Favourite dystopia's

Dysphemist · 8th December 2008, 11:46 PM

I'm creating a dystopian based graphic novel for my major project in school this year and was wondering what some of the favourite dystopian texts were here. Movies, novels or graphic novels. I really want to get hold of as many quality dystopian texts that I can for inspiration and to do more work on later.

Right now my two favorites are 1984 and V For Vendetta (the comic).

gtc · 9th December 2008, 12:11 AM

This website is about Apocolyptic and End of the World Fiction. There may be something of relevance for you.

I really liked Frank Miller's Hard Boiled and Grant Morrison/Rian Hughes's Dare. I think both had a vey interesting aesthetic to their dystopias.

I recently read Harry Harrison's Make Room, Make Room. Which provided the basis for Soylent Green the movie (although the book is vastly different).

Scazon · 9th December 2008, 12:28 AM

Why invent dystopias when we've got (or had) Somalia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Chechenya, Auschwitz/Belsen/Dachau, Leningrad, Paschendaele, Wounded Knee, Guantanamo Bay, Shanghai 1936, Baghdad 1258 and 2003-2008.... I must have forgotten a couple.

ImaginalDisc · 9th December 2008, 12:47 AM

Hmmm. A Canticle for Leibowitz. It's a dystopia so bad even climbing up from it is fruitless.

Also, Fallout!

gtc · 9th December 2008, 12:56 AM

A canticle for Leibowitz is a very good dystopia.

Soapy Sam · 9th December 2008, 01:48 AM

Christopher Priest's "Fugue for a Darkening Island".
Disturbingly credible.

Wudang · 9th December 2008, 01:53 AM

Richard Morgan "Market forces"
Cyril Kornbluth "Marching morons" short story and novels "Space merchants" and "The Syndic".
The movie "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam

Georg · 9th December 2008, 03:53 AM

Originally Posted by geneeee

I'm creating a dystopian based graphic novel for my major project in school this year and was wondering what some of the favourite dystopian texts were here. Movies, novels or graphic novels. I really want to get hold of as many quality dystopian texts that I can for inspiration and to do more work on later.

Right now my two favorites are 1984 and V For Vendetta (the comic).

Have a look at this thread.

Scazon · 10th December 2008, 12:23 AM

What dystopia could be worse than one in which a person can apostrophise a plural?

tomwaits · 10th December 2008, 09:18 PM

North Korea

Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" (NOT the movie)

Corsair 115 · 10th December 2008, 10:37 PM

I always thought the corporate-controlled future depicted in the 1975 movie version of Rollerball was an interesting one (and somewhat prophetic). The food-starved future world of the film Soylent Green would be another interesting one.

ImaginalDisc · 10th December 2008, 10:40 PM

Oh, how could I have left out Children of Men?

ParrotPirate · 11th December 2008, 08:18 PM

I like what Gibson did in his cyberpunk books. As for Harry Harrison,how about His (with others) "Bill,the Galactic Hero" series? Not exactly dystopic, but some darkish bits mixed with the extreme silliness.

moon1969 · 12th December 2008, 03:16 PM

Belarus where Alexander Lukashenko is the dictator.

Professor Yaffle · 12th December 2008, 03:25 PM

Lanark - A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray

bruto · 12th December 2008, 03:58 PM

For movie dystopias Brazil does pretty well for me.

For Literary dystopias, I think Margaret Atwood has scored on two occasions with very different ones: the military-religious dystopia of The Handmaid's Tale, and the corporate-scientific one of Oryx and Crake.

I don't think of Children of Men as quite the same sort of dystopia, because it's more the result of unplanned disaster than the disastrous outcome of a plan or a set of beliefs.

For a classic, short dystopia, you could do worse than E.M. Forster's story "The Machine Stops." http://brighton.ncsa.uiuc.edu/prajlich/forster.html

8th December 2008, 11:46 PM	#1
Dysphemist Thinker Join Date: May 2008 Location: Australia, NSW Posts: 193	Favourite dystopia's I'm creating a dystopian based graphic novel for my major project in school this year and was wondering what some of the favourite dystopian texts were here. Movies, novels or graphic novels. I really want to get hold of as many quality dystopian texts that I can for inspiration and to do more work on later. Right now my two favorites are 1984 and V For Vendetta (the comic).

9th December 2008, 12:47 AM	#4
ImaginalDisc Proactive Untwister of Octagonal Hippopotamus Pants Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 10,225	Hmmm. A Canticle for Leibowitz. It's a dystopia so bad even climbing up from it is fruitless. Also, Fallout!
	__________________ Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope. Statement: This definition, I am told, is subject to interpretation. Obviously, love is a matter of odds. Not many meatbags could make such a shot, and fewer would derive love from it. Yet for me, love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticle, and together, achieving a singular purpose, against statistically long odds. *-HK-47*

9th December 2008, 01:48 AM	#6
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,885	Christopher Priest's "Fugue for a Darkening Island". Disturbingly credible.
Soapy Sam NLH Join Date: Oct 2002 Posts: 25,885

