Literature has been a defining part of culture since the beginning of language. The dangers of modern times have led to the writing of dystopian novels, novels which warn of an unhappy future. Many people think of Dystopian novels as purely science fiction—while science fiction is a natural fit for a dystopian story, not all dystopian books are considered science fiction. Without further delay, here are the 12 best dystopian novels.


This novel isn’t the 12th best on the list (it would be rated much higher in my opinion) but it’s at number twelve because of the on going argument whether this is truly a dystopian novel or not. The definition of dystopia isn’t necessarily clear, though the general definition is that it is a society in which misery and negative conditions prevail (or a seeming utopia gained at horrifying costs.)

As far as a dysfunctional society, the island with its stranded little boys is it, and once the conch shell is no longer seen as authority, everything breaks apart. If anyone wants to argue that an anarchy could work, this book would be an immediate argument against it. This is an incredible psychological work, and I’d say their society is definitely dysfunctional enough to count as a dystopia.

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There can be a major difference between the best authors of a genre, my favorite authors of a genre, and the most influential authors of a genre. While any top ten list like this will be somewhat controversial, here is a list of authors who have had a great and lasting influence on the science fiction genre.

Douglas Adams may be one of the most popular authors on this list, and when his works first came out, they were very unique. Adams is best known for his “Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy” series, which was ground breaking. These works introduced a comedic and strange (maybe almost surreal) element to science fiction writing that is still adored by fans even today.

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[WARNING: This list contains images and language that may offend] I received a pleasant email from a friend this morning containing a variety of new book titles for kids. Looking through them I realized (and I am sure you will too) that none of these titles are likely to end up in the local school any time soon. I present you with 20 kids books your local school doesn’t stock.

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Nouns of Association (also sometimes called nouns of assemblage or venereal terms) are words that describe groups of similar objects. We use them all the time and you will recognize the vast majority of them, but there are also a large number that are not well known. An example you might know is “A litter of kittens” - litter is the noun of association. So, here are 20 that you probably didn’t know, to help spice up your sentences.

Nouns of Association 1-5

1. A clowder of cats

2. A parenthesis of cellists

3. A coalition of cheetahs

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At one time people would have laughed if you had told them comic books were legitimate literature. Thankfully this narrow minded view has not only changed but reversed with modern day historians, many of whom have not only recognized comics and graphic novels as legitimate art forms, but have applauded many works as great examples of literature in general. This new recognition has spurred a boom in the mainstream acceptance of comics and graphic novels in Hollywood and in classrooms, libraries, and book stores nation wide.

In truth, there are more examples of good, solid, legitimate literature than we can hope to cover here, but for enquiring minds, or perhaps those new to the medium here is a top ten list (in no particular order) of just a few works that any fan of good writing, no matter the format, can appreciate.

10. Maus Art Spiegelman

The Premise – a moving biographical tale about the stories of Spiegelman’s father Vladek. The story follows the life of Vladek Spiegelman as a Jew in 1930’s Europe, ultimately being captured by the Nazi’s in World War Two and living in a Nazi concentration camp during the Holocaust. Gripping and moving the story shows many dark sides to humanity. Spiegelman shows a stroke of genius by using cartoon animals as the characters instead of human beings. Each ethnic race is portrayed as a different animal. Jews are portrayed as mice, German’s as cats, Americans as dogs, and more. Pay close attention because there is a lot of hidden meaning behind these characterizations. I thoroughly enjoyed the honesty of the story and the realistic characterization on the part of Mr. Speigelman, especially in the portrayal of his father, who although is the protagonist is shown to be real person who is flawed just like everyone else.

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