As my last couple of blogs have probably shown I am a bit of a fan of a dystopian novel with a feminist twist. And luckily for me there are a lot more out there for me. Today I am sharing a few that I am sure I’ll be reading in the coming months.
The first recommendation comes from my partner. The Dispossessed by Ursula Le Guin is a bit of a vintage read. Considered a contemporary classic and a must read science fiction. The story of a scientist who is attempting to find a new theory of time. The book covers themes of freedom and society, and whilst not strictly a feminst tome, it is a book written by that rare beast, a female sci-fi writer.
The second book continues the science fiction theme. Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler is a firm bookstagram favorite. Set in the year 2020 in a world where violence and anarchy reigns one woman has the power to change everything. How did Butler know that 2020 would be such a turbulent year? This powerful, and relevant read, covers some huge topics such as racism, inequality and climate change.
Another book which feels a little too close to home is Red Clocks by Leni Zumas. Released in 2019 it imagines an America which is changing, only those changes are devastating for women. Their reproductive rights are suppressed, with IVF to abortion having all been made illegal, and with it so are the lives of the woman the novel features. Like The Handmaid’s Tale and The Testaments this is a world which feels a little too near to our own world.
The End Of Men is a 2021 release which imagines a world in which a deadly virus sweeps across the world (I wonder what that is like). Only this virus only affects men. As the disease looks like it will wipe out all men, questions are asked about how it can be stopped and if it could be the end of humanity, or its salvation.
My final book is Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piecry. This is a novel which frequently makes it on to lists of top dystopian fictions. This is a speculative fiction, which is often compared to The Power (which I featured on my last blog). Not only is this a book which looks to the future but it echoes back to the fates of the woman of the past. Connie, the heroine of this novel, is trapped in a mental asylum. Abandoned by her family and viewed as a danger she has a secret, she can see into the future.
Do you have any suggestions of dystopian or feminist speculative fiction which I need to get reading?
Otterly Bookish 