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by Courtney Summers
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian apocalyptic Canada Zombies Suicide 326 pages Lexile: HL610L
The zombie apocalypse has begun. For Sloane Price, who's not exactly sure she wants to keeping living, it's quite ironic. As Sloane eagerly waits for the barricades to fall, she witnesses the apocalypse through the eyes of five people who actually want to live. As the days crawl by, the motivations for survival change in startling ways and soon the group's fate is determined less and less by what's happening outside and more and more by the unpredictable and violent bids for life—and death—inside.
by Courtney Summers
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian apocalyptic Canada Zombies Suicide 326 pages Lexile: HL610L
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by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 6 non-white non-binary non-straight dystopian science fiction genetic engineering dating 224 pages
The stunning conclusion to Dawn and Adulthood Rites. Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of a nuclear war. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming genderless ooloi the first ever born to a human mother.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 6 non-white non-binary non-straight dystopian science fiction genetic engineering dating 224 pages
The stunning conclusion to Dawn and Adulthood Rites. Human and Oankali have been mating since the aliens first came to Earth to rescue the few survivors of a nuclear war. Jodahs is supposed to be just another hybrid of human and Oankali, but as he begins his transformation to adulthood he finds himself becoming genderless ooloi the first ever born to a human mother.
by Rivers Solomon
Stonwall Award MoreScore: 6 non-white non-binary non-straight dystopian science fiction fictionalized south emancipation afrofuturism 340 pages
Aster was born into slavery on the brutally segregated starship HSS Matilda, a generation ship carrying the last humans from a dying planet to the new Promised Land. When the autopsy of Matilda's sovereign reveals a surprising link between his death and Aster's mother's suicide some quarter-century earlier, Aster retraces her mother's footsteps and learns there may be a path to freedom -- if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
by Rivers Solomon
Stonwall Award MoreScore: 6 non-white non-binary non-straight dystopian science fiction fictionalized south emancipation afrofuturism 340 pages
Aster was born into slavery on the brutally segregated starship HSS Matilda, a generation ship carrying the last humans from a dying planet to the new Promised Land. When the autopsy of Matilda's sovereign reveals a surprising link between his death and Aster's mother's suicide some quarter-century earlier, Aster retraces her mother's footsteps and learns there may be a path to freedom -- if she's willing to sow the seeds of civil war.
by Maureen F. McHugh
MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction Communism Homosexuality 324 pages
Imagine a world where Chinese Marxism has vanquished the values of capitalism and Lenin is the prophet of choice. A cybernetic world where the new charioteers are flyers, human-powered kites dancing in the skies over New York in a brief grab at glory. A world where the opulence of Beijing marks a new cultural imperialism, as wealthy urbanites flirt with interactive death in illegal speakeasies, and where Arctic research stations and communes on Mars are haunted by their own fragile dangers.
by Maureen F. McHugh
MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction Communism Homosexuality 324 pages
Imagine a world where Chinese Marxism has vanquished the values of capitalism and Lenin is the prophet of choice. A cybernetic world where the new charioteers are flyers, human-powered kites dancing in the skies over New York in a brief grab at glory. A world where the opulence of Beijing marks a new cultural imperialism, as wealthy urbanites flirt with interactive death in illegal speakeasies, and where Arctic research stations and communes on Mars are haunted by their own fragile dangers.
by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint
MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-female undisclosed dystopian apocalyptic Climate Change Mothers and Daugters Homecoming 112 pages
An unnamed narrator returns to her ancestral home in an environmentally depleted harbor city with a baby in her care. She has escaped from what she calls "the breach" -- the collapse of the climate-controlled domed city where she grew up. The narrator's mother disappears and the baby falls ill. The narrator then journeys to city's river to preform the funeral rites for her mother and cure the baby. At the river, the three narrative threads come together.
by Thirii Myo Kyaw Myint
MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-female undisclosed dystopian apocalyptic Climate Change Mothers and Daugters Homecoming 112 pages
An unnamed narrator returns to her ancestral home in an environmentally depleted harbor city with a baby in her care. She has escaped from what she calls "the breach" -- the collapse of the climate-controlled domed city where she grew up. The narrator's mother disappears and the baby falls ill. The narrator then journeys to city's river to preform the funeral rites for her mother and cure the baby. At the river, the three narrative threads come together.
