José Saramago's “Blindness” is a harrowing exploration of humanity stripped bare. The novel’s premise—a sudden, inexplicable wave of blindness—is a chilling backdrop for a descent into a Hobbesian world of survival and savagery.
All tagged dystopia
Severance – Ling Ma
The alternating timelines – one focused on a small group of Shen Fever refugees, and the other Candace’s experiences as the daughter of Chinese immigrants – allow Ma the runway to take her core themes in interesting directions, but it felt like the merging of two novels into one versus a cohesive narrative.
Moon of the Turning Leaves – Waubgeshig Rice
Expectation: A true continuation of the first novel, picking up where things left off for the Anishinaabe as they enter the next phase of survival in the Canadian north.
Reality: Less intimate and more standard dystopian tale, the slow pacing and underdeveloped characters may deter some readers, but the emotional ending provides a satisfying conclusion to the story.
The Wishing Pool and Other Stories – Tananarive Due
Expectation: Stories to chill-the-bones from a noted voice in the Black horror genre.
Reality: Interesting scenarios and characters are largely overshadowed by ancillary details and incomplete endings.
Moon of the Crusted Snow – Waubgeshig Rice
Expectation: An action-packed post-apocalyptic First Nations-set thriller.
Reality: A slowburn story that uses the end-of-times as an allegory for settler colonialism, the Indigenous focus is what sets this apart from other, similar tales.
Chain-Gang All-Stars – Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah
Expectation: A dark dystopian view of mass incarceration as blood sport entertainment.
Reality: While crammed a little too full of characters and plots, a highly creative concept, four stellar characters and a fantastic audiobook narration made this an engrossing read.
To Paradise – Hanya Yanagihara
Expectation: A richly drawn character study that brings the tears.
Reality: The epitome of a character-driven story that lacks the emotional heft of Yanagihara’s “A Little Life” but is still an exceptional work of fiction.
A Children’s Bible – Lydia Millet
Expectation: A moody, intelligent apocalyptic tale for modern times.
Reality: A mess.
Station Eleven – Emily St. John Mandel
Expectation: A high-brow thriller set in the post-apocalyptic Midwest.
Reality: A richly drawn character study that expertly balances multiple, intersecting plots and timelines.
FKA USA – Reed King
I’m not going to tell you anything about this book other than it is the worst one I’ve read this year and probably in the top three worst books I’ve actually finished.