Top 6 Books About the Future

Young woman wearing glasses reading a book looking surprised — Laura Kate Bradley / Getty Images

By

Updated on March 10, 2019

Many of us were required to read dystopia or post-holocaust books about the future during high school. Books about the future provide great and haunting stories that can shed light on our current social struggles. Enjoy these prophetic voices.

01

of 06

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games trilogy is a series of young adult books about the nation of Panem, a country that exists in a place that used to be called America. Panem has 12 districts ruled by a totalitarian government in The Capitol district. Every year The Capitol hosts The Hunger Games, a brutal nationally televised competition where a male and female teenager from each district has to compete. 24 enter. 1 survivor wins and The Capitol maintains control through fear until the next Games. These are books you won't want to put down that will keep you thinking even after you finish them.

02

of 06

1984 by George Orwell

Although the year 1984 passed more than two decades ago, the novel 1984 remains as powerful as ever. References to "Big Brother" and other elements from 1984 continue to be used in popular culture, making 1984 not only a good read, but an essential book for understanding public discourse.

03

of 06

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Where 1984 shows how fear and pain can be used as methods of control, Brave New World shows how pleasure can also be an instrument of domination. In many ways, Brave New World reads as if it was written for 21st-century society. This page-turner will entertain and make you think.

04

of 06

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Fahrenheit 451 is the temperature at which books burn, and the novel Fahrenheit 451 is a story about a society that is determined to destroy all books. Although Google's virtual library makes this scenario less likely on a practical level, it is still a timely message for a society where school districts and libraries regularly ban books like Harry Potter.

05

of 06

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Road is a more recent vision than the other books on the list. A father and son are striving to survive a wilderness that used to be a country that used to be the most prosperous nation on earth. All that is left is ash, floating and falling when the wind chooses not to breathe. This is the setting of The Road, a journey of survival only Cormac McCarthy could envision.

06

of 06

One Second After by William Forstchen

One Second After is a riveting and chilling tale of an electromagnetic pulse (EMP) attack on the United States. It is a thrilling page-turner but is also so much more. The danger it illustrates is so great and so real that leaders in our government are now reading this book.

Format

mla apa chicago

Your Citation

Miller, Erin Collazo. "Top 6 Books About the Future." ThoughtCo, Sep. 7, 2021, thoughtco.com/top-books-about-the-future-362628. Miller, Erin Collazo. (2021, September 7). Top 6 Books About the Future. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/top-books-about-the-future-362628 Miller, Erin Collazo. "Top 6 Books About the Future." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/top-books-about-the-future-362628 (accessed June 8, 2023).