Ralph K. Jones's Blog
December 4, 2019
Synopsis of Tahereh Mafi’s – Shatter Me
Tahereh Mafi’s 2001 dystopian thriller Shatter Me is the story of a teenager named Juliette who has a deadly touch, Shatter me is part one in a series of books that offers readers a journey to despair through the eyes of a teenager clinging to her sanity.
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Author: Tahereh Mafi
Genre: Romance / Young...
November 21, 2019
This Perfect Day Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
Right from the beginning of Ira Levin’s This Perfect Day, we learn of a world that is chillingly uniform and impossibly pleasant. There is no war, no hunger, no turmoil of any kind; every single person seems to greatly enjoy their simple lives. Alas, the day could never truly be perfect, and we join the protagonist through a four-part journey of continually seeking out the truth and desperately trying to liberate humanity.
In This Perfect Day, not only have...
The Man in the High Castle Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
At its core, The Man in the High Castle provides a vivid response to an oft considered question: what if the Axis forces had emerged victorious in World War II? In what is a relatively tame narrative, Philip K. Dick manages to create a striking alternate reality that describes how things would have been if events had gone down in just a slightly different manner.
In The Man in the High Castle, Giuseppe Zangara’s 1933 assassination attempt...
The Left Hand of Darkness Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Le Guin contains all the classic elements of a science fiction novel: an alien race, a harsh and unforgiving world, and interstellar travel, but the crux of it all revolves around a simple friendship being formed. It is in this friendship between the two narrators of the story that we find out a great deal about ourselves and our own way of living and forming connections.
The story takes place on a cold, ...
The City of Ember Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
Life within The City of Ember revolves around light. In Ember, there is no sun, no stars, no moon, no natural light except for the occasional stovetop fire. Despite this lack of natural light, the people of Ember are able to live in relative harmony, but just like any light source, it’ll be total darkness when the power runs out. In fact, only time will tell when the lights shut off and never come back on, leaving the citizens to a fate of eternal...
November 20, 2019
The City of Ember Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
Life within The City of Ember revolves around light. In Ember, there is no sun, no stars, no moon, no natural light except for the occasional stovetop fire. Despite this lack of natural light, the people of Ember are able to live in relative harmony, but just like any light source, it’ll be total darkness when the power runs out. In fact, only time will tell when the lights shut off and never come back on, leaving the citizens to a fate of eternal d...
The House of the Scorpion Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
From growing up in a lonely little house, to proving you’re more than just an animal, to naive schemes of love and attention, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a remarkable coming-of-age story told within a dystopian setting. The book effortlessly merges the trials and tribulations of growing up with the horrors of a society that has lost all sense of morality. As we traverse through the story, we find the most depraved and...
The House of the Scorpion Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
From growing up in a lonely little house, to proving you’re more than just an animal, to naive schemes of love and attention, The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer is a remarkable coming-of-age story told within a dystopian setting. The book effortlessly merges the trials and tribulations of growing up with the horrors of a society that has lost all sense of morality. As we traverse through the story, we find the most depraved and deplorab...
November 14, 2019
Parable of the Sower Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
The night begins as usual, with two adults armed with pistols watching over the walled community of Robledo. Out of nowhere, a shrilling alarm is raised, and a pair of thieves flee from the house they were attempting to rob. The watchmen shoot at the invaders, but they scale the wall and scamper back to the wasteland outside. Nobody in the community is hurt, and nothing too valuable was stolen. These robberies are all too common in the walled-off communities of Octavi...
Sower:November 13, 2019
Parable of the Sower Dystopian Novel Analysis by Ralph K Jones
The night begins as usual, with two adults armed with pistols watching over the walled community of Robledo. Out of nowhere, a shrilling alarm is raised, and a pair of thieves flee from the house they were attempting to rob. The watchmen shoot at the invaders, but they scale the wall and scamper back to the wasteland outside. Nobody in the community is hurt, and nothing too valuable was stolen. These robberies are all too common in the walled-off com...
