as thus: It is a tale, magical and romantic and filled with adventure at every turn.” In a world divided in two, Leanna – born directly into the center of that division – must find a way to bring all the different parts of her dangerous world together... or risk her life, love, and freedom trying. This, the first volume in a series of three, is the beginning of her story.
Oblivion | Elle Griffin | Utopian (N) (I) ($)
Oblivion is a utopian novel that begins when Elysia washes up on the shore of Fanghu, the isle of the immortals, with a scroll in her pocket, no recollection of her past, and a beautiful boy who might know more about her than she does. The book is inspired by classical utopian literature as well as the xianxia romance genre.
The Evolution Gene trilogy | Aaron Hodges | Dystopian Scifi/Genetic Engineering | (N) (C) (F)→($)
First 25% free/rest paid
Deep in the mountains of California, there is a hidden laboratory. Children are taken there, some criminals, others simply the disappeared. All are fodder for the mysterious experiments conducted in its halls. Their purpose: unlock the secrets of the human genome. None of the children have ever been seen again. Until now.
In Different Color | Sam Rake | Fairy Tale (N) (I) (F)
In Different Color follows Mr. Grey, a clickety-clackety-word-machine operator at the Starharbor Regional Justice Center. When a girl named Jodee Coats kicks a hole in the Cubicle Hedge and breaks Starharbor's Odormoat law, Mr. Grey takes a vacation to follow her. Legally. What begins as a simple marble train ride, however, quickly turns into a vacation of trials. Mr. Grey will wind up flying a windmill through a cloud of birds with sour beaks. He’ll travel through giant, undersea bubbles by the parching light of a sunny fish. Chased by a hot-air-balloon saucepan, he’ll copilot a steam swan through the moonlit woods of Dreamland. With the help of Honeydew - a wiz with probabilities - and the hobo Tom, Mr. Grey will confront all this and more; with nary an excess blink.
Dystopian
Song of the Red-Legged Birds | Bill Bradbury | Speculative (N) (I) (F)
Boston, 2117. A futuristic dystopian backdrop with one bright spot. Something called 'The Event' is happening each year to everyone on their birthday. The Event fills you with a sense of enlightenment, for just one day. So why are the trees screaming? Why are mysterious flocks of red-legged birds killing themselves? And what have Holly, Takeda, and his dog Triscuit uncovered, which makes them a threat? Because now they're running for their lives from secret forces who work in a Hawaiian volcano, retro-hackers, mild-mannered assassins and a little girl in a red dress. But mainly, they're running out of time. We all are.
Just Like You | David Finlay | Utopian & Dystopian (N) (I) (F)→($)
The first chapter (already published) is free for everyone to view. All later chapters will be behind a paywall.
In a primitive society recovering from an unspecified catastrophe, a lone hunter is forced to lead their people into a battle between kindness and evil.
The Iniquity of the Federation | Michael P. Marpaung | Science Fiction, Dystopian (NT) (C) (F)
The year is 4500 of the Common Era and the Federation reigned supreme. Pleasure rather than brutality marked Federation rule, as symbolized by the “bunny units”. Our heroine is Unit 49,316 ‘Sixteen’, a bunny who felt the emptiness of her life and was desperate for love. Will Sixteen find what she was looking for, or is she doomed to a life in service of the Federation?
The Vessel | Russell Nohelty | Dystopian Sci-Fi (N) (C) ($)
Every generation, the five most powerful people in the City transfer their consciousnesses into nubile, teenage hosts. This allows them to continue their important work of keeping the city functioning and protected from the nuclear wasteland beyond its borders. When one of the Five dies, though, the others decide that their bodies are too fragile and decide to find new hosts earlier than usual. This triggers a competition, where children from across the City travel to its center to compete for a chance to earn a place as a Vessel for one of the Five.
Amber Stone and the Dead Doctor | Vivian Otoo | Sci-Fi, Dystopian (N) (I) (F)
Amber Stone is a seventeen-year-old orphan. From the outside looking in she has a great life. But with the Elite class controlling society, life is far from great. Even her "loving" Auntie has warned her from a young age to hide who she is and, more importantly, what she can do. Because the Elite class is dead set on keeping the status quo. Anyone who is different is a threat. If her true nature were ever known, it would mean her life.
INGRESSION (The Consilience Series) | Johnathan Reid | Cli-Fi, First Contact (N) (I) (F)→($)
In a near-future world, a young woman is forced into a dangerous journey in search of a cure for her body’s fatal flaws. Despite the aid of friends old and new and a mysterious mentor, she struggles to avoid her premature fate. Meanwhile, deep within her mind, lurks a deadly secret. So when an enigmatic artefact offers its help, she risks making the ultimate sacrifice to save herself and those she loves.
The Undoing: Book 1 of The Reckoning of Anecor Trilogy | D.K. Shepston | Dystopian, Young Adult (N) (C) (F)
Just before Rebecca's brother died, he made her promise one thing: Discover the truth behind the ruthless killer claiming countless lives, leaving everyone else to wonder if they are next. This is a killer that has no cure and leaves no survivors. But if her brother’s suspicions were right, the biggest threat isn’t a virus. It is something far more dangerous. The only clue Rebecca has to go on is a mysterious purple light glowing behind a mountain during the quietest hours of the night. Jonathan’s death thrusts Rebecca from the safety of a sheltered life in Tier 3. She is now forced into a role she doesn’t feel equipped to handle. If she is to succeed, she must confront her fear and avoid the Council's watchful eyes. Rebecca doesn’t want this role, but if she doesn’t finish what her brother started, how many more people will die and what will happen to Anecor? You don’t need to be a teen to enjoy this book…it’s a story that appeals across age groups!
Contract Marriage | Von | Dystopia (N) (I) (F)
Contract marriage is an adult dystopia examining the issues of marriage. Like 1984 and Brave New World, Contract Marriage treats the relations between the sexes as a fundamental aspect of how a society is formed, and thus how a society can go wrong.
Want to add your book? Follow the instructions linked below: