Despite the decline in the dystopian genre’s popularity over the years, the genre is thriving, with Publisher’s Weekly reporting that dystopian novels saw a 148% sales boost post-inauguration. Clearly, there is a thirst for the resurging genre, so today, we’re spotlighting the most anticipated upcoming dystopian releases of 2025.
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins
Publish Date: March 18, 2025
We’d be remiss not to include Sunrise on the Reaping, perhaps the most anticipated novel of 2025, on this list. This novel follows Haymitch Abernathy (from the original The Hunger Games trilogy), as his name is called, to participate in the fiftieth annual Hunger Games during the Quarter Quell, where twice as many tributes will be selected. He feels his dreams shatter when his name is called, and along with three other tributes, he is taken to the Captial, knowing he’s been set to fail. You can’t miss this prequel!
The Unworthy by Agustina Bazterrica & translated by Sarah Moses
Publish Date: March 4, 2025
From the bestselling author of Tender is the Flesh, Agustina Bazterrica gives us a new searing dystopian tale of a low member of the Sacred Sisterhood who has been deemed unworthy and confined in a cell at the mysterious covenant. She’ll stop at nothing to write down her story wherever she can and climb the ranks of the Enlightened. Despite being imprisoned in the convent, the narrator is safe from the crumbling society outside the walls where there is no electricity or internet, and people fight to survive the barren lands. A great read for fans of feminist horror.
Silver Elite by Dani Francis
Publish Date: May 6, 2025
Romantsy and dystopia collide in this first book in a new trilogy where the world is divided by a biotoxin that wiped out Earth’s population 150 years ago. Now those on the Continent who survive are either Prime, the oppressive ruling class who are immune to the biotoxin, or Modified, enchanted by the toxin, giving you psychic abilities. Wren Darlington is a Mod in hiding, occasionally doing jobs for the rebel Uprising against the Prime. One mistake lands her in the crosshairs with the Continent’s military, where she is forced to join the Silver Block. If she keeps her powers hidden and survives the training, it will be the perfect opportunity for the Uprising to attack from inside the military’s ranks. But as she falls for her commanding officer, Cross Redden, Wren must decide how far she is willing to go to keep her secret and if the cost of saving the Continent is worth it.
Circular Motion by Alex Foster
Publish Date: May 13, 2025
The Earth’s spin is gradually accelerating. Tanner dreams of running away from his small Alaskan hometown and making his mark on the world. He does just that, landing at the CWC, a global company operating a massive aircraft orbiting the Earth that has revolutionized transportation. Now, people and goods can travel across the world in a fraction of the time they used to. But social unrest against the CWC is growing, and Winnie is at the heart of those who blame the CWC for Earth’s acceleration. When the days start getting shorter and shorter, society starts spiraling out of control over an impending apocalypse with Winnie and Tanner at the center.
The Dream Hotel by Laila Lalami
Publish Date: March 4, 2025
This book is set in a world where The Risk Assessment Administration mines personal data from our devices, social media, and even our dreams to try and prevent crimes before they happen. Their algorithm finds “high-risk” individuals — those who are at risk of committing a crime — and detains them until they deem it safe to release them. Sara finds herself detained by the Risk Assessment Administration, isolated from her husband at a “retention” facility where she finds other women being unjustly detained. Lalami expertly explores the dangers of technology and hyper surveillance and the effect it has on personhood and autonomy in a world that is eerily feasible in today’s age.
Vanishing World by Sayaka Murata & translated by Ginny Tapley Takemori
Publish Date: April 15, 2025
Amane grew up an outcast from other kids her age because her parents committed the ultimate taboo: they procreated and had her through sex, not artificial insemination. In the mid-twentieth century, procreating through artificial insemination became the norm, and sex is as taboo as incest. Desperate to get away from her mother’s “indoctrination” into her strange way of life, as she views it, Amane and her husband move to an Experimental City where all children are nameless and raised communally, and men also give birth. Originally published in Japan in 2015, Vanishing World is being translated into English for the first time.
The Compound by Aisling Rawle
Publish Date: June 24, 2025
Aisling Rawle’s debut novel, The Compound, blends The Hunger Games and Love Island in this high-stakes reality TV show on the page. Lily and twenty other people wake up at the Compound, a remote desert island where they will compete on a massive reality television show. To win, Lily must outlast her opponents at the Compound while competing for prizes like basic necessities and luxury items. When the producers raise the stakes, the line between desire, desperation, and survival is blurred. If she wins, she will be rewarded with prizes beyond her wildest dreams, but first, she must survive.
All the Water in the World by Eiren Caffall
Publish Date: Janurary 7, 2025
Set in an alternate future where the world has flooded, Nonie and her family find shelter on the roof of the American Museum of Natural History, starting a settlement to survive and sparingly taking only what they need from the museum. They hunt and grow their food in Central Park, all while working to preserve the human history and science collection. When a superstorm hits the museum, Nonie and her family are forced to flee, forcing them to choose what to preserve of human history and what must be left behind. It’s a survival story like no other. This is the only recent release on this list, so it’s available to read right now!
Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang
Publish Date: May 13, 2025
Immaculate Conception centers on the budding relationship between Enka and Mathilde, who meet at art school. Mathilde is a talented, tortured artist on the rise to fame, while Enka is struggling to make art that feels original for her. Soon, the pair have a codependent bond, and when Mathilde’s fame skyrockets, Enka takes desperate measures to keep up using technology meant to heighten one’s empathy that will change both of their lives forever. Huang examines art and technology and what makes us human in a way that will keep you turning the pages.
There Are Reasons for This by Nini Berndt
Publish Date: June 3, 2025
Two years ago, Lucy’s brother Mike left their small town in Eastern Colorado for Denver. But now he’s dead and Lucy finds herself in Denver in search of the woman he loved, Helen. But when she gets to Denver and moves in across the hall from Helen, the city is falling apart. There’s a predator on the loose and the weather is tumultuous. But above all the strange happenings, she’s become obsessed with Helen, pulling her farther apart from her brother.
The dystopian genre is very much alive and ready to be explored. We hope these recommendations give you some fresh classics, debut reads, and international stories to read.
Curious about the origins of the dystopian genre? Click here to find out!
Check out our Dystopian bookshelf on Bookshop for more recommendations!
