According to the Oxford English Dictionary, a dystopia is “an imaginary place or condition in which everything is as bad as possible; opposed to utopia.” This dystopian sense is often represented through oppressive societies in which governments implement laws to establish order, equality, and uniformity to an extreme, typically doubling as a commentary on real-world events or outcomes of the future.
While dystopian literature as a whole is not a recent invention, the market for young adult dystopian novels is a contemporary phenomenon. Examples of prominent dystopian writings can be seen through Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 (1953) and George Orwell’s Nineteen Eighty-Four (1949), both written for adult audiences.
The breakout for the young adult market is largely attributed to Lois Lowry’s The Giver in 1993, which has sold over four million copies (178,907 just this year). The success of The Giver opened the doors to several young adult dystopian novels, which propelled the subgenre into the limelight during the early 2000s. Suzanne Collins’s The Hunger Games series is arguably the most renowned. Released in 2008, the first book alone boasts over eight million sales and has resulted in a full series movie adaptation.
The success of her novels spawned a huge craze for dystopian novels written for young adults. Collins was closely followed by James Dashner’s The Maze Runner series (2009) and Veronica Roth’s Divergent trilogy (2011), both of which were also adapted into blockbuster film adaptations. Other titles like Red Queen (2015), The Lunar Chronicles (2012), The Selection (2012), Shatter Me (2011), Legend (2011), and The Darkest Minds (2012) are also likely to grace the shelves in the dystopian section of the bookstore.
After the 2010s, the dystopian sensation seemed to be declining. The rapidly saturated market appeared to be backing off of acquiring new dystopian young adult books, and many believed it was simply a cultural fad that had come to an end. However, recent publishing news may indicate a resurgence. Snowglobe, a Korean dystopian novel by Soyoung Park, was released in 2020 and experienced great success in the Korean market. Park won the Changbi X Kakaopage Young Adult Novel Award and has since sought to expand her novel to a global level with translation rights. Delacourte acquired world English rights in 2020, and the English translation of the novel was released in February of this year. The success of this book not only indicates a potential resurgence in young adult dystopia, it also promotes greater diversity within the category, which will hopefully lead to more representation.
We can also see a potential resurgence from the recent adaptation of The Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (published 2020, adaptation released in 2023), and the pop culture fascination and trends surrounding it, as well as Collins’s announcement of a new book in The Hunger Games franchise, Sunrise on the Reaping (March 2025), and its coinciding movie adaptation releasing in November of 2026.
Not only are these novels excellent entertainment and wonderful examples of craftsmanship and storytelling—because of their content and massive pop culture following—they also have the power to make a notable impact on their audience due to their popularity and visibility.
Dystopian literature offers a unique lens for young adults to envision themselves. While representing them in age, these novels also present themes and ideas that provide a deeper opportunity for blurring the lines and breaking stereotypes. The dystopian setting—futuristic, typically end-of-world or post-war-world environments with oppressive governments and limited possibilities to be individualistic—creates perfect conditions for young adult readers to push the boundaries like the protagonists in these books, especially with such dominant themes of empowerment, liberation, identity, individual thinking, and agency.
It is crucial that the characters in these novels play a vital role in their worlds, illustrating that young people can create and enact change, be successful and respected leaders, and excel in pushing back against oppressive societies—giving readers an example of young adults who are active participants in their societies/worlds and have agency. I, for one, hope to see a resurgence in the fascination with and publication of dystopian literature, so these novels can continue to impact a new generation of young adults.
Back Matter
- Oxford English Online Dictionary – https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=dystopia
- Sales numbers for The Giver (https://bookscan.circana.com/books/9780544336261?ds=303-0-)
- Sales numbers for The Hunger Games (https://bookscan.circana.com/s?ds=303-0-&q=The%20Hunger%20Games%20(Hunger%20Games%2C%20Book%20One)%3A%20Volume%201&type=3)
- Publisher’s Weekly article: ‘What’s the Buzz?: ‘Snowglobe’ by Soyoung Park’ written by Iyana Jones, published Feb 22, 2024 (https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-book-news/article/94421-what-s-the-buzz-snowglobe-by-soyoung-park.html)