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Coretta Scott King Award MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-female undisclosed dystopian apocalyptic New Orleans, Louisiana Hurricane Katrina Grandmothers 224 pages Lexile: HL470L
Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.
by Jewell Parker Rhodes
Coretta Scott King Award MoreScore: 4 non-white cis-female undisclosed dystopian apocalyptic New Orleans, Louisiana Hurricane Katrina Grandmothers 224 pages Lexile: HL470L
Twelve-year-old Lanesha lives in a tight-knit community in New Orleans' Ninth Ward. She doesn't have a fancy house like her uptown family or lots of friends like the other kids on her street. But what she does have is Mama Ya-Ya, her fiercely loving caretaker, wise in the ways of the world and able to predict the future. So when Mama Ya-Ya's visions show a powerful hurricane--Katrina--fast approaching, it's up to Lanesha to call upon the hope and strength Mama Ya-Ya has given her to help them both survive the storm.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-male undisclosed dystopian science fiction women genetic engineering 304 pages
The futures of both mankind and an alien species rest in the hands of one hybrid son in the award-winning science fiction author’s masterful sequel to Dawn. Nuclear war had nearly destroyed mankind when the Oankali came to the rescue, saving humanity—but at a price.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-male undisclosed dystopian science fiction women genetic engineering 304 pages
The futures of both mankind and an alien species rest in the hands of one hybrid son in the award-winning science fiction author’s masterful sequel to Dawn. Nuclear war had nearly destroyed mankind when the Oankali came to the rescue, saving humanity—but at a price.
by Manu Herbstein
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-male undisclosed dystopian realistic Ghana Asante Colonialism 189 pages
On February 6, 1874, British troops loot the palace of the Asante king, Kofi Karikari and set the city of Kumase on fire, razing it to the ground. They auction of their loot in Cape Coast Castle. War correspondents cash in on the hostile sentiment of the British public by publishing books telling the story of the destruction. The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye tells the story of these momentous events for the first time from an African point of view.
by Manu Herbstein
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-male undisclosed dystopian realistic Ghana Asante Colonialism 189 pages
On February 6, 1874, British troops loot the palace of the Asante king, Kofi Karikari and set the city of Kumase on fire, razing it to the ground. They auction of their loot in Cape Coast Castle. War correspondents cash in on the hostile sentiment of the British public by publishing books telling the story of the destruction. The Boy who Spat in Sargrenti’s Eye tells the story of these momentous events for the first time from an African point of view.
by Octavia E. Butler
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction women genetic engineering 248 pages
An alien race selects one woman to revive mankind after Earth’s apocalypse. Lilith Iyapo tries to find a new life among the Oankali on the newly resettled Earth. But it's nothing like it was before. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will return, but their children will not be human. Not exactly.
by Octavia E. Butler
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction women genetic engineering 248 pages
An alien race selects one woman to revive mankind after Earth’s apocalypse. Lilith Iyapo tries to find a new life among the Oankali on the newly resettled Earth. But it's nothing like it was before. Grass will grow, animals will run, and people will return, but their children will not be human. Not exactly.
by Frances Hardinge
MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-female undisclosed dystopian fantasy underground society caste system autism spectrum 496 pages Lexile: 920L
In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare – wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times.
by Frances Hardinge
MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-female undisclosed dystopian fantasy underground society caste system autism spectrum 496 pages Lexile: 920L
In the underground city of Caverna the world's most skilled craftsmen toil in the darkness to create delicacies beyond compare – wines that can remove memories, cheeses that can make you hallucinate and perfumes that convince you to trust the wearer, even as they slit your throat. Into this dark and distrustful world comes Neverfell, a girl with no memory of her past and a face so terrifying to those around her that she must wear a mask at all times.
