History Main / Dystopia

* "Utopia for the Devil" : James Parkes' 2010 novella focuses on a utopia where society is controlled and regulated by a system known as Eden, due to TheEvilsOfFreeWill. The protagonist, Leon, exists outside of Eden and challenges the society.

* ''Yawning Heights'' by Alexander Zinoviev is an exaggerated picture of the Soviet society with names and key words (like "Khruschev" or "party") replaced with caricature substitutes in BlandNameProduct style (like "Boar" and "fratry"). BlackComedy with FictionalDocument fragments containing scientific analysis in very plain words including his view on pop science -- he was a professor, specialist in Mathematical Logic.

* Oddly approached in ''The Cure'' by Sonia Levittin. The near-future society depicted does not allow [[NoSexAllowed sex]], art, inventiveness, and most forms of emotion, and like "Literature/HarrisonBergeron", differences between individuals are stamped out as best as possible. The main character is musically inclined, so the leaders of the society consider having him ReleasedToElsewhere--but as a last-ditch effort they put him through a simulation of the MiddleAges, attempting to show him why they fashioned their society as an opposite to that time period. ([[spoiler:It sort of works--the main character decides ''both'' societies are horrible and there must be a way to TakeAThirdOption.]])

* Creator/CyrilMKornbluth's ''The Marching Morons'' has similar themes to the film ''Idiocracy'', above. Except that the super-intelligent aristocracy are the ones slaving away, to keep the vast mentally-challenged majority from killing themselves out of sheer incompetence. Kornbluth produced some other memorably nasty dystopias. The two worst are probably the eponymous militarized, back-stabbing city-state in "The Luckiest Man in Denv" with its endless, pointless nuclear war against Ellay, and "Shark Ship's" [[ReligionOfEvil sadistic Merdeka cult]], whose ideas of parenting include "child-flogging benches" and cheerful nursery rhymes such as

** ''Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said''.

* ''A Sojourn in the City of Amalgamation, in the Year of Our Lord, 19--'', by Jerome B. Holgate, published in 1835, may well be the UrExample of the Dystopian future novel. Only trouble is, the sociopolitical movement Holgate depicts as having led to moral, political and social degeneration in his far future world is ''human rights for black people''. [[ValuesDissonance Yeah.]]

* In ''George and the Ship of Time'', the sixth and final book in the ''[[Literature/GeorgesSecretKeyToTheUniverse George's Secret Key to the Universe]]'' series George, having [[spoiler: left Earth on the ''Artemis'' at the end of the previous book]], arrives in one of these when the ''Artemis'' finally touches down. It is the year 2081, George having taken off in 2018, although thanks to TimeDilation George is still a young boy. In this dystopia, two corporations took over the world in an event known as the Great Disruption, one of them named Eden and led by a man named [[UsefulNotes/DonaldFlorida Man Trellis]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Dump]], with the other only referred to as 'Other Side' and led by a woman named Bimbolina Kimobolina. Most people don't have access to any form of transport apart from walking and are dressed in medieval clothes, although the rich literally live above the clouds.

* The world of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' was primarily ruled by the Holy Britannian Empire, a fascist regime that treats [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]] as a religion (they even called the main street of the capital Pendragon, " Saint Darwin") while engaging in racism, eugenics and annihilation of the cultures they conquered. For example, Japan was even renamed [[AirstripOne Area 11]]. Two heroes, Lelouch and Suzaku, planned to topple this regime by two different ways: Lelouch began an open rebellion, while Suzaku tried to reform it from the inside. The Britannian world regime became even worse under Emperor Lelouch [[spoiler:But it is just a scam to [[ZeroPercentApprovalGambit focus all hatred on him]]]]. Fortunately, when Nunnally succeeded, Britannia became a democratic government.

* The world of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' was primarily ruled by the Holy Britannian Empire, a fascist regime that treats [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]] as a religion, while engaging in racism, eugenics and annihilation of the cultures they conquered. For example, Japan was even renamed [[AirstripOne Area 11]]. Two heroes, Lelouch and Suzaku, planned to topple this regime by two different ways: Lelouch began an open rebellion, while Suzaku tried to reform it from the inside. The Britannian world regime became even worse under Emperor Lelouch [[spoiler:But it is just a scam to [[ZeroPercentApprovalGambit focus all hatred on him]]]]. Fortunately, when Nunnally succeeded, Britannia became a democratic government.

* The world of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is primarily ruled by the Britannian Empire, a fascist regime based on [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]], racism and eugenics. Two heroes, Lelouch and Suzaku, planned to topple this regime by two different ways: Lelouch began an open rebellion, while Suzaku tried to reform it from the inside.

