In many ways, 2020 has been the ultimate apocalyptic year, so it’s no surprise that I read quite a few books that put a dire spin on our future. I’ve always been drawn to the dystopian/apocalyptic genre anyway, and the dumpster fire that has been 2020 didn’t stop me from seeking out these types of books. Below are ten books released this year that give a not-to-happy look into our future:
The Phlebotomist by Chris Panatier. Nuclear fallout, an all powerful government agency, and a system where citizens have to donate their blood in order to eat? I can’t think of a more horrific story to start this list off with.
The Book of Koli by M.R. Carey. In a post apocalyptic world, groups of people are scattered throughout England and forced to barricade themselves against killer trees and murderous vagabonds. Carey gives us lots of surprises in the trilogy, which will wrap up in 2021.
The Bond by Robin Kirk. In a futuristic world where choice has all but been eliminated and people are engineered by “Sowers,” one girl and her battle dog must navigate a world where men are considered evil and an impending war threatens to destroy everything she believes in.
Blood World by Chris Mooney. In a lawless future where some people are born with blood that has miraculous healing powers, these “carriers,” as they are known, live in fear of being kidnapped and drained of their blood by criminals who seek to profit from this fountain of youth. One cop must infiltrate an underground operation in order to save those missing carriers.
Goldilocks by Laura Lam. In the future, climate change has nearly decimated earth. The air is unbreathable and crop failure has led to a dire food shortage. And that’s only the beginning of this story, which is set both in space and on the ground. Get ready for a deadly pandemic as well!
Eden by Tim Lebbon. Here’s another story that deals with global warming and a disappearing natural environment. In the future, “zones” have been set up around the world to preserve the last of our natural earth. But teams of extreme adventurers break the law in order to cross these zones in illegal races. But the zones are dangerous, and the characters in this story are in for some nasty surprises…
Docile by K.M. Szpara. In a future, capitalist society, most people are either trillionaires or millions of dollars in debt. This sharp divide between the classes means that those in debt have only one avenue of surviving open to them: they must sell a family member to a rich person for a specified amount of time, and in exchange their debt will be paid off. But that servitude is little more than slavery, and those who become Dociles don’t have much to look forward to.
Riot Baby by Tochi Onyebuchi. This short, powerful novella takes place over multiple timelines, but in a future timeline, after struggling in an America that is severely unkind to African Americans, our main character finds that life for people of color has not improved at all. It’s a chilling look into the systematic racism of the past, and how the future might look if we don’t address racism right now.
We Hear Voices by Evie Green. A futuristic story that takes place in the UK, this horror/dystopian revolves around a deadly pandemic that is killing off millions of children and elderly people. The economy is bleak, and the family the story revolves around are extremely poor, just “a hair away from being homeless” as the main character puts it.
Random Sh*t Flying Through the Air by Jackson Ford. In a near future California, a girl named Teagan has psychokenetic powers due to the illegal experiments performed on her by a shady government organization. In this installment of the series, a powerful child–also a victim of the organization–wreaks havoc on the state by causing horrific earthquakes.
This is a really interesting list! I have not read any of them yet, but I have most of them on my TBR and it is all your fault!!
ha ha sorry??
I think I need to track down Goldilocks.
It’s fun and a little off the rails, lol.
I’m with Jennifer. I think I need to pick up Goldilocks!
It’s a crazy book! I had some issues with it, but it was a blast to read.
This is a great list – and while I’ve read Koli and been very tempted by several others – I’ve busy been avoiding apocalyptic reads since March!
I don’t blame you. For some reason I guess I’m a glutton for punishment;-)
“The Future Looks Bleak” would be the title of 2020 if it were a book
Stephanie @ Bookfever recently posted…Review: Naughty Neighbor by Jeannine Colette & Lauren Runow
LOl you are so right!
Blood World might work very well as a reading companion to The Phlebotomist (which I enjoyed immensely): bloody (pun intended) conspiracies are always fascinating! 🙂
maddalena@spaceandsorcery recently posted…ALONE TOGETHER: A DS9 COMPANION
It’s very different from The Phlebotomist, but I loved it!
I enjoyed The Book of Koli and hope to get back into the series at some point. I suspect I might enjoy some of the others, as well. Though it’s not a 2020 book I read (listened to) Neal Stephenson’s Seveneves this year, about the times before and after an apocalyptic world changing event.
I’m interested in Seveneves, maybe one day I’ll find time to read it:-)
I do love a good fictional apocalypse, even in an awful year like 2020! Loved the Koli books so much.
Me too, can’t wait for the third one:-)
I really liked Goldilocks and it may even be in my top ten favorites of the year. If there has ever been a year to read dystopian books, this is it!
I agree, I feel like a lot of these books make our situation less awful, lol.
The Book Of Koli was amazing! I can’t wait to read the sequel. 🙂
I loved the sequel, and the third book comes out soon:-)
I love the look of Goldilocks, I have the first two Koli books ready to read next year.
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Goldilocks was crazy!
I’m interested in the Carey one. For some reason ecological apocalypse appeals to me haha and the sound of killer trees- I’m in!
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Killer trees make all stories better:-)
I’ve heard of most of these, read a couple and I want to read a couple more.
It’s amazing how many are out there:-)
I’m so interested in The Phlebotomist! I read The Book of Koli, and it’s too generic for my liking, unfortunately, but The Phlebotomist sounds great!
Yes read it!!
Cool list, but gah, the theme, lol! I’m actually reading We Hear Voices right now, and wow, talk about depressing! 😛
Ha ha I know, it’s a downer. But sometimes I like reading about people that are worse off than we are! And yeah I agree, We Hear Voices is so sad! I’m writing my review and I keep going back and forth on my rating.
I’ve only read a couple of these, but the theme matches my week/year pretty well. Very um… uplifting lol. I’d add Firewalkers by Tchaikovsky to this, it fits pretty well.
I know this isn’t the most upbeat post but hey, I figured it fits with 2020!
I did miss quite a few of these, though I’m hoping to get to a lot sometime next year (?)! I’m actually reading Docile right now and am so intrigued, especially because of how many mixed reviews I’ve seen. The Book of Koli was such a good one, I forgot that just came out this year!?
I’m so curious to hear what you think of Docile! I actually had a lot of issues with the world building, lol.
Oh no, this is my weakness! I already have 5 of these in my TBR hahahaha. I’ll have to check out the others. Thanks for making my TBR grow, as usual. 😉
Me too, I never get tired of them, lol.
Yep, this year hasn’t made me shy away from these genres either. Thanks for sharing these. I spy several I’ll be checking out.
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I’m glad I’m not the only one!
I’ve heard of most of these but have definitely steered clear this year since it feels like we’re living through our own apocalypse most days, lol. They are all on my radar though for when we’re on the other side of this pandemic, especially the Koli books.
Great list. I’ve read three of these. Strangely enough this year I’ve not enjoyed apocalyptic style reads as much as usual. Perhaps they feel too close to reality.
Lynn