by Louise Erdrich
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction Minnesota Ojibwa Indians Genetics 288 pages Lexile: HL820L
The world as we know it is ending. Woman after woman is giving birth to infants that appear to be primitive species of humans. Twenty-six-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker, adopted daughter of a pair of big-hearted, open-minded Minneapolis liberals, is four months pregnant. Cedar first feels compelled to find her birth mother, Mary Potts, an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to understand both her and her baby’s origins. As Cedar goes back to her own biological beginnings, society around her begins to disintegrate.
by Louise Erdrich
MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction Minnesota Ojibwa Indians Genetics 288 pages Lexile: HL820L
The world as we know it is ending. Woman after woman is giving birth to infants that appear to be primitive species of humans. Twenty-six-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker, adopted daughter of a pair of big-hearted, open-minded Minneapolis liberals, is four months pregnant. Cedar first feels compelled to find her birth mother, Mary Potts, an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to understand both her and her baby’s origins. As Cedar goes back to her own biological beginnings, society around her begins to disintegrate.
by Alex London
MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction homosexuality socio-economics 352 pages Lexile: HL720L
Sequel to Proxy. Once a proxy, now the figurehead of the Revolution, Syd is a savior to some and a target for others. His bodyguard Liam must protect Syd with his life but armed Machinists aren’t the only danger in the post-Jubilee world. A horrible disease is infecting people and since Guardians are hit first the government does nothing to help.
by Alex London
MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction homosexuality socio-economics 352 pages Lexile: HL720L
Sequel to Proxy. Once a proxy, now the figurehead of the Revolution, Syd is a savior to some and a target for others. His bodyguard Liam must protect Syd with his life but armed Machinists aren’t the only danger in the post-Jubilee world. A horrible disease is infecting people and since Guardians are hit first the government does nothing to help.
by Alex London
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction homosexuality socio-economics 400 pages Lexile: 690L
Syd’s life is not his own. As a proxy he must to pay for someone else's crimes. When his patron Knox crashes a car and kills someone, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. The boys realize the only way to beat the system is to save each other so they flee.
by Alex London
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 undisclosed cis-male non-straight dystopian science fiction homosexuality socio-economics 400 pages Lexile: 690L
Syd’s life is not his own. As a proxy he must to pay for someone else's crimes. When his patron Knox crashes a car and kills someone, Syd is branded and sentenced to death. The boys realize the only way to beat the system is to save each other so they flee.
by Nnedi Okorafor
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction africa genocide cultural heritage 432 pages
In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" embarks on a journey in which she grapples with her own magical powers, nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture. She ultimately learns the true power of her name: Who Fears Death?
by Nnedi Okorafor
Featured Book MoreScore: 3 non-white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction africa genocide cultural heritage 432 pages
In a post-apocalyptic Africa, the world has changed in many ways; yet in one region genocide between tribes still bloodies the land. Onyesonwu, which means "Who fears death?" embarks on a journey in which she grapples with her own magical powers, nature, tradition, history, true love, and the spiritual mysteries of her culture. She ultimately learns the true power of her name: Who Fears Death?
by George Orwell
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-male undisclosed dystopian satire Totalitarianism Soviet Union Domestic Animals 144 pages Lexile: 1370L
A group of animals rebel against the humans who run the farm they live on and start to run it themselves. Their hope is to create a egalitarian, free, and happy society. In the end, however, their society becomes a cruel tyranny led by the pigs.
by George Orwell
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-male undisclosed dystopian satire Totalitarianism Soviet Union Domestic Animals 144 pages Lexile: 1370L
A group of animals rebel against the humans who run the farm they live on and start to run it themselves. Their hope is to create a egalitarian, free, and happy society. In the end, however, their society becomes a cruel tyranny led by the pigs.
