So, the world right now is a binfire … climate change, culture wars, nightmare politicians. What more could we NOT want??

Well, I’ve always been drawn to stories that grab hold of true-life dystopian nightmares and shake it up EVEN MORE! I love thrillers and real-life social commentary, too. That’s why I wrote my own dystopian novel, The Coven (as Lizzie Fry).

It’s also why I made 5 similar dystopian picks for Shepherd.com!

Starting with the awesome and apocalyptic The End of The World Running Club by Adrian Walker, I picked another 4 that shook me, challenged me and lingered long after reading the last page.

Each of these books reflects a twisted mirror of our own world. None of them are mere science fiction! Instead they are plausible futures rooted in the choices we make today.

From ecological collapse and surveillance states to fractured societies and psychological control, these stories don’t just predict doom; they invite us to reckon with it.

Whether you’re a long-time lover of dystopian fiction or just waking up to its relevance, my hope is that this list offers you compelling, provocative reads that stick with you.

These aren’t comfortable books and they’re not meant to be. But in their bleakness, they offer a strange kind of hope: that we STILL have time to change course. (Fingers crossed, ack!).

You can explore the full list here: Dystopian Worlds That Rival Our Own – L.V. Hay’s Picks on Shepherd.