For the sixth year running, here is the annual update to my list of The 110 Best Dystopian Novels. These four best dystopian novels of 2021 were selected from dozens of contenders based on curated lists from The Guardian, The New York Times, Publishers Weekly and more, suggestions from readers on Goodreads, and ratings on Goodreads and Amazon.
To complement these rankings, I have created two pieces of bonus content:
- Recommendations for the best dystopian novels from seventeen contemporary dystopian authors like Tyler Edwards (author of the number four novel of 2021), A.G. Riddle (author of the number two novel of 2021) and Lois Lowry.
- A one-page PDF shopping guide to the complete list of The Best Dystopian Novels.
You can access both of these free resources using the form below. And now, here are The Best Dystopian Novels of 2021!
4. The Outlands by Tyler Edwards
The opening installment in Edwards’s Outlands Saga introduces the totalitarian city of Dios—a safe enclave surrounded by the hostile, ruined Outlands. When Undesirable Dios resident Jett Lasting becomes embroiled in a plot to overthrow the government, his choices could mean freedom or the death of everyone close to him.
Click here to download dystopian fiction recommendations from Tyler Edwards and several other dystopian authors.3. Termination Shock by Neal Stephenson
This Goodreads Choice Awards finalist in Science Fiction envisions a near-future world in which climate change has unleashed a cataclysm of superstorms, floods, heatwaves and virulent pandemics. When a visionary restaurant chain billionaire proposes an idea to reverse global warming, will the solution be worse than the problem he hopes to solve?
2. The Extinction Trials by A.G. Riddle
Following a mysterious global disaster, six strangers awaken in an underground bunker to discover that they are part of a scientific experiment to restart humanity. Amazon named The Extinction Trials one of the best Science Fiction and Fantasy books of 2021.
Click here to download dystopian fiction recommendations from A.G. Riddle and several other dystopian authors.1. Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
My personal favorite dystopian novel of 2021. This spellbinding first-person account of a robot purchased to befriend and care for a sick young girl in a mysterious near-future world was also a Goodreads Choice Awards finalist in Science Fiction and named one of the top books of the year by Amazon, The Guardian and The New York Times.