I don’t have time to think of something to write about tonight, so instead of wracking my brains I’m going to take the easy way out and give another endlessly boring random countdown. This random countdown is going from seven to one, of MY FAVORITE dystopian (read yesterday’s post) works. This list will have one video game, two movies, and four books. And please, I know no one reads this but don’t get bent out of shape because 1984 and Fahrenheit 451 aren’t here… this is my list. These are not the best. Just MY best. Now… let’s begin.
7: Under the Dome: Stephen King is first and foremost a horror writer, and this is first and foremost a horror book. But Dome showcases a perfect setting for a dystopia, where a town is cut off from the world and set under the rule of a cunning and tyrannical leader. It easily takes Number 7.
6: The Book of Eli: I realize I was singing its praises yesterday, but I’m not done. The world this movie painted was on par with any dystopian work I’ve ever seen… and the desolation really gets to you after a while. The general feeling of a dystopian world is of an oppressive, government controlled utopia. This is the exact opposite: a barren wasteland and a corrupted town. It’s different, which is why it finds a place at Number 6.
5: Mortal Engines: This is a young adult book series by Philip Reeve in a world where cities move across the continents. Called traction cities, these behemoths traverse the Earth throughout the four books destroyed and eating each other for fuel. The world both a combination of Eli and your regular dystopia, and the characters definitely stick with you. It definitely deserves Number 6.
4: Star Wars: Episode V: Why did I pick Empire Strikes Back? Because Empire Strikes back is probably the best example of a dystopia the series has. No one can deny that this is one of the greatest series of all time… and in my mind it’s a perfect dystopia. Oppressive government. Iconic antagonist. Equally iconic protagonists. What more does it need?
3: Little Brother: This is a book written by Cory Doctorow, about what would probably happen after a terrorist attack on San Francisco. After Marcus, a more than technologically-savvy teenager is kidnapped and interrogated by the overpowering Department of Homeland Security… he fights back by hacking them with a network of fictional Xboxes. You may be wondering why this is before Eli, Star Wars, and Engines… it’s because it also has amazingly deep underlying themes of love, power, and what living in the USA really means. I almost feel bad that this isn’t higher… but there is literally no competition for the top two.
2: Half Life 2: Here’s the video game I promised. Now, if I happen to be a successful author in twenty years and made this list again, most of my counterparts would scoff at a video game being placed over literature. I say, why not? The storyline of the entire Half Life series is extremely complex, more so than most books even, and extremely entertaining. The world of City 17 is easily a dystopia, and the Combine is almost synonymous with Big Brother. From that perspective people would say that it’s just a remake of 1984… but some remakes can actually be better than the original. All I know is that it’s been a lot of fun playing as Gordon Freeman, and there’s only one dystopia that I could possibly hold over this.
1: The Hunger Games: Most of you knew this was coming, but this is above and beyond the most amazingly crafted dystopian story I’ve ever read. The world is exquisitely made and utterly haunting, but for such an incredible story it’s almost completely character driven. Not only that, but it’s easily the deepest and darkest ‘children’s’ book I’ve ever read… Harry Potter’s true successor in every way. Suzanne Collins’s father was a Vietnam vet, and as a kid he would take her to war memorials and explain in vivid detail what war was really like. This amazing series was the result of that; it’s an image of the true aspect of war and the only Number 1 I could ever have.
SONG OF THE DAY: UNDISCLOSED DESIRES
Let’s finish with some Muse, from an album aptly named The Resistance. Goodnight people, and enjoy the midnight premieres.
And by the way, I HAVE read 1984.
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