What is a Dystopia?
My SciFi novel Utopia Five is set in 2053. It’s about a post-event society that some people consider utopian and some dystopian. Whether you live in a dystopia or not feels like it should be obvious! But is it? What is the definition? An “Event” “The Day of the Triffids” was written in 1963 by John Wyndham and the pivotal event in his book had nothing to do with carnivorous plants. In the novel, a meteor shower renders almost everyone blind and triggers the collapse of civilisation. The eponymous hostile hostas just take advantage of a situation that has abruptly shifted in their favour. The storyline is an example of a common 2-step process in dystopian fiction: - An “event” triggers the sudden breakdown of society and exposes individuals to a lot of nasty and brutish stuff. The result is usually a short life for most of the characters and a willingness to accept almost anything to fix the situation. - A new foe appears. They are intent on genocide or enslavement, contribute to the m...