5 "Go-To" Dystopian Themes For Young Adult Novels

5 "Go-To" Dystopian Themes FOR YOUNG ADULT NOVELS Dystopian themes are the latest craze on TV, in movies and young adult literature. From Hunger Games to World War Z, it seems that pop culture fans can't get enough of these stark, often sinis- ter settings and storylines. While there are numerous sub categories and genres for budding authors to choose from, here are 5 of the "go-to" themes that contain limitless potential. 1 ENVIRONMENTAL DESTRUCTION Some greatyoung adut Whether it's loss of the ozone layer, melted ice caps, or chronic pollution (or, god forbid, a mixture of all three!), mother nature has had ENOUGH! And the bad news is that she's taking her revenge on humanity. The result is usually the near extinction of our species and a total breakdown of society as we know it, and it makes a pretty convincing argument for why we sholuld take care of our planet while we still can. redomin Uglies by Scott Westerfield Dark Life by Kat Falls DARK LIFE VICTORIA FOYT UGL ADAPING T Adapting Eden by Victoria Foyt 2.ZOMBIE APOCALYPSE Here are 3 amazing reads that feature this theme Zone One by Colson Whitehead This is one of the most popular of all themes on this list these days, and with the success of projects like The Walking Dead and World War Z, it doesn't look like it will be going anywhere soon. Zombie stories speak to everyone on some level, because they require the protagonist to adapt and thrive using the most basic human instinct- survival. WORLD WAR COLSON YOU E THE 7CBIE APOCALYPSE? WHITEHEAD 7ONE ONE MAX BROOKS Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? by Max Brallier World War Z by Max Brooks 3. ALIEN INVASION eraround this theme Midnight City The 5th Wave by J. Barton Mitchell by Rick Yancey Discovering other intelligent life in the universe would be the quintessential achievement of man- kind. But what if the life we discover happens to be a touch more advanced than we are? What if MIPNISE- CITY NT IN THE AFTER it's not entirely friendly? What if an entire spe- cies is set on dominating our world and capturing our resources at all of questions asked and answered in this dysto- pian sub-genre, and they've been fascinating audiences since before H.G. Wells penned his War of the Worlds over 100 years ago. HE 5WAVE costs? These are the types KETEKPARTEL In The After by Demitria Lunetta NSDAP 4. TOTALITARIAN GOVERNMENT These stories usually utilize the concept of an evil, propaganda-spouting government with abso- lute power, citizens and * 1984 by George OrwellS by Ray Bradbury Farenheit 451 , controlling the day-to-day lives of its with an iron fist. While it's I ruling easy to label people who fear this type of future "conspiracy theorists," unfortunately, all you have to do is examine a socialist state like North 198 EAMES THE HUNGER RADBURY Korea, where govemment radio is broadcast 24 hours a day into everyone's homes and the non- elected President is considered a demi-god, to clearly see that this utterly horrifying plotline is not too farfetched at all. HRENHEIT SUZANNE ! COLLINS 51 George Orw The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 5. NUCLEAR HOLÓČAUST This horrific theme can be found in these reads: Alas Babylon by Pat Frank The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau This theme is particularly terrifying because there is a definite possibility of it actually playing out in our lifetime. With at least nine countries verified to control nuclear warhe ALAS, BABYLON thore warheads, there is a very real chance that humanity could self-annihilate in the next big global conflict. The endgame could very well result in one of the settings found in this dystopian sub-genre, and that's a big reason why these stories are so relatable and fascinating to audiences. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O'brien