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20 Best Dystopian Books
We analyzed 5+ expert sources, curated book lists, and recommendations from successful people to find the 20 best dystopian books according to the internet — not just one person's opinion. Each book on this list was mentioned by at least two independent sources, and the ranking is based on how frequently each title appears across all sources studied. This consensus-based approach ensures you get recommendations backed by multiple experts, not a single reviewer's bias.
Goal: Find the best Dystopian books according to the internet (not just one person's opinion).
Method:
- Search for "best dystopian books" and study the top 5+ pages.
- Add only the books mentioned 2+ times.
- Rank the results neatly here.
20 Best Dystopian Books
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1
1984
by George Orwell
Also recommended by
14 people
Tristan Harris recommended this bookTristan Harris
"[The author]'s dark vision." - Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris's recommendation of this book 
Jordan Peterson recommended this bookJordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
J. Cole recommended this bookJ. Cole
J. Cole mentioned reading this book on The Fayetteville Observer.
J. Cole's recommendation of this book 
Emma Watson recommended this bookEmma Watson
On the "books read" section of Emma Watson's GoodReads profile.
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book 
Noam Chomsky recommended this bookNoam Chomsky
On the "Top 100 Books Referenced by Noam Chomsky" list.
Noam Chomsky's recommendation of this book 
Richard Branson recommended this bookRichard Branson
Richard Branson recommended this book on his "70 must-read books" blog post.
Richard Branson's recommendation of this book +8
More recommendations
- Matt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
- Christopher Hitchens
"We were all expected to read Animal Farm and [this book], which had been placed on the syllabus as part of the curriculum of the Cold War." - Christopher Hitchens
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Jenn Im
"Highly recommend." - Jenn Im
- Winston Churchill
One of Winston Churchill's favorite books.
- Diane Rehm
"Examines the consequences of totalitarianism, mass surveillance and government repression." - Diane Rehm
- Anna Akana
Anna Akana recommended this book on Twitter.
- Brad Delong
Brad Delong recommended this book in his website.
- Matt Mullenweg
2
Brave New World
by Aldous Huxley
Also recommended by
10 people- Jordan Peterson recommended this book
Jordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book 
Yuval Noah Harari recommended this bookYuval Noah Harari
"The best science fiction book ever, definitely the most prescient." - Yuval Noah Harari
Yuval Noah Harari's recommendation of this book - Tristan Harris recommended this book
Tristan Harris
"Slightly older and less well known [than 1984] but equally chilling vision." - Tristan Harris
Tristan Harris's recommendation of this book 
Matt Mullenweg recommended this bookMatt Mullenweg
Matt Mullenweg mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Matt Mullenweg's recommendation of this book 
Stewart Brand recommended this bookStewart Brand
Stewart Brand recommended this book on his "Selected Books for the Manual for Civilization" blog post.
Stewart Brand's recommendation of this book 
Sam Altman recommended this bookSam Altman
This book was on Sam Altman's bookshelf.
Sam Altman's recommendation of this book +4
More recommendations
- Christopher Hitchens
"In [this book], one can often detect strong hints of a vicarious approval of what is ostensibly being satirized." - Christopher Hitchens
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Winston Churchill
One of Winston Churchill's favorite books.
- PewDiePie
"I love this book. I think it's a masterpiece." - PewDiePie
- Christopher Hitchens
3
The Handmaid's Tale
The Handmaid's Tale, Book 1
by Margaret Atwood
Also recommended by
3 people- Emma Watson recommended this book
Emma Watson
On the "books read" section of Emma Watson's GoodReads profile.
Emma Watson's recommendation of this book 
Daniel Pink recommended this bookDaniel Pink
"I loved [this book]." - Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink's recommendation of this book 
Jenn Im recommended this bookJenn Im
"I'll like you five times more if you have read this book." - Jenn Im
Jenn Im's recommendation of this book
4
The Road
by Cormac McCarthy
Also recommended by
8 people
Jocko Willink recommended this bookJocko Willink
Jocko Willink covered this book in "Jocko Podcast" Ep. 97
Jocko Willink's recommendation of this book 
Oprah Winfrey recommended this bookOprah Winfrey
"Unlike any book I have chosen." - Oprah Winfrey
Oprah Winfrey's recommendation of this book 
Aubrey Marcus recommended this bookAubrey Marcus
"A bleak post-apocalyptic survival story about a father and his son." - Aubrey Marcus
Aubrey Marcus's recommendation of this book 
Charlize Theron recommended this bookCharlize Theron
"[This book] changed my life." - Charlize Theron
Charlize Theron's recommendation of this book 
Joel McHale recommended this bookJoel McHale
"No novel has ever captured the love a parent has for his child better than this book." - Joel McHale
Joel McHale's recommendation of this book 
Sam Hinkie recommended this bookSam Hinkie
"Unrepayable." - Sam Hinkie
Sam Hinkie's recommendation of this book +2
More recommendations
- Lex Fridman
Lex Fridman mentioned this book on Instagram.
- Ryan Holiday
"Read it when you have kids. When I finished this book, [I] walked into my son's room when he was asleep, sat on the floor, and I just wept." - Ryan Holiday
- Lex Fridman
5
Fahrenheit 451
A Novel
by Ray Bradbury
Also recommended by
2 people
Tim Ferriss recommended this bookTim Ferriss
"If you wonder why some people take censorship so seriously, this book will give you the answer." - Tim Ferriss
Tim Ferriss's recommendation of this book 
Ryan Holiday recommended this bookRyan Holiday
Ryan Holiday mentioned this book on Twitter.
