The future of the world is portrayed to be a distant utopia that anyone would join. However, an instance where the future result becomes anything but happy can depress even the most optimistic. These books portray grim scenarios of dystopian futures, telling the stories of men, women and children who go through horrific changes in their lives.

“The Stand” by Stephen King

King describes a post-apocalyptic world where a super flu is created as a biological weapon by the government. The weapon was accidentally released in a government facility, infecting a soldier who then spreads the infection to his wife, child and eventually his entire town. After this, 99.4 percent of the human population is decimated, leaving the remaining people to rebuild and repopulate the earth. Within this population, there are two groups of people: those who follow Randall Flagg, who has an anti-Christ persona, and Abagail Freemantle, who is a spiritual guide for those she finds. The book recounts the story of Flagg and Freemantle’s followers as they battle to rebuild the earth’s population in their eyes. While following this attempt to repopulate Earth, readers will run across the theme of good versus evil, where everything Freemantle stands for counts as generally good, relying on spirituality and kindness to guide people. On the other hand, Flagg uses fear and torture to keep his followers in check.

“The Maze Runner” by James Dashner

In the future, after millions of people died from apocalyptic occurrences caused by sun flares, a disease ravaged the remaining survivors. The government used orphaned children in order to find a defense against the disease, and they put them in an enclosed space with walls that move and create different mazes. By the time the protagonist got to the glades, the ones that had already been there were just trying to survive and figure a way out of the maze. Once the last person arrives, they are forced to find a way out of the glades or get picked off one by one. As Thomas and the others try to survive, they must make sacrifices to stay alive, but their friendships make them put others over themselves and it costs them their lives.

“The Children of Men” by P.D. James

In the year 1995, men’s sperm counts dropped down to zero, resulting in the human population dying out quicker than they could reproduce. This splits the society into two social classes: Omegas and non-Omegas, or the young generation and elders. In this future, Omegas became prized and valued because of their youth, and the non-Omegas were disgraced and forced to commit suicide so they didn’t burden the population. In the United Kingdom, two cousins, Xan and Theo, are at arms with each other because of their differing views on how the country should be run. This leads to Theo and a group of rebels fighting for their lives, and the life of a newborn, as Xan attempts to take it away.

Selections by Brianni Henderson