9th December 2008, 01:53 AM	#7
Wudang BOFH Join Date: Jun 2003 Location: Sheffield Posts: 8,248	Richard Morgan "Market forces" Cyril Kornbluth "Marching morons" short story and novels "Space merchants" and "The Syndic". The movie "Brazil" by Terry Gilliam
	__________________ Aphorism: Subjects most likely to be declared inappropriate for humor are the ones most in need of it. -epepke

9th December 2008, 03:53 AM	#8
Georg Graduate Poster Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Bavaria, Germany Posts: 1,333	Originally Posted by geneeee I'm creating a dystopian based graphic novel for my major project in school this year and was wondering what some of the favourite dystopian texts were here. Movies, novels or graphic novels. I really want to get hold of as many quality dystopian texts that I can for inspiration and to do more work on later. Right now my two favorites are 1984 and V For Vendetta (the comic). Have a look at this thread.
	__________________ I wonder if there's any quadruple amputee dwarfs on death row? quarky I am 38 years old. I think I can handle a horny priest! -Fran- I think it's possible it will turn out that the whole point of human evolution is only as an intermediate step in the creation of robot hookers. -Piscivore-

9th December 2008, 12:11 AM	#2
gtc Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: the downunderverse Posts: 7,114	This website is about Apocolyptic and End of the World Fiction. There may be something of relevance for you. I really liked Frank Miller's Hard Boiled and Grant Morrison/Rian Hughes's Dare. I think both had a vey interesting aesthetic to their dystopias. I recently read Harry Harrison's Make Room, Make Room. Which provided the basis for Soylent Green the movie (although the book is vastly different).

9th December 2008, 12:28 AM	#3
Scazon Thinker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Derbyshire UK Posts: 159	Why invent dystopias when we've got (or had) Somalia, Congo, Zimbabwe, Cambodia, Chechenya, Auschwitz/Belsen/Dachau, Leningrad, Paschendaele, Wounded Knee, Guantanamo Bay, Shanghai 1936, Baghdad 1258 and 2003-2008.... I must have forgotten a couple.

9th December 2008, 12:56 AM	#5
gtc Philosopher Join Date: Feb 2005 Location: the downunderverse Posts: 7,114	A canticle for Leibowitz is a very good dystopia.

10th December 2008, 12:23 AM	#9
Scazon Thinker Join Date: Aug 2007 Location: Derbyshire UK Posts: 159	What dystopia could be worse than one in which a person can apostrophise a plural?

10th December 2008, 09:18 PM	#10
tomwaits Master Poster Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Chicago, IL, USA Posts: 2,288	North Korea Vonnegut's "Harrison Bergeron" (NOT the movie)

10th December 2008, 10:37 PM	#11
Corsair 115 Philosopher Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Tranquility Base Posts: 8,591	I always thought the corporate-controlled future depicted in the 1975 movie version of Rollerball was an interesting one (and somewhat prophetic). The food-starved future world of the film Soylent Green would be another interesting one.
	__________________ "We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. Because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our abilities and skills, because that challenge is one we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win."

10th December 2008, 10:40 PM	#12
ImaginalDisc Proactive Untwister of Octagonal Hippopotamus Pants Join Date: Dec 2005 Location: Miami, Fl Posts: 10,225	Oh, how could I have left out Children of Men?
	__________________ Definition: 'Love' is making a shot to the knees of a target 120 kilometers away using an Aratech sniper rifle with a tri-light scope. Statement: This definition, I am told, is subject to interpretation. Obviously, love is a matter of odds. Not many meatbags could make such a shot, and fewer would derive love from it. Yet for me, love is knowing your target, putting them in your targeting reticle, and together, achieving a singular purpose, against statistically long odds. *-HK-47*

11th December 2008, 08:18 PM	#13
ParrotPirate Graduate Poster Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Here,now Posts: 1,540	I like what Gibson did in his cyberpunk books. As for Harry Harrison,how about His (with others) "Bill,the Galactic Hero" series? Not exactly dystopic, but some darkish bits mixed with the extreme silliness.

12th December 2008, 03:16 PM	#14
moon1969 Graduate Poster Join Date: Apr 2008 Posts: 1,288	Belarus where Alexander Lukashenko is the dictator.

12th December 2008, 03:25 PM	#15
Professor Yaffle Butterbeans and Breadcrumbs Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Emily's shop Posts: 15,360	Lanark - A Life in Four Books by Alasdair Gray
	__________________ I think you'll find it's a little bit more complicated than that. My blog "Well I think I've made it abundantly clear in this thread I have no idea what I'm talking about..." - truethat

12th December 2008, 03:58 PM	#16
bruto Penultimate Amazing Join Date: Jun 2005 Location: way way north of Diddy Wah Diddy Posts: 11,191	For movie dystopias Brazil does pretty well for me. For Literary dystopias, I think Margaret Atwood has scored on two occasions with very different ones: the military-religious dystopia of The Handmaid's Tale, and the corporate-scientific one of Oryx and Crake. I don't think of Children of Men as quite the same sort of dystopia, because it's more the result of unplanned disaster than the disastrous outcome of a plan or a set of beliefs. For a classic, short dystopia, you could do worse than E.M. Forster's story "The Machine Stops." http://brighton.ncsa.uiuc.edu/prajlich/forster.html
	__________________ "Sir, I have found you an argument; but I am not obliged to find you an understanding.(Samuel Johnson) The gods are less for their love of praise....(Wendell Berry)