10 Gripping Dystopian Series You’ll Love

I love dystopian stories, how about you?

Contrary to expectations, dystopian fiction isn't all about bleakness and darkness. At its core, it explores societies gone wrong - worlds where oppression, environmental collapse, technological control or social decay reveal the darker possibilities of humanity. Unlike utopias (imagined perfect societies), dystopias show us how fragil freedom, justice, and compassion can be.

Dystopian stories hold up a distorted mirror to our own world. Books like 1984 or The Handmaid's Tale weren't just entertainment - they warned about surveillance, censorship, extremism, and erosion of rights. Reading it is like asking: What happens if we keep going down this path?

And so, with that in mind, here are some recommendations for your next dystopian read. Many of them are series, because really, who wants just ONE book?!

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

A bleak post-apocalyptic survival journey of a father and son across a devastated America.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

A chilling vision of a near-future authoritarian regime, focusing on women’s survival under totalitarian oppression.

The Emberverse Series by S.M. Stirling

Explores a world where technology mysteriously fails, and civilization regresses into feudalism with strong community survival aspects. He also wrote another excellent dystopian series - The T2 Terminator series with picks up after the second Terminator movie.

War's End Series by Christine Shuck

Set in the day after tomorrow after the socioeconomic collapse of the United States and the civil war that follows, the series centers on Jess and Chris, two siblings separated by war, each believing the other must be dead.

The 5th Wave Series by Rick Yancey

A gripping tale of alien invasion, societal collapse, and teens fighting for survival.

The EMP Series by Boyd Craven (and so much more - I'll just drop a link to his author page so you can check out the many series he has)

Focuses on everyday people surviving in a post-EMP (electromagnetic pulse) America as society crumbles.

The Extinction Cycle Series by Nicholas Sansbury Smith

Military science fiction mixed with post-apocalyptic survival, featuring a bio-engineered virus threatening humanity.

The Survivalist Series by A. American (Chris Weatherman) Centers on prepping, survival skills, and rebuilding after a nationwide grid-down scenario.

Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank

A Cold War-era classic detailing a small Florida town’s survival after a nuclear exchange devastates the country.

One Second After Series by William R. Forstchen

Follows a small North Carolina town struggling to survive in the aftermath of an EMP attack.

There you have it! Some great options for your next dystopian read. I hope you enjoy them!