Hope in the face of the end of the world
There are some really good Dystopian novels out there but one thing bothers me. People like to dust themselves off and get on with it. So why are dystopian books so bleak? So here is a list of books with dystopian futures where people seem to be figuring things out. What that really means is that first the went down the plug and now everything is finally looking up a bit.
Tinker- Wen Spencer
So in this world Pittsburg has been transplanted to another planet where there are elves and crazy bio engineered monsters. Tinker is a genius who lives in Pittsburg but though human loves the mix of the human/elf culture which she was brought up in. Because of the transplanting and the dangerous flora and fauna people have left in droves and only the hardy have stayed or those who see opportunity in this new world. Life if hard for everyone there and you really see the contrast of technology that the rest of the human race uses compared to the second hand stuff that is all that is available in Elfhome.
Magic Bites- Illona Andrews
In this world magic and technology are constantly waging to be in the fore. In the past magic was stronger and people with magic ruled the world then technology started to get a toe hold. Anything made from magic started to fall apart and why we don't have any evidence of in history. But technology is once again being ursurped by magic in waves. During these times of magic waves technology doesn't always work like cars and cellphones. Add to this those who once used magic are coming out of their long hibernation and the power players are super powerful. Kate the hero of this series has one foot in the magic world but she has set herself up as a protector of the human race and often puts her into conflict with the other magical creatures.
Cinder- Marissa Meyer
The moon has been colonised and has created a massive kingdom but they are at war with Earth. Cinder is a cyborg who lives in a massive super city where a disease is killing millions and cyborgs are being used as test subjects by the doctors to figure out a cure. I won't go into many more details as there are a lot of spoilers but this book is based on Cinderella and by the end of the book we start to see them truly fighting against the moon and hopefully win.
Obernewtyn-Isobelle Carmody
You might need to read several of the books to even realise this is a dystopian as it is truly well hidden. In this world we have had a nuclear war that has made large chunks of the world uninhabitable. There is a group that is slowly cleaning it all up and they have a stranglehold on all its citizens. But due to the exposure to nuclear waste many of their citizens are mutating and gaining mental powers. They are being ruthlessly hunted down. Their only hope of survival is at Obernewtyn. Where a group of mutated humans are hiding away and are about to make themselves one of the power players on this blighted Earth. The first time I read it I thought it was a fantasy on another planet. I think it was only book three or four when I figured out what had actually happened.
The Host- Stephanie Meyer
The world has been taken over by parasitic aliens. Mostly so they can learn something new from the new race. The human race has almost been wiped out when one of the aliens gets a conscience and helps the last of the humans find a way to live in peace with the other aliens. I really wish Stephanie would finish writing this series as it is a heck lot better than her twilight series.
Tempting Danger-Eileen Wilks
Much like the Kate Daniels series we have the world going to custard because magic has returned and she who will not be named evil badass that werewolves have been fighting before time. Lily is a FBI agent who runs around in this series trying to stop the big bad from stomping out the human race and her allies. The fact that Lily still manages to kick butt over and over shows that though things are going to custard the human race still has a good outlook.
I'm sure there are other dystopian type stories out there and I suppose you can even put books like Hunger Games in there. Also when researching this I realised though I think I read a lot of dystopian that is actually a false impression as the dystopian books I have read are such strong contenders they stick in my mind more than other books.