Task 7: Read a Dystopian or Post-Apocalyptic Novel

[Susan]

I read Wool by Hugh Howey. This is not a genre I've read much in recent years, but my husband is very into these kinds of books and has been reading Howey since he was self-publishing. I really liked Wool and I intend to read the rest of the trilogy--once I get more of the challenge books under my belt.

[Dixie]

I read On the Beach, by Neville Shute, in one sitting. Published in 1957, takes place in Australia after WWIII. Realistic and bleak.

[Lauren]

I read The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi and it was a crazy thrill ride - a very realistic eco-dystopian about drought and water access in the American southwest. Think Mad Max, Sicario, and Breaking Bad - and you get close to the underworld that he's created.

I will definitely be reading more of his work after this one.

[Carolyn]

Thanks Lauren! I love dystopian novels, adding to my TBR list...

[Bryn]

I just finished MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood for this challenge. I've read the trilogy now and they are great!! Both scary and funny; I especially laughed at the Revs Church of Petroleum.

[Britta]

I read The Method by German author Juli Zeh for this challenge and can highly recommend it!

[Lauren]

Carolyn wrote: "Thanks Lauren! I love dystopian novels, adding to my TBR list..."

I hope you like it as much as I did!

[Lauren]

Bryn wrote: "I just finished MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood for this challenge. I've read the trilogy now and they are great!! Both scary and funny; I especially laughed at the Revs Church of Petroleum."

LOVED this trilogy - there was talk, and I am not sure where it is now - to adapt it to HBO for a miniseries/show. Atwood did some interviews on it in 2015, but I am not sure if there is any more news about cast, etc. I hope it goes forward!

[Cheri]

I agree; The MaddAddam Trilogy: Oryx and Crake; The Year of the Flood; MaddAddam is a wonderful set of books. She's one of my favorite authors!

[Julia]

I am going to read The Last One: A Novel by Alexandra Oliva. This book is coming out in July, and takes place immediately before and after a catastrophic illness wipes out much of the population. It follows a contestant on a wilderness survival reality TV show, who at first doesn't realize what has happened to the rest of civilization. Sounds amazing!

[Lisa]

I just read Lock In by John Scalzi for a sci fi genre study - do you think it would qualify as dystopian/post-apocalyptic? The world's not exactly falling apart, but it has undergone a profound change.

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

[Veronica]

Like some others, I also read Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I thought it was fantastic and made me eager to read the next two in the series. It also reminded me that I need to up my Atwood game - I've only read this and The Handmaid's Tale!

Review of Oryx and Crake on my blog: https://thethousandproject.wordpress....

[Rachael]

Last time I read a book recommended by my husband - he's into his dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels and suggested Wool by Hugh Howey was a nice easy one to get into and it was there on the bookshelf, so thought 'Why not?'. It started off quite promising, but after a while it felt like wading through treacle and I had to force myself to read a few chapters each night to finish it off. Needless to say, I won't be finishing the trilogy.

[Jessica]

I'm trying to include as many unreads from my overflowing bookshelf as possible for this challenge, therefore I will be reading The Road for this task.

[Danielle]

I read The Crown for this task. It is the last book of The Selection Series. It is definitely a lighter dystopian, but it is one all the same! It was a great ending to a cute series!

[Elle]

I read Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury for this task. Yes, I know many people had to read it for school or read it when they were young, but I never had to or did. I like Bradbury's writing, the story and the way he did not tie up every loose end leaving room for interpretation and speculation. Plus the book was a relatively quick read and I can now cross a TBR classic off the list. Sweet!

[Miriam]

I'm about half way through The Country of Ice Cream Star. This post-apocalyptic society uses a unique dialect that draws you into the world. That plus a fascinating narrator make this book infectious.

[Rayne]

So many books in this category are on my TBR! But I think I've narrowed it down to either The Handmaid's Tale (has been on my bookshelf for several years now and it's not even my copy - oops!) or Flawed (just got this one a few weeks ago).

[Bea]

Nicola wrote: "A book has been recommended to me by a fried in work ... White Flag of the Dead by Joseph Talutto (I think that's the authors name) ... It's a zombie book - would it count as post-apocalyptic??? Yo..."

I think so...and so do other GR readers (genre is on main book page).

[Erin]

Reading Oryx and Crake as a lot of others here are. I'm about 45% through, and it's soooo good, but it hurts my heart.

[Jaymie]

Rainey wrote: "Station Eleven is the one for me for this task."

Excellent choice! I loved that one. If you like it, you should also read "Sleep Donation" by Karen Russell and "The Last One" by Alexandra Oliva. I read "The Last One" for this challenge. Just finished it the other day and can't stop recommending it. It's my new go-to.