Ryan Holiday's recommendation of this book
6
A Clockwork Orange
by Anthony Burgess
7
Station Eleven
by Emily St John Mandel
Also recommended by
4 people
Kathryn Minshew recommended this bookKathryn Minshew
Most Recommended Books reached out to Kathryn Minshew directly.
Kathryn Minshew's recommendation of this book 
Tyler Cowen recommended this bookTyler Cowen
"[The author's] biggest-selling book to date." - Tyler Cowen
Tyler Cowen's recommendation of this book 
George R. R. Martin recommended this bookGeorge R. R. Martin
"Really blew me away." - George R. R. Martin
George R. R. Martin's recommendation of this book 
Tim Urban recommended this bookTim Urban
"Should be required reading to remind everyone that we all live in an incredible magical utopic civilization." - Tim Urban
Tim Urban's recommendation of this book
8
The Power
by Naomi Alderman
Also recommended by
4 people
Barack Obama recommended this bookBarack Obama
Barack Obama's favorite books of 2017 list.
Barack Obama's recommendation of this book - Kathryn Minshew recommended this book
Kathryn Minshew
Most Recommended Books reached out to Kathryn Minshew directly.
Kathryn Minshew's recommendation of this book 
Bill Gates recommended this bookBill Gates
"I gained a stronger and more visceral sense of the abuse and injustice many women experience today." - Bill Gates
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
Olivia Wilde recommended this bookOlivia Wilde
"Believe the hype." - Olivia Wilde
Olivia Wilde's recommendation of this book
9
Parable of the Sower
Earthseed, Book 1
by Octavia E Butler
Also recommended by
2 people
Levar Burton recommended this bookLevar Burton
One of Levar Burton's book recommendations.
Levar Burton's recommendation of this book 
DeRay Mckesson recommended this bookDeRay Mckesson
"An incredible book." - DeRay Mckesson
DeRay Mckesson's recommendation of this book
10
The Hunger Games
The Hunger Games, Book 3
by Suzanne Collins
Also recommended by
2 people- Bill Gates recommended this book
Bill Gates
List of books Bill Gates read in 2012.
Bill Gates's recommendation of this book 
LeBron James recommended this bookLeBron James
"For me, it's relaxing honestly. You spend so much preparation for the games, sometimes you just need to get away from it for a little bit." - LeBron James
LeBron James's recommendation of this book
11
Animal Farm
by George Orwell
Also recommended by
8 people- Jordan Peterson recommended this book
Jordan Peterson
Recommended on Jordan Peterson's website.
Jordan Peterson's recommendation of this book - J. Cole recommended this book
J. Cole
J. Cole mentioned reading this book on The Fayetteville Observer.
J. Cole's recommendation of this book 
Whitney Cummings recommended this bookWhitney Cummings
Whitney Cummings mentioned this book on "The Tim Ferriss Show" podcast.
Whitney Cummings's recommendation of this book - Daniel Pink recommended this book
Daniel Pink
"I think that [this book] should be in every organizational behavior class in an MBA program." - Daniel Pink
Daniel Pink's recommendation of this book 
Vlad Tenev recommended this bookVlad Tenev
"When I was in sixth grade I remember being very upset by the ending of [this book]." - Vlad Tenev
Vlad Tenev's recommendation of this book 
Christopher Hitchens recommended this bookChristopher Hitchens
"There is a timeless, even transcendent, quality to this little story." - Christopher Hitchens
Christopher Hitchens's recommendation of this book +2
More recommendations
- Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
- Lex Fridman
Lex Fridman mentioned this book on Instagram.
- Sahil Lavingia
12
The Time Machine
by H.G. Wells
Also recommended by
2 people
Sahil Lavingia recommended this bookSahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book 
Winston Churchill recommended this bookWinston Churchill
"A wonderful book." - Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill's recommendation of this book
13
Never Let Me Go
by Kazuo Ishiguro
Also recommended by
1 person
Jack Edwards recommended this bookJack Edwards
"Has some great twists and turns." - Jack Edwards
Jack Edwards's recommendation of this book
14
The Fifth Season
Broken Earth, Book 1
by N. K. Jemisin
Also recommended by
1 person- Sahil Lavingia recommended this book
Sahil Lavingia
Sahil Lavingia recommended this book on Notion.
Sahil Lavingia's recommendation of this book
15
Battle Royale
by Koushun Takami
16
Blindness
Blindness, Book 1
by Jose Saramago
17
Noughts & Crosses
Noughts And Crosses, Book 1
by Malorie Blackman
18
The Children of Men
by P. D. James
19
Vox
by Christina Dalcher
20
We
A Novel
by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Sources
- 1
11 of the best dystopian novels everyone should read | WIRED UK
wired.co.uk
- 2
The best dystopian books, as chosen by our readers
penguin.co.uk
- 3
The 22 Best Dystopian Novels and Series to Read in 2021
businessinsider.com
- 4
23 of the best dystopian novels of all time - Pan Macmillan
panmacmillan.com
- 5
38 Best Dystopian Novels of All Time
oprahdaily.com
Edited by
Richard Reis
Software engineer whose passion for tracking book recommendations from podcasts inspired the creation of MRB.
Follow@richardreeze
Anurag Ramdasan
Lead investor at 3one4 Capital whose startup expertise and love for books helped shaped MRB and its growth.
Follow@anuragwho
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