by Robert A Heinlein
MoreScore: 2 non-white cis-male straight dystopian science fiction Totalitarianism Artificial Intelligence Penal Colonies 383 pages Lexile: 900L
A tale of revolution, of the rebellion of the former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority that controls it from Earth. It is the tale of the disparate people--a computer technician, a vigorous young female agitator, and an elderly academic--who become the rebel movement's leaders. And it is the story of Mike, the supercomputer whose sentience is known only to this inner circle, and who for reasons of his own is committed to the revolution's ultimate success.
by Robert A Heinlein
MoreScore: 2 non-white cis-male straight dystopian science fiction Totalitarianism Artificial Intelligence Penal Colonies 383 pages Lexile: 900L
A tale of revolution, of the rebellion of the former Lunar penal colony against the Lunar Authority that controls it from Earth. It is the tale of the disparate people--a computer technician, a vigorous young female agitator, and an elderly academic--who become the rebel movement's leaders. And it is the story of Mike, the supercomputer whose sentience is known only to this inner circle, and who for reasons of his own is committed to the revolution's ultimate success.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-female straight dystopian science fiction prophets african american women 300 pages Lexile: 710L
When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social breakdown, no one is safe. In a night of fire and death, Lauren Olamina, the young daughter of a minister, loses her family and home and ventures out from their ravaged gated community into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny ... and the birth of a new religion.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-female straight dystopian science fiction prophets african american women 300 pages Lexile: 710L
When unattended environmental and economic crises lead to social breakdown, no one is safe. In a night of fire and death, Lauren Olamina, the young daughter of a minister, loses her family and home and ventures out from their ravaged gated community into the unprotected American landscape. But what begins as a fight for survival soon leads to something much more: a startling vision of human destiny ... and the birth of a new religion.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-female straight dystopian science fiction prophets african american women 365 pages
Sequel to Parable of the Sower. A continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina, the heroine of 1994 Nebula Award finalist Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina's daughter Larkin, also called Asha Vere - from whom she has been separated for most of the girl's life - with sections in the form of Lauren's journal. Against a background of a war-torn continent, and with a far-right religious crusader in the office of the U.S. presidency, this is a book about a society whose very fabric has been torn asunder.
by Octavia E. Butler
MoreScore: 2 undisclosed cis-female straight dystopian science fiction prophets african american women 365 pages
Sequel to Parable of the Sower. A continuation of the travails of Lauren Olamina, the heroine of 1994 Nebula Award finalist Parable of the Sower, Parable of the Talents is told in the voice of Lauren Olamina's daughter Larkin, also called Asha Vere - from whom she has been separated for most of the girl's life - with sections in the form of Lauren's journal. Against a background of a war-torn continent, and with a far-right religious crusader in the office of the U.S. presidency, this is a book about a society whose very fabric has been torn asunder.
by Karen Bass
MoreScore: 1 white cis-male undisclosed dystopian historical Leipzig, Germany Soviet Occupation World War II 288 pages Lexile: HL550L
After a childhood cut short by war and the harsh strictures of Nazi Germany, sixteen-year-old Wilm is finally tasting freedom. In spite of the scars World War II has left on his hometown, Leipzig, and in spite of the oppressive new Soviet regime, Wilm is finding his own voice. It's dangerous, of course, to be sneaking out at night to leave messages on police buildings. But it's exciting, too, and Wilm feels justified, considering his family's suffering. Until one mission goes too far, and Wilm finds he's endangered the very people he most wants to protect. Award-winning author Karen Bass brings readers a fast-paced story about a boy fighting for self-expression in an era of censorship and struggle.
by Karen Bass
MoreScore: 1 white cis-male undisclosed dystopian historical Leipzig, Germany Soviet Occupation World War II 288 pages Lexile: HL550L
After a childhood cut short by war and the harsh strictures of Nazi Germany, sixteen-year-old Wilm is finally tasting freedom. In spite of the scars World War II has left on his hometown, Leipzig, and in spite of the oppressive new Soviet regime, Wilm is finding his own voice. It's dangerous, of course, to be sneaking out at night to leave messages on police buildings. But it's exciting, too, and Wilm feels justified, considering his family's suffering. Until one mission goes too far, and Wilm finds he's endangered the very people he most wants to protect. Award-winning author Karen Bass brings readers a fast-paced story about a boy fighting for self-expression in an era of censorship and struggle.