[Bonnie G.]

Jaymie wrote: "Rainey wrote: "Station Eleven is the one for me for this task."

Excellent choice! I loved that one. If you like it, you should also read "Sleep Donation" by Karen Russell and "The ..."

Thanks for the recommendation (even though it was not to me.) I loved Station Eleven so I just added The Last One to my TBR.

[Katie]

I am reading Ready Player One for this challenge. I received it in a subscription box called LootCrate and have had sitting on my shelf for a while.
Dystopian stories are among my favorites, so really half the books I read ever would count for this category.
I really recommend the Wool Omnibus or the Sand Omnibus by Hugh Howey. His writing is gorgeous and the stories are impossible to put down.

[Britany]

Finished by Josh Malerman- 4 Stars.

Page-turning freaky goodness, that you can finish in one sitting. A freakish phenomenon overtakes the world where people "see" something and suddenly commit suicide- what do they see? Will our protagonist survive?

My Review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Matthew]

Read Ready Player One for this stage of the challenge. Really solid book, but I worry about the movie that's coming. Worth a read.

[Megan]

Maegan wrote: "I am torn between Station Eleven, because of the amazing reviews it's received, or Brave New World, because sadly I have yet to read it."

I read Station Eleven. I think Brave New World is better, but I enjoyed Station Eleven. Hope you liked your choice.

[Kathy]

I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro for this task. This is an excellent book narrated by the character, Kathy H., who is being raised by "guardians" in a special school, Hailsham. Through Kathy's narrative, it is slowly revealed why the kids are in the school and what the world is like for them. ★★★★

[Bonnie G.]

Kathy wrote: "I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro for this task. This is an excellent book narrated by the character, Kathy H., who is being raised by "guardians" in a special school, Hailsham. ..."

I read the same book. Liked it a lot but what a hard read! My review is here https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Kathy]

Bonnie wrote: "Kathy wrote: "I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro for this task. This is an excellent book narrated by the character, Kathy H., who is being raised by "guardians" in a special scho..."

Good review, Bonnie. For some reason this book wasn't hard for me to read. I think it was because of Kathy's voice. She didn't seem to have any anger about what was going on. Her meaning in life were Tommy and Ruth--never let me go.

[Bonnie G.]

Kathy wrote: "Bonnie wrote: "Kathy wrote: "I read Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro for this task. This is an excellent book narrated by the character, Kathy H., who is being raised by "guardians" in..."

Interesting. It was the lack of anger in Kathy that was the thing that made it hard for me! Its so fun hearing other people's opinions on books. Every reader really is different.

[Megz]

I read Ink and Bone by Rachel Caine. It's a dystopian novel set in an alternative history wherein the Great Library of Alexandria was never destroyed. I loved the concept but I felt there were significant issues with world-building and characters. It was a three-star read for me.

[Rachel]

I'm joining this challenge quite late, so I'm still compiling my list of ideas. I'm trying to go for a post-apocalyptic, since I had dystopians required already in 2 other challenges I'm working on. I was thinking of The Girl with All the Gifts

[Teresa]

Rachel, The Girl With All The Gifts also qualifies for the Audie Award category.

[Rachel]

Teresa wrote: "Rachel, The Girl With All The Gifts also qualifies for the Audie Award category."

Good to know, that's another category that I'm struggling with. Thanks

[Jaime]

I read 'Girl with all the gifts' and really liked it.

I will probably do Station Eleven when I get to this one.

[Carolyn]

Loved Girl With All the Gifts and Station Eleven, both interesting takes on dystopian novels ( which I love!)

[Maria U.]

I just finished Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. I gave it 3,5 stars. A nice story but nothing special.

[Mindy]

Leslie Ann wrote: "This year, I knocked off a number of dystopian/post-apocalyptic novels this year ( Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, Station Eleven, [book: A Canticle f..."

I read "The Handmaid's Tale" for this task, too. Like "A Brave New World," it was a book I enjoyed but also terrified me - both reflect a world that could possibly take shape in the future. I "read" the audio book version read by Claire Daines, and thought she did a great job.

[Kerry]

Ready Player One

I really enjoyed Ready Player One!

[quietprofanity]

I read both Winter and the Ur-Dystopian novel We. I didn't love either of them and don't actually think Winter is a dystopia but I had fun comparing them in a review I wrote.

[Elle]

Kerry wrote: "Ready Player One

I really enjoyed Ready Player One!"

I really liked that one too. Fun story. I "read" an audio version and I think that added to my enjoyment. The narration was really good.

[Megan]

I finished The Handmaid's Tale over the weekend for this category.

[Rachel]

I'm reading The Girl with All the Gifts