* The world of ''Anime/CodeGeass'' is primarily ruled by the Britannian Empire, a fascist regime based on [[TheSocialDarwinist Social Darwinism]], racism and eugenics. Two heroes, Leloch and Suzaku, planned to topple this regime by two different ways: Lelouch began an open rebellion, while Suzaku tried to reform it from the inside.

* The Literature/SisterhoodSeries by Creator/FernMichaels: The world seems similar enough to the world in RealLife, with people going about their lives. However, there are indications that the world in this series is actually a [=Dystopia=]. The courts are unable to deliver justice, because the balance of power leans too heavily towards the defense attorneys, and the prosecutors are lucky if the defendant does not get OffOnATechnicality, let alone win a single case. Also, the prosecutors need proof before they charge someone, but strangely, there never seems to be proof to find. On the plus side, if a character gets in legal trouble, s/he can call up a defense attorney and be assured that s/he is perfectly safe. The President of the United States has three men with gold shields at his disposal. These three men have ''carte blanche'', can break laws with impunity, answer only to POTUS, and if they come for you, well, you better pray that they don't kill you! In Las Vegas, the casinos have more security than UsefulNotes/HomelandSecurity can ever hope to get! Also, the casinos are monitored by men who will have you beaten up or thrown in jail if you prove to be a threat to the casinos. When you put these details together, you get a picture of a country that is more fascist than democratic. Yikes!

* In ''George and the Ship of Time'', the sixth and final book in the ''[[Literature/GeorgesSecretKeyToTheUniverse George's Secret Key to the Universe]]'' series George, having [[spoiler: left Earth on the ''Artemis'' at the end of the previous book]], arrives in one of these when the ''Artemis'' finally touches down. It is the year 2081, George having taken off in 2018, although thanks to TimeDilation George is still a young boy. In this dystopia, two corporations took over the world in an event known as the Great Disruption, one of them named Eden and led by a man named [[UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump Trellis]] [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Dump]], with the other only referred to as 'Other Side' and led by a woman named Bimbolina Kimobolina. Most people don't have access to any form of transport apart from walking and are dressed in medieval clothes, although the rich literally live above the clouds.

* On Halloween 2016 for the holiday and to encourage everyone to vote, ''Series/TheDailyShow'' broadcast an episode [[TwentyMinutesIntoTheFuture from Halloween 2020]], where Donald Trump is president In this future Iceland has been nuked ("because that's where ISIS come from obviously"), the dollar's value has collapsed to the point where Trevor eats it as food rather than spending it, women must wear a device on their arm that gives their "hotness" rating (with their rights being determined by their rating), the US government regularly holds ''yard sales'' to pay the bills, and [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking comedy has been banned]], among other things (and, for some reason Trever's pirate broadcast has ad breaks). All the while, Trevor begs the viewers to go vote in the election. It's just as dark (and ridiculous) as it sounds.

* ''TabletopGame/SIGMATAThisSignalKillsFascists'' is set in an alternate [=80s=] era America that has been taken over by homegrown fascism, but is meant to draw parallels to America under UsefulNotes/DonaldTrump, who was President when the game was released. The police and the military have been consolidated into one body called the "Freedom Fist" that enforces a nationalistic and oppressive rule across America. Women and minorities racial, sexual and otherwise are subjected to serious oppression by the Regime and its supporters, and immigrants are hauled into internment camps for daring to outstay their welcome. The media are controlled, and all forms of communication are used to try to catch would-be resisters; the only hope the five groups that make up the resistance have is The Signal, which gives those that have been attuned to it the power to fight back against the Freedom Fist and the Regime.

[[caption-width-right:350:Welcome to a bleak, grey world where a [[Literature/XeeleeSequence brief life shines brightly]]. Where [[Literature/NineteenEightyFour Big Brother is watching you]]. Where [[Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream you could do nothing but eternally scream]]. Welcome to a world where hope comes to ''die''.]]

* Totalitarian societies where citizens live out dehumanized and fearful lives, feeling the [[BigBrotherIsWatching government's eyes]] upon them at every waking moment, being afraid to step out of line for even a moment lest they be [[PoliceBrutality brutalized]] or worse, "disappeared" by the SecretPolice. Expect [[FascistsBedTime curfews]] and [[DystopianEdict bans on "love"]] to show up early in; they're a sure-fire cue card for oppression.

* ''Fanfic/WithStringsAttached'': Played with. The Baravadans (at least the skahs) feel that they're living in a dystopia and pine for the monster -- and combat-filled world of 25+ years ago. They rarely do anything useful, choosing to sit around and wait for something to happen, or to go off chasing the faintest rumors of monsters. Many of them are so bored that they end up killing themselves, and they've long since quit breeding. But Baravada itself is otherwise incredibly pleasant and safe, filled with magic and freedom. The four much prefer Baravada as is.

