Our fascination with the “zombie virus” and how society might react has enthralled us. We have the funny, such as Warm Bodies, to the scientific, such as The Girl with all the Gifts, and the action packed like The Maze Runner. There’s been a huge shift in the last couple of decades towards viruses and zombies. With the Roswell event, and the ability to spread news around the world, the idea of alien beings fascinated both writers and readers. Although the first UFO sightings occurred as early as the 17th century, it wasn’t until the 1940s and 50s that they became more regular. Both categories have always existed, bringing two different camps of readers, and continue to exist now, often blending fantasy as well.Įarly science fiction often focused on alien contact and spaceships to another world.

Those that focus on the space and “out there” scenario, space operas such as The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy, and those that look into science and tech developments in the real world, what we call “grounded sci-fi,” (or the sci-fi thriller) such as The Girl with all the Gifts, Jurassic Park, or Ready Player One. There are, and always have been two clear categories in science fiction. The strong one who won’t lie down and take it, that one person who is brave enough to say “no.” Dystopia is an area that will continue to fascinate for years to come. The idea of one hero changing the world, standing up for what they believe in, convincing the crowd to change their mind. The Mazer Runner, Delirium, Shatter Me, and The Loneliest Girl in the Universe, to name a few. Dystopian worlds have been written about since the 1930s in novels such as Brave New World by Aldous Huxley, to more recent times where we’ve seen an explosion of dystopian (especially following the success of The Hunger Games). While revisiting some of my favorite books through the ages I noticed a distinct trend in dystopian fiction.

The Shadow Keepers by Marisa Noelle