by Margaret Atwood
Featured Book MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction misogyny rebellion motherhood 311 pages Lexile: 750L
The United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with terrifying consequences for the women left trapped in Gilead.
by Margaret Atwood
Featured Book MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction misogyny rebellion motherhood 311 pages Lexile: 750L
The United States and is now called the Republic of Gilead, a monotheocracy that has reacted to social unrest and a sharply declining birthrate by reverting to, and going beyond, the repressive intolerance of the original Puritans. The regime takes the Book of Genesis absolutely at its word, with terrifying consequences for the women left trapped in Gilead.
by Suzanne Collins
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction reality television survival 464 pages Lexile: 810L
The Hunger Games is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.
by Suzanne Collins
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian science fiction reality television survival 464 pages Lexile: 810L
The Hunger Games is written in the voice of 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in the future, post-apocalyptic nation of Panem in North America. The Capitol, a highly advanced metropolis, exercises political control over the rest of the nation. The Hunger Games is an annual event in which one boy and one girl aged 12–18 from each of the twelve districts surrounding the Capitol are selected by lottery to compete in a televised battle to the death.
by Emily St. John Mandel
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian apocalyptic Nomads Epidemics Theater 352 pages
Station Eleven post-apocalyptic story of a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, before an after a viral apocalypse, the novel tells the story of a Arthur Leander, an aging actor, Jeevan Chaudhary, an EMT, and Kristen Raymonde a young actor with a line from Star Trek tattooed on her arm: "Because survival is insufficient."
by Emily St. John Mandel
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian apocalyptic Nomads Epidemics Theater 352 pages
Station Eleven post-apocalyptic story of a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, before an after a viral apocalypse, the novel tells the story of a Arthur Leander, an aging actor, Jeevan Chaudhary, an EMT, and Kristen Raymonde a young actor with a line from Star Trek tattooed on her arm: "Because survival is insufficient."
by Scott Westerfeld
MoreScore: 1 pending cis-female straight dystopian science fiction Beauty Conformity Plastic Surgery 406 pages Lexile: 770L
Young Uglies live in the Orwellian, state-controlled, high-density dorms of Uglyville. At least this is where they're kept until they turn sixteen. Then they're eligible for the secret operation that transforms them into mind-benumbed but drop-dead gorgeous, eye-popping Pretties partying daily across the river in their high-tech world of New Pretty Town with its own rules of, "Act Stupid, Have Fun and Make Noise."
by Scott Westerfeld
MoreScore: 1 pending cis-female straight dystopian science fiction Beauty Conformity Plastic Surgery 406 pages Lexile: 770L
Young Uglies live in the Orwellian, state-controlled, high-density dorms of Uglyville. At least this is where they're kept until they turn sixteen. Then they're eligible for the secret operation that transforms them into mind-benumbed but drop-dead gorgeous, eye-popping Pretties partying daily across the river in their high-tech world of New Pretty Town with its own rules of, "Act Stupid, Have Fun and Make Noise."
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian psychological Gender Roles Hallucinations Insanity 332 pages Lexile: 1390L
In a misguided attempt and therapy, a woman is kept in a room with no work to do and no human interaction. In an effort to preserve her own sanity, she begins to keep a journal. The wallpaper of her room becomes increasingly sinister as shapes of trapped women begin to appear in it. Ultimately, the protagonist becomes one of the wallpaper women creeping endlessly around the room.
by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
MoreScore: 1 white cis-female straight dystopian psychological Gender Roles Hallucinations Insanity 332 pages Lexile: 1390L
In a misguided attempt and therapy, a woman is kept in a room with no work to do and no human interaction. In an effort to preserve her own sanity, she begins to keep a journal. The wallpaper of her room becomes increasingly sinister as shapes of trapped women begin to appear in it. Ultimately, the protagonist becomes one of the wallpaper women creeping endlessly around the room.