The best dystopian novels, according to hackers

8 dystopian novels recommended in Hacker News comments over the past year, ranked by how many separate people recommend each one.

All dystopian novels

1984 by George OrwellPeople recommend it as a prescient, gripping classic about propaganda and power, and say it still speaks to the present. Critics find the opening slow and the plot thin.42recommend
The Road by Cormac McCarthyRecommended as a grim but moving post-apocalyptic novel with a hopeful core. The common caveat is that it is very bleak.27recommend
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George OrwellPeople recommend it as essential, influential reading and a powerful warning about totalitarian control. One reader felt it sometimes dropped the storytelling for its message.24recommend
We by Yevgeny ZamyatinRecommended as a prescient, subtler Soviet-era dystopia than Orwell's 1984, with immersive worldbuilding. No recurring criticism; some prefer the 'One State' translation.11recommend
The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret AtwoodPeople recommend it as a well-written dystopia, though one critic says it takes an aggressive political bent.6recommend
The Hunger Games by Suzanne CollinsPeople recommend it as a compelling, easy-to-read page-turner that avoids being simplistic for young adult fiction. One reader says it is fun but not the best book of all time.5recommend
The Iron Heel by Jack LondonThree commenters recommend this Jack London novel, one preferring it to Martin Eden, and another says an excerpt has stayed with them. No criticisms appear in the quotes.3recommend
One Second After by William R. ForstchenRecommended as a grim, realistic depiction of how an EMP attack could collapse society, though readers are warned it is very depressing.2recommend