Books similar to the Hunger Games in the Dystopian Genre
Undoubtedly, one of the few most successful dystopian books of all time that all ages love is “The Hunger Game Series” by Suzanne Collins. The trilogy isn’t only famous in the world of publishing and prints but also in all of its adaptations, especially in the big screen, earning almost three billion dollars in the box office and making it at the twenty-first spot for the highest-grossing film franchise.
With the latest release of its prequel entitled “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” readers are again talking about this top-hit series. It’s creating an online buzz, once again, receiving a warm reception from the public.
However, some of you are asking if there are any other books, like the trilogy that you can find. Well, there are quite a few decent, and perhaps, much better than the series. Hence, I took the initiative on listing down some of these novels for you.
So, whether you are passionate about dystopian-survival literature or courageous girl taking on the government kind of plots, here’s a list of other books that you can read other than “The Hunger Games.”
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LORD OF THE FLIES
Yes, if you have read my top 100 list of best dystopian books of all time, you should have come across the “Lord of the Flies.” This classic novel by William Golding is a big winner of the highly prestigious “Nobel Prize” awards.
Like “The Hunger Games,” where teens had to fight for the life to survive, this Golding’s masterpiece is just about that, but with a bit of twist, as it focuses on a group of boys getting stranded on a desolate island.
The three main characters of the story will have to fight their way together with the other survivors to lead and govern themselves in an unfamiliar, deserted island. Each character presents distinct characteristics and role in their battle for survival.
“Lord of the Flies,” tells us that at the end of one’s innocence is the darkness hidden in a man’s heart, and yet, despite all that, a few good men remain.
Lord Of the Flies Synopsis:
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Amidst the war, a plane crashes down in an unknown island in a distant Pacific Ocean region, and only a group of teen boys survive, including the three main characters, Jack, Piggy, and Ralph.
Ralph finds a huge spiral-shaped shell and uses it to create a sound to call the rest of the survivors’ attention to gather together in one area. The optimist boy believes that adults will, eventually come to rescue all of them.
However, Piggy thinks that they need to organize to put things in order and to act correctly. Appears to be responsible, Ralph takes the role of the chief. He receives the majority of the votes from the survivors except for the boys’ choir members, headed by the red-headed Jack.
The disagreements ended up with three leaders, including Jack, Ralph, and Simon, a quiet boy who seemingly always daydreaming or inattentive. With Ralph as their ultimate authority, Jack leads his group to hunt for a source of food.
As their journey of survival on the island begins, some boys start to develop hallucinations or paranoia that there’s something on the island, which mainly drives them to believe that a “beast” is out there to hunt them down.
Discovering a way to earn the support and trust of the whole group, Jack assures them to kill the beast when he finds it. The boys turn their sides to Jack, abandoning Ralph alone and turning them into wild savages, ready to hunt and kill.
Ultimately, leaving Ralph fighting his way out to survive from the boys, who became deliberately vicious.
Author: William Golding
Genre: Allegorical
Pages: 222
Good reads rating: 3.67 of 5
My Rating: 6.8 of 10
Published: 2003 (Reissue)
Publisher: Penguin Books
Language: English
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THE LONG WALK
One of the notable masterpieces of the highly acclaimed author Stephen King is this dystopian literature that comes similar to “The Hunger Games” with the will to survive in an annual game created by the totalitarian government.
In writing this novel, the award-winning King used his pseudonym, Richard Bachman, in the publication. The well-celebrated author proves his brilliance in writing with this book, as it arouses people’s imagination and intellectual thinking, as his story progresses.
The plot circles around a post-apocalyptic setting of America, where the country is under the ruling of a militaristic dictator, following totalitarianism as their main government. Every year, “The Major” runs a gruelling walking contest called “The Long Walk,” and as the name suggests, it’s a walk from the border of Maine and Canada to the east coast of the country.
The contestants or tagged as the “Walkers” comprise of one hundred boys in their teens. These lads have to walk within the long-distance destination without stops or rests regardless of the weather or time of day until the committee gets to establish a winner.
Each “Walker” should keep a speed of at least four miles per hour. Each time you slow down for 30 seconds, you will get a warning and be shot by soldiers after three warnings. Anyone caught violating the rule, such as leaving the road or attacking the military vehicle of the soldiers called half-track, will get shot.
Defying the odds is one walker, sixteen-year-old Raymond Davis Garraty or also known as Ray, who strives hard to survive “The Long Walk,” with motivations unknown to many.
This Stephen King’s literary work proves how one’s determination and love will get them through at every obstacle that they’re facing or going to face, no matter how hard it may seem.
The Long Walk Synopsis:
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Garraty joins the rest of the “Walkers,” namely Abraham, Arthur Baker, Collie Parker, Hank Olson, Harkness, Pearson, and Peter McVries in the government’s annual contest, dubbed as “The Long Walk.” Each of them, along with the other contestants, must fight until the end to win or to live.
As they walk along the road, one of the boys, Rank, dies as he repeatedly receives warning from assaulting the annoying walker Gary Barkovitch, who keeps taunting other walkers. Garraty, on the other hand, establishes a new bond with another walker named Stebbins.
Unlike other contestants, who keep on complaining, Stebbins remains calm, collected, and quiet. King describes him as the mysterious and most charismatic boy in the flock. Garraty and Stebbins interact mostly with each other.
Both boys have their will and reason to survive, leading them as two of the remaining seven walkers to continue.
