10 Utopian Novels You Should Read
If dystopian novels and films make you feel depressed with visions of an advanced but doomed humanity, perhaps you should try reading utopia novels for a change.
Here are ten of the most recommended books to get you started.
Ecotopia (1975) by Ernest Callenbach
Ecotopia was a small nation that separated from the USA. William Weston’s diary is the primary source of its tales.
Erewhon or Over the Range (1872) by Samuel Butler
The novel describes a fictional country called Erewhon. It mirrors the British Empire at the time it was written. When read backwards, Erewhon spells nowhere.
Herland (1915) by Charlotte Perkins Gilman
Vandyck Jennings and friends travel to a society composed of women. They learned that the women reproduce by parthenogenesis, meaning they don’t need men for fertilization.
Looking Backward (1888) by Edward Bellamy
Julian West wakes up 113 years later to find that the world has changed. The country has become a socialist utopia in the year 2000.
Men Like Gods (1923) by H.G. Wells
Barnstaple was about to take a holiday from work when he found himself in another world. The residents called it Utopia. It turns out that Utopia was an advanced parallel world.
New Atlantis (1624) by Sir Francis Bacon
The island of Bensalem is an ideal society where good values are upheld. One of its most fascinating features is the Salomon’s House.
News from Nowhere (1890) by William Morris
William Guest woke up one day in a socialist society that practices democratic control on the means of production and that upholds common ownership.
On Such a Full Sea (2014) by Chang-Rae Lee
In a nation where the social class is stratified, Fan leaves the settlement to find answers after her lover disappeared. Her journey unmasked the utopian society she thought she knew.
The City of the Sun (1602) by Tommaso Campanella
Considered a philosophical work, the novel features a dialogue between a Genoese ship captain and a grandmaster of the Knights Hospitalier. The City of the Sun is described in detail.
Walden Two (1948) by B.F. Skinner
Two war veterans ask Professor Burris to contact T.E. Frazier to inform him of their interest in an international community called Walden Two. They learned that the community follows a structure that would avoid collapse from within.
Other Utopia Books
Here are other titles that you should check out.
Utopia (1516) by Thomas More
2894 (1894) by Walter Browne
A Crystal Age (1887) by William Henry Hudson
A Traveler from Altruria (1894) by William Dean Howells
Islandia (1942) by Austin Tappan Wright
Lost Horizon (1933) by James Hilton
Mizora (1890) by Mary E. Bradley Lane
The Blazing World (1666) by Margaret Cavendish
The Commonwealth of Oceania (1656) by James Harrington
The Lathe of Heaven (1971) by Ursula K. Le Guin
Vril (1871) by Edward Bulwer-Lytton