* In ''Literature/StartingANewLifeForTheDiscaradedAllRounder'', the home country of the protagonist Roa has a false meritocracy system in place. It's a very strict apprenticeship system to decide your career path if you're a citizen there. As an apprentice, you are dismissively called "an all-rounder" and that's if the mentor is being charitable. Only '''20%''' of the apprentices ever get certified and proceed to a successful life as an adventurer or craftsman. The remaining 80% are left to wallow with their own devices, in abject poverty until they die. The top brass blames them for failing and refuses to acknowledge the many flaws in the system, most notably that the mentor, without supervision of any kind, is the ultimate arbiter of which apprentice he certifies or not. Heck, the mentors ''don't even have to teach their apprentices at all''. Any apprentice who tries to get a second mentor, after being driven to quit, or expelled, is not likely to find one, because they're treated as "cowardly quitters" or "loser failures" respectively. How they were mentored, if they were mentored at all, is never examined. Should the apprentice succeed ''in spite'' of this crippling handicap, ''assassins'' are sent at them to try and cover up the systems' flaws. '''Surrounding countries''' have repeatedly stated that this is not sustainable, but the top brass just doesn't care.

* ''Series/BlackMirror'' is an anthology series with the main theme of the episodes being the nasty consequences caused by the use of technology, so most of the episodes set in the future would somewhat count, but the most notable example is in the episode Fifteen Million Merits, where people live underground, having to ride exercise bicycles to generate energy, while television literally rules the society.

[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/640px_the_squatting_house_papendrechtsestraat_dordrecht_16457306536.jpg]]
[[caption-width-right:350:A bleak world of crumbling infrastructure and dwindling hopes.]]

[[caption-width-right:350:A bleak world of crumbling infrastructure and dwindling hopes.]]->
''"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy -- everything."''

->''"Do you begin to see, then, what kind of world we are creating? It is the exact opposite of the stupid hedonistic Utopias that the old reformers imagined. A world of fear and treachery and torment, a world of trampling and being trampled upon, a world which will grow not less but more merciless as it refines itself. Progress in our world will be progress towards more pain. The old civilizations claimed that they were founded on love or justice. Ours is founded upon hatred. In our world there will be no emotions except fear, rage, triumph, and self-abasement. Everything else we shall destroy -- everything."''

* ''LightNovel/TheAsteriskWar'': The entire world is all but completely controlled by one MegaCorp which forced countries back into the system of monarchic rule, and the one place that isn't a [[CrapsackWorld Crapsack Location]], Asterisk, is used primarily as a stage for very dangerous martial arts duels and tournaments among the teenage students.

* ''VideoGame/{{BioShock|1}}'' features an undersea Randian utopia GoneHorriblyWrong.
** [[VideoGame/BioShock2 The sequel]] has the undersea ruin attempt the opposite extreme, showing a collectivist dystopia that potentially becomes even ''worse''.
** {{VideoGame/BioshockInfinite}} is a caste-based Confederate's 'utopia', where the ultra-racist Founders lord over a floating city by forcing former prison inmates into back-breaking labor for scraps, and even kill them off for sport. And then the violence gets so bad that the floating city ''stops working'', with everyone either at war or fleeing from purges on ''both'' sides.

* Kornbluth's ''The Marching Morons'' has similar themes to the film ''Idiocracy'', above. Except that the super-intelligent aristocracy are the ones slaving away, to keep the vast mentally-challenged majority from killing themselves out of sheer incompetence. Kornbluth produced some other memorably nasty dystopias. The two worst are probably the militarized, back-stabbing Denv with its endless, pointless nuclear war against Ellay, and the [[ReligionOfEvil sadistic Merdeka cult]], whose ideas of parenting include "child-flogging benches" and cheerful nursery rhymes such as

* In their 2011 album ''{{Mylo Xyloto}}'', Music/{{Coldplay}} paints a story in which music and color are outlawed by the government.
* Music/{{Rush}}:

** ''Red Barchetta'' from the album ''Music/MovingPictures'' based on the story ''A Nice Morning Drive,'' written by Richard Foster (itself a kind of dystopia-by-over-watchfulness). The song is about a young man driving a car in a world where cars and/or driving is outlawed.

* ''WesternAnimation/MeetTheRobinsons'': Parodied in the world as run by bowler hats.

* The world of ''VideoGame/AkatsukiBlitzkampf'' is set in a fictional future (year 266X AD), involves characters that more or less resemble the [[UsefulNotes/NaziGermany German]] and [[UsefulNotes/KatanasofTheRisingSun Japanese]] soldiers of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII, and seems to be ruled by heavily militarised governments. [[spoiler: And there's a Nazi-inspired Secret Society, ''Gessellschaft'', that is looking to get ''even more'' power...]]

Contrast with {{Utopia}} and MarySuetopia, the latter often an unintentional Dystopia created by the author.