Dystopian Novel Anyone?

So this seems to be a popular genre now-a-days. "The Dystopian Novel!" You want a definition? FINE!

The utopia and its offshoot, the dystopia, are genres of literature that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction is the creation of an ideal world, or utopia, as the setting for a novel. Dystopian fiction is the opposite: creation of a nightmare world, or dystopia. Many novels combine both, often as a metaphor for the different directions humanity can take in its choices, ending up with one of two possible futures. Both utopias and dystopias are commonly found in science fiction and other speculative fiction genres, and arguably are by definition a type of speculative fiction.

So yeah, like "The Giver" "The Hunger Games" and other novels where there is some weird twist that makes us examine our humanity and current issues. I think it'd be fun to write one. But what would the Dystopian twist be?


1. Every 5 years an exam is given to the inhabitants of the earth. If you are found to have either a stagnant or declining IQ, they kill you...or make you all live together on a single continent.

2. A world where children rule. From the ages of 4-7, children are the world's leaders. Things go as they say. Only one 8 year old has plans for the regime.

3. There is no cheese. I'm talking NOWHERE. There are only hamburgers and nachos come covered in mayo. There is only one man who knows the secrets for cheese making and the catch is...he's a deaf mute!

4. Hamsters rule the world. Humans run around in little wheels to generate electricity for the hamster raves. We have to get our water out of those little pet water bottle things with the marble in it spout. The human resistance mounts an attack.

5. Emotions have been banned...again...and somebody learns to use emotion...again.

6. There is a massive water shortage. People fight in the desert world for what little moisture they can find. Instead of rain, there is doughnut glaze that falls from the sky and makes things STICKY!

7. All celebrities are attending the Academy Awards and are killed by tourists. Suddenly regular shmoes like you and I have to star in the movies/tv. DUN DUN DUN!

8. Instead of marrying the person of our choice, we are forced to create a robot bride or groom. They have USB ports in their under arms and they have wi-fi too. At the age of 21 you marry. At the age of 26 you get to decide if you want to keep the robot bride (perfect robot bride that you created) or marry some random girl who may or may not have cold sores all over her face.

9. Oprah dances wearing only the bottom half of a chicken suit in the rain...not sure how that is Dystopian, but there it is.


So yeah. The future is all messed up, people survive, and it somehow makes a Newbury award winner for kids. English Teachers have heart attacks from excitement at the chance to point out humanity's flaws, and some author...me...gets rich. BADA BING BADA BOOM!