Do you know Dystopias? by Carlos

Hello everybody,

  Today I am here to talk a little about books and as the literary universe is very large I decided to talk a bit about a peculiar genre which has had a big rise recently. Let's talk about dystopias.

  You know what dystopia is? They are books whose main feature is a strong social criticism contained in the plot, moreover, usually have authoritarian governments and a post-apocalyptic scenario. If you think about it, Dystopia is the opposite of Utopia, that is, on one side we have the destruction and a crooked society and on the other side we have an incredible setting and a perfect society.

So now, after defining a little about the genre, I'll tip 5 series or trilogies, I have read which are dystopias:

1 - The Hunger Games Trilogy (Susanne Collins)

Synopsis: The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The 'tributes' are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory.

When 16-year-old Katniss's young sister, Prim, is selected as District 12's female representative, Katniss volunteers to take her place. She and her male counterpart Peeta, are pitted against bigger, stronger representatives, some of whom have trained for this their whole lives. , she sees it as a death sentence. But Katniss has been close to death before. For her, survival is second nature

In my opinion these books are awesome, the plot is so interesting and the history is pretty good. One of my favorite points of this trilogy is the social critcism, that show us a poor society and suffering at the hands of the government, besides the main character is a very strong and captivating woman. The entire trilogy is incredible and the final will crush you, of this genre these are my favorite books.

2 - Divergent Trilogy (Veronica Roth)

Synopsis: In Beatrice Prior's dystopian Chicago world, society is divided into five factions, each dedicated to the cultivation of a particular virtue—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent). On an appointed day of every year, all sixteen-year-olds must select the faction to which they will devote the rest of their lives. For Beatrice, the decision is between staying with her family and being who she really is—she can't have both. So she makes a choice that surprises everyone, including herself.

During the highly competitive initiation that follows, Beatrice renames herself Tris and struggles alongside her fellow initiates to live out the choice they have made. Together they must undergo extreme physical tests of endurance and intense psychological simulations, some with devastating consequences. As initiation transforms them all, Tris must determine who her friends really are—and where, exactly, a romance with a sometimes fascinating, sometimes exasperating boy fits into the life she's chosen. But Tris also has a secret, one she's kept hidden from everyone because she's been warned it can mean death. And as she discovers unrest and growing conflict that threaten to unravel her seemingly perfect society, she also learns that her secret might help her save those she loves . . . or it might destroy her.

I read these books last year and I loved it. Besides being a dystopia and fit the characteristics the history has a lot of action, a little romance and a fantastic universe created by the author Veronica Roth. Insurgent is my favorite of the trilogy and i like so much of the end of the history.

3 - The Knife of Never Letting Go #1 (Patrick Ness)

Synopsis: Prentisstown isn't like other towns. Everyone can hear everyone else's thoughts in an overwhelming, never-ending stream of Noise. Just a month away from the birthday that will make him a man, Todd and his dog, Manchee -- whose thoughts Todd can hear too, whether he wants to or not -- stumble upon an area of complete silence. They find that in a town where privacy is impossible, something terrible has been hidden -- a secret so awful that Todd and Manchee must run for their lives.

The three books have been published in Brazil with different titles, but the story is the same and it is still very good. Despite being big the book makes you want to read more and more in an engaging story and full of mysteries. I just read the first book of the trilogy and enjoyed so much, soon will read the other.

4 - The 100 #1 (Kass Morgan)

Synopsis: NO ONE HAS SET FOOT ON EARTH IN CENTURIES - UNTIL NOW. Ever since a devastating nuclear war, humanity has lived on spaceships far above Earth's radioactive surface. Now, one hundred juvenile delinquents - considered expendable by society - are being sent on a dangerous mission: to recolonize the planet. It could be their second chance at life... or it could be a suicide mission.

Clark was arrested for treason, though she's haunted by the memory of what she really did. Wells, the chancellor's son, came to Earth for the girl he loves - but will she ever forgive him? Reckless Bellamy fought his way onto the transport pod to protect his sister, the other half of the only pair of siblings in the universe. And Glass managed to escape back onto the ship, only to find that life there is just as dangerous as she feared it would be on Earth. Confronted with a savage land and haunted by secrets from their pasts, the hundred must fight to survive. They were never meant to be heroes, but they may be mankind's last hope.

I don't know if it will be a series or a trilogy, by the way The 100 is wonderful the story involved sci-fi with a dystopian world and a lot of action and mysteries. The earth keeps some secrets and the ambience created by Kass Morgan is fascinating. The sequence of this book is named Day 21 and passed 21 days after they arrived in the earth and it is as good as the first book. 

PS: There's a sitcom based on this books named The 100 and it is pretty good too.

 5 - Reboot #1 (Amy Tintera)

Synopsis:Five years ago, Wren Connolly was shot three times in the chest. After 178 minutes she came back as a Reboot: stronger, faster, able to heal, and less emotional. The longer Reboots are dead, the less human they are when they return. Wren 178 is the deadliest Reboot in the Republic of Texas. Now seventeen years old, she serves as a soldier for HARC (Human Advancement and Repopulation Corporation).

Wren’s favorite part of the job is training new Reboots, but her latest newbie is the worst she’s ever seen. As a 22, Callum Reyes is practically human. His reflexes are too slow, he’s always asking questions, and his ever-present smile is freaking her out. Yet there’s something about him she can’t ignore. When Callum refuses to follow an order, Wren is given one last chance to get him in line—or she’ll have to eliminate him. Wren has never disobeyed before and knows if she does, she’ll be eliminated, too. But she has also never felt as alive as she does around Callum. The perfect soldier is done taking orders.

Reboot is the most recent book about dystopia that I've read. Different of everything created the author builds a new world with peculiar zombies and adorable characters. The story is unique and very good, the book will be adapted to a movie soon.

This is my opinion about some books that I've already read and I hope than you enjoy the post. All the synopsis were taken from the GoodReads.com and some photos (The 100 and Reboot) were taken by me. If you are interested in some books, read them.

XOXO

Carlos.