“Women are the real architects of society.”

Fictional worlds offer us a mirror to examine the values, decisions, and forces shaping our reality. As we navigate uncertain times, these stories remind us of what’s at stake and what’s possible when we choose to confront challenges with courage, empathy, and vision.

1. The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

“Better never means better for everyone…It always means worse for some.”

The Republic of Gilead is a totalitarian society facing infertility. Women are subjugated, and those capable of bearing children, called “Handmaids,” are forced into reproductive servitude.

The Handmaid’s Tale serves as a stark warning about the consequences of combining religious extremism with state power, restricting reproductive rights, and silencing dissent.

2. The MaddAddam Trilogy (Oryx and Crake, The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam) by Margaret Atwood

“What am I living for and what am I dying for are the same question.”

In a speculative near-future dystopia, environmental collapse, corporate overreach, and unethical genetic engineering lead to a man-made plague that decimates humanity. The trilogy explores the rise and fall of this broken world.

The MaddAddam Trilogy offers a chilling warning about the devastating impacts of environmental neglect, unchecked corporate dominance, and unethical technological advancements.

3. Vox by Christina Dalcher

“Think about waking up one morning and finding you don’t have a voice in anything.”

In a near-future America, women are limited to speaking 100 words per day by a patriarchal government. Dr. Jean McClellan, a neurolinguist, becomes instrumental in developing a cure for a neurological disorder, which she uses as leverage to fight against the oppressive regime.

Vox serves as a cautionary tale about the perils of unchecked governmental control over individual autonomy and expression.

4. The Family Tree by Sheri S. Tepper

“Think of all that darkness, all that world out there, all that mystery that we’ve turned into well-lighted concrete bunkers, safe and warm and dull.”

This novel blends mystery, science fiction, and ecological themes. It tells the story of a woman whose life intertwines with a strange phenomenon: trees begin to uproot themselves to fight back against human destruction.

The Family Tree critiques humanity’s exploitation of nature and raises questions about our responsibility toward the environment and future generations.

5. The Arbai Trilogy (Grass, Raising the Stones, and Sideshow) by Sheri S. Tepper

“Only the poor got trapped: by ignorance, by religion, by self-righteous laws passed by people who broke them with impunity.”

The Arbai Trilogy follows humanity’s struggle to survive and evolve in a universe plagued by ecological collapse, societal stagnation, and a devastating plague spreading across worlds. Through interconnected stories, the series examines humanity’s destructive tendencies and its potential for redemption by learning to coexist with alien species and respect natural systems.

The Arbai Trilogy warns against the consequences of environmental neglect, unchecked power, and rigid ideologies while offering a vision of hope grounded in adaptation and mutual respect.

6. The Book of the Unnamed Midwife by Meg Elison

“Nobody chooses to be a victim, but after a lifetime of practice, it just happens.”

In a world devastated by a deadly plague, most women and children have died, and childbirth is almost always fatal. The protagonist, a midwife, navigates a world where women have become commodities, enslaved or traded for survival. Disguising herself as a man, she records her journey and the horrors she witnesses while trying to preserve her autonomy and humanity.

The Book of the Unnamed Midwife serves as a stark warning against systemic gender oppression and highlights the critical need to protect bodily autonomy.

7. Of Love and Shadows by Isabel Allende

“Like all those who love life, they had felt they were immortal.”

Set in a country under military dictatorship, this novel tells the story of Irene Beltrán, a journalist, and Francisco Leal, a photographer, as they uncover atrocities committed by the regime.

Of Love and Shadows warns against authoritarianism, censorship, and human rights abuses while celebrating the courage and determination of those who fight for truth and justice.

8. The Earthseed Series (Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents) by Octavia E. Butler

“To be led by a fool is to be led by the opportunists who control the fool.”

Set in a future America fragmented by climate change, economic disparity, and societal collapse, the story follows Lauren Olamina, a young woman with hyper-empathy. She develops a new belief system, Earthseed, and leads a group of survivors toward a better future amidst a rising theocratic regime led by an authoritarian president.

Parable of the Sower and Parable of the Talents emphasize the importance of grassroots movements, adaptable belief systems, and unwavering vigilance in safeguarding freedoms against authoritarianism.

9. Severance by Ling Ma

“The End begins before you are ever aware of it. It passes as ordinary.”

A fungal pandemic turns infected individuals into “fevered” automatons. Candace Chen, an office worker in New York, continues her routine amidst the collapse, eventually joining a group of survivors seeking a safe haven.

Severance serves as a stark warning against prioritizing corporate profits over human well-being and governmental neglect in times of crisis.

10. The Giver by Lois Lowry

“I knew that there had been times in the past-terrible times-when people had destroyed others in haste, in fear, and had brought about their own destruction.”

In a seemingly utopian society devoid of pain and strife, emotions and memories are suppressed. Twelve-year-old Jonas is selected to inherit the position of Receiver of Memory, uncovering the dark truths behind his community’s facade.

The Giver serves as a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked governmental authority and the consequences of sacrificing freedom for the illusion of safety.

11. Woman on the Edge of Time by Marge Piercy

“The powerful don’t make revolutions.”

Connie Ramos, a Mexican-American woman, is institutionalized in a psychiatric hospital. She communicates telepathically with a visitor from a utopian future society called Mattapoisett, where gender equality, environmental sustainability, and communal living are the norm. The novel contrasts this future with a dystopian alternative driven by consumerism, exploitation, and technological control.

“Woman on the Edge of Time” warns against policies that dehumanize marginalized groups and emphasizes the power of individuals to make a difference, even when they seem powerless.

12. Who Fears Death by Nnedi Okorafor

“We all are born with burdens. Some of us more than others.”

Set in a post-apocalyptic Africa, Who Fears Death follows Onyesonwu, a young woman born of violence, who discovers her magical abilities and confronts prejudice, gender violence, and the weight of her own origins as she journeys to bring justice to her people.

Who Fears Death explores the complexities of identity, power, and systemic oppression, portraying the transformative potential of individuals to dismantle entrenched systems of injustice.

13. Lagoon by Nnedi Okorafor

“Human beings have a hard time relating to that which does not resemble them. It’s your greatest flaw.”

When aliens land in Lagos, Nigeria, their arrival sparks chaos in a city already teeming with division and tension. As their presence disrupts the lives of humans and animals alike, three ordinary individuals are drawn together to communicate with the aliens and help shape humanity’s future.

Lagoon critiques systemic inequities and celebrates the resilience of marginalized communities in the face of global upheaval, underscoring the importance of adaptability and resistance when faced with societal transformation.

14. The Final Strife by Saara El-Arifi

“How nice it is to be so blinded by your own riches that you can’t see whose back your home is built upon.”

In a society divided by blood color, Sylah, a rebel, aims to dismantle the oppressive caste system. Through alliances and betrayals, she fights for justice and equality.

The Final Strife highlights the necessity of unity across social divides to effectively challenge and dismantle oppressive systems.

15. The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

“People who say change is impossible are usually pretty happy with things just as they are.”

In this urban fantasy, New York City is personified through five avatars representing its boroughs. These avatars must come together to fight an interdimensional threat that seeks to erase the city’s identity.

The City We Became warns that policies undermining diversity, collective action, and cultural resilience endanger the very foundation of society itself.

16. The Swan Book by Alexis Wright

“Stories are the lifeblood of who we are.”

Set in a post-apocalyptic Australia ravaged by climate change, this novel follows Oblivia, a young Aboriginal woman who navigates a world of displacement, environmental collapse, and cultural erasure.

The Swan Book underscores the fragility of the environment and the enduring strength of cultural identity, serving as a powerful call to preserve Indigenous knowledge and traditions in the face of global crises.

17. The Dispossessed by Ursula K. Le Guin

“You cannot buy the revolution. You cannot make the revolution. You can only be the revolution. It is in your spirit, or it is nowhere.”

This science fiction novel contrasts two planets: Anarres, an anarchist society valuing equality but plagued by scarcity, and Urras, a capitalist society with vast wealth but deep inequality. The protagonist, Shevek, a physicist, journeys between the two worlds, seeking understanding and progress.

The Dispossessed explores how power dynamics, scarcity, and human nature challenge the pursuit of true equality.

18. The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa

“Men who start by burning books end by burning other men.”

In this chilling dystopian novel, an authoritarian regime controls what people remember, erasing objects and their associated memories from existence.

The Memory is a haunting meditation on erasure, control, and the fragility of individuality in the face of systemic oppression.

19. The Children of Men by P.D. James

“Man is diminished if he lives without knowledge of his past; without hope of a future he becomes a beast.”

Set in a dystopian near-future where humanity has become infertile, The Children of Men explores a world where the youngest person alive is 25 years old, and society is crumbling under the weight of despair and authoritarian control.

The Children of Men critiques systemic failures and authoritarianism and highlights the transformative power of individuals to challenge oppressive systems.

20. Herland by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

“Patriotism, red hot, is compatible with the existence of a neglect of national interests, a dishonesty, a cold indifference to the suffering of millions.”

In this early feminist utopia, three male explorers stumble upon an isolated society composed entirely of women, who have lived for centuries without men. As the men grapple with their own biases and assumptions about gender roles, they are forced to confront the values of their own patriarchal societies.

Herland critiques gender inequality and the systemic oppression of women, presenting a vision of a society free from violence, competition, and exploitation.

21. The Light Brigade by Kameron Hurley

“Don’t just fight the darkness, friends. Let’s be the light.”

In a militarized future controlled by megacorporations, soldiers are transformed into particles of light and deployed instantaneously across battlefields. Dietz, a fresh recruit, begins to experience time differently, with missions occurring out of sequence, revealing shocking truths about the war, the corporations controlling it, and the cost of blind allegiance.

The Light Brigade explores themes of resilience, resistance, and the moral ambiguity of war, emphasizing the importance of questioning authority and fighting for systemic change.