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In today’s society, dystopian worlds have increased in popularity. Anyone who has read books like “The Hunger Games,” “Divergent” and “The Giver” will recognize the telltale signs of a borderline apocalyptic world. In this illusion of a perfect society, order is maintained by an oppressive government. (Think The Capitol in “The Hunger Games.”) Dystopian environments leave their citizens fearful, dehumanized and under constant surveillance.
Every year new dystopian books are published, expressing various fears about the future. However, most of the novels written are set in the middle of dystopia; they don’t cover the events that led up to the end of modern civilization. What happened before dystopia? How did the government get to that point?
So if you’re interested in what happened before the destruction, here are five good books to read about WWIII that will give you the whole picture.
NATO and the Soviet Bloc are at war and the Americans are looking to defend their position in Germany. Written two years before the collapse of the Soviet Union, “Team Yankee” conceptualizes the eventual World War III that was historically expected during the Cold War.
In “After the End,” the world has been ravaged by nuclear radiation and few have managed to escape to the Alaskan wilderness. One group has survived for the last thirty years but when Juneau’s clan goes missing, she will have a startling revelation about what the world is now like.
“The Ship” is a dystopian epic about love, friendship and the price of freedom. London has been burnt to the ground … again. When the Nazareth Act comes into play, everyone must carry their I.D. card or risk being shot. What if you had a way to escape it all?
This is a war fought for democracy. If democracy is safe, then nothing else matters. The characters in “Johnny Got His Gun” find that they can never take the easy way out. This novel is shocking, violent, brutal and uncompromising – just like war.
“Warday and the Journey Onward” depicts America in the aftermath of WWIII. Although it’s set in 1993, nothing is off-limits technologically and politically. Striber and Kunetka write about the aftermath of a “limited” nuclear war, one that wiped out New York, Washington D.C., San Antonio and other parts of Central and Western America. Can peace be rebuilt?
Although it’s fascinating to write about revival and revolt, WWIII novels show readers what happens when war breaks out; most everything is destroyed. When things go disastrously wrong and only a few survive, we ask: “Can we rebuild our lives?” and “Is it possible to go back to normal again?”
These novels offer creative, engaging and adventurous answers to those questions. Pick up any (or all five) to see what our future could hold.