Will Garraty’s motivation to see his mother and love of his life Jan in the crowd can keep him alive and survive the track, or will Stebbins’ courage and determination to get acknowledged and accepted by his father, the “Mayor,” can get him the “Prize?”
Author: Stephen King
Genre: Science fiction, Horror fiction, Dystopian fiction
Pages: 384
Good reads rating: 4.11 of 5
My Ratings: 8.3 of 10
Published: July 1979
Publisher: Signet books
Language: English
For The Latest Price: The Long Walk
BATTLE ROYALE
Koushon Takami’s debut novel is creating global online buzz due to its nerve-wracking and over the top storyline that will keep you at the edge-of-your-seat while reading it.
“Battle Royale” showcases the fight of junior high school students, forced to go against each other in combat until their last breath under a program operated and controlled by the “Republic of Greater East Asia,” an autocratic Japanese government.
This best-seller novel became a successful manga series and a featured film that became one of Japan’s highest-grossing films, prompting more manga series and film adaptations.
Battle Royal Synopsis:
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The story happens in a fictional imperialism country of “The Land of the Rising Sun,” during the year 1997, where the “Republic of Greater East Asia” arouse after a different twist of the outcome of World War 2.
With its victory, the government controls everything under ultimate totalitarianism, and anything they see not right gets considered as “immoral,” as simple as rock music.
As part of their autocracy, they created a military program called the “Battle Experiment No. 68 Program,” in which fifty random classes of junior high school students get abducted and left in a distant location. They have to fight to survive, as the program forces them to kill each other until only one remains.
Later, the story tries to reveal the purpose of the program, and that is to help the government with unravelling the readiness and survival skills of its citizens in the battle. However, the actual reason is that the dictator only wants to instil fear and suspicion of all the citizens to stop them from starting a rebellion.
Five of the students remained, Shuya Nanahara, Noriko Nakagawa, Shogo Kawada, Kazuo Kiriyama, and Mitsuko Souma, with them is the psychopathic sadist teacher, Kinpatsu Sakamochi, who is the person-in-charge of the “Program.”
Who will survive?
Author: Koushun Takami
Genre: Dystopian Horror
Pages: 666
Good reads rating: 4.24/5
My Ratings: 8.5/10
Published: April 1999
Publisher: Ohta Publishing
Language: Japanese
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THE DARKEST MINDS
Another best choice to read is “The Darkest Minds,” like “The Hunger Games,” a teen girl stands to fight against the government system.
The author Alexandra Bracken made this novel a book series that centres a group of young children and teens, who are running away from the government, after discovering they mysteriously have superpowers.
One of them is the main character named Ruby, who is orange, has the power to control the minds. Generally, there are five known classes of superpowers. The green has a photographic memory and enhanced intelligence, making anyone who has this superpower extremely good with computers.
The blue superpower is telekinesis, while gold or yellow can create electricity, and the red can make fire. Then, comes, Ruby’s superpower.
It’s the fight of Ruby along other teens and children to live their lives, according to how they should, and not be restricted by anyone.
It also shows us how one can understand her true capabilities when she learns to accept who she is.
The Darkest Minds Synopsis:
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On Ruby’s tenth birthday, she discovers something is wrong with her. Her parents alarmed called the police that leads her to get sent to the “rehabilitation camp,” which is a brutal government facility. She, among a few children left, survived the supposed disease that ends the lives of the majority of the kids in a post-apocalyptic society.
But for Ruby and the rest of the kids in the camp, they instead received terrifying abilities that they’re struggling to control. Now at sixteen, Ruby is among the dangerous ones declared by the government. Barely escaping from the authority, she’s on the run.
And along the way, she meets a group of kids, who also escaped from the camp and possessed different superpowers. The brave leader Liam, who eventually falls hard for Ruby, is fighting hard to control his feelings and keep them safe from the government chasing them.
Genre–Dystopian Literature
Pages–488 pages
Goodreads rating–4.19/5
Dystopian Books Rating–8.69/10
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UNDER THE NEVER SKY
The debut novel of Veronica Rossi, “Under the Never Sky,” is another dystopian book that is worth reading. It primarily tells the story of a teen girl living in a well-protected city, risking the comfortable life she has accustomed to when she needs to find her missing mom outside.
Along with her journey, she meets a boy, who will help her survive, and eventually, falls for him. Due to the beguiling and gripping storyline of Rossi’s book, it became an instant crowd favourite and sold to over twenty-five international markets.
It tells a story about how the world keeps two people apart, but destiny brings them together.
Most of all the book also shows us that anyone will do anything to find the love of their lives, whether it’s their mom, family, or lover.
Under The Never Sky Synopsis:
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The main character Aria lives in a well-comfortable life, sheltered behind the harsh realities of the world outside Reverie, a well-protected dome. Her entire life has been confined and constricted within its spaces.
Aria doesn’t know about the life outside Reverie, but when her mother went missing, she’s out to find her. Despite knowing the chances of her survival outside in the wasteland is slim. While she starts her journey in finding her mom, she meets Perry, who is also looking for someone and one of the inhabitants in the world outside the dome.
Due to the world that he came from, Perry is wild and savage, but she might be the only hope for Aria to stay alive and find her mother.
Author: Veronica Rossi
Genre: Science Fiction/ Dystopian Fiction
Pages: 374
Goodreads rating: 4.0/5
My Rating: 6/10
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Final Say: Dystopian Novels Like The Huger Games
Hope you enjoyed our list of books similar to “The Hunger Games.” Share your experience of similar novels or let us know what you think in the comments below. Be sure to add your review of the article or the book contained.
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