18 Dystopian Valentines

What is a dystopia but a love gone wrong. This list of dystopian fiction is a trove of suspenseful, adventurous, anti-valentines.  Some of them are brand new, just out of the box fresh; feel the angst, live the adventure.  Happy Valentines!  "May the odds be ever in your favor."--Hunger Games

The Hunger Games - Official Theatrical Trailer
Movie Release date: March 23, 2012

If you liked The Hunger Games, then you may like... :

 

The Diary of Pelly D, by L. J. Adlington, 2005.  When Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony, finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down by holocaust-like events, he begins to question his own beliefs.

Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi, 2010.  In a futuristic world, teen-aged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.

Ashes, by Ilsa Bick, 2011.  Alex, a resourceful 17-year-old running from her incurable brain tumor, Tom, who has left the war in Afghanistan, and Ellie, an angry 8-year-old, join forces after an electromagnetic pulse sweeps through the sky and kills most of the world's population, turning some of those who remain into zombies and giving the others superhuman senses.

Matched, by Ally Condie, 2010.  Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her, so when Xander appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows he is her ideal mate--until Ky Markham's face appears for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Maze Runner, by James Dashner, 2009.  Sixteen-year-old Thomas wakes up with no memory in the middle of a maze and realizes he must work with the community in which he finds himself if he is to escape.

Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow, 2008.  After being interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security in the aftermath of a major terrorist attack on San Francisco,17-year-old Marcus, released into what is now a police state, decides to use his expertise in computer hacking to set things right.

The Eleventh Plague, by Jeff Hirsch, 2011.  20 years after the start of the war that caused the Collapse, 15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather travel post-Collapse America scavenging, but when his grandfather dies and his father decides to risk everything to save the lives of two strangers, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

Epic, by Conor Kostick, 2007.  On New Earth, a world based on a video role-playing game, 14-year-old Erik pursuades his friends to aid him in some unusual gambits in order to save Erik's father from exile and safeguard the futures of each of their families.

Legend, by Marie Lu, 2011.  In a dark future, when North America has split into two warring nations, fifteen-year-olds Day, a famous criminal, and prodigy June, the brilliant soldier hired to capture him, discover that they have a common enemy.

The Secret Under My Skin, by Janet McNaughton, 2005.  In the year 2368, humans exist under dire environmental conditions. Blay, rescued from a work camp and chosen for a special duty, uses her love of learning to discover the truth about the planet's future and her own dark past.

Cinder, by Marissa Meyer, 2012.  As plague ravages the overcrowded Earth, observed by a ruthless lunar people, Cinder, a gifted mechanic and cyborg, becomes involved with Prince Kai and must uncover secrets about her past in order to protect the world in this futuristic take on the Cinderella story.

The Knife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick Ness, 2008.  Pursued by power-hungry Prentiss and mad minister Aaron, young Todd and Viola set out across New World searching for answers about his colony's true past and seeking a way to warn the ship bringing hopeful settlers from Old World.

Delirium, by Lauren Oliver, 2011.  Lena looks forward to receiving the government-mandated cure that prevents the delirium of love and leads to a safe, predictable, and happy life, until ninety-five days before her eighteenth birthday and her treatment, when she falls in love.

Across the Universe, by Beth Revis, 2011.  Amy, a cryogenically frozen passenger on the spaceship Godspeed, wakes up to discover that someone may have tried to murder her.

Under the Never Sky, by Veronica Rossi, 2012.  When Aria is exiled from the enclosed city of Reverie, she forms an unlikely alliance with an Outsider named Perry, who could be her only chance of survival providing they can overcome their prejudices.

Divergent, by Veronica Roth, 2011.  In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice must choose among five factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group.

Unwind, by Neal Shusterman, 2007.  In a future world where those between the ages of thirteen and eighteen can have their lives "unwound" and their body parts harvested for use by others, three teens go to extreme lengths to uphold their beliefs--and, perhaps, save their own lives.

All These Things I've Done, by Gabrielle Zevin, 2011.  In a future where chocolate and caffeine are contraband, teenage cellphone use is illegal, and water and paper are carefully rationed, 16-year-old Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight as heir apparent to an important New York City crime family.