Author: Jeanette Winterson
Publisher: HMH
ISBN: 0547416261
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 229
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Book Description
The Whitbread Prize–winning author of Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit delivers a novel that “transports us to something like the future of our own planet” (The Washington Post Book World). On the airwaves, all the talk is of the new blue planet—pristine and habitable, like our own was sixty-five million years ago, before we took it to the edge of destruction. Off the air, Billie Crusoe and the renegade Robo sapien Spike are falling in love. Along with Captain Handsome and Pink, they’re assigned to colonize the new blue planet. But when a technical maneuver intended to make it inhabitable backfires, Billie and Spike’s flight to the future becomes a surprising return to the distant past—“Everything is imprinted forever with what it once was.” What will happen when their story combines with the world’s story? Will they—and we—ever find a safe landing place? Playful, passionate, polemical, and frequently very funny, The Stone Gods will change forever the stories we tell about the earth, about love, and about stories themselves. “Scary, beautiful, witty and wistful by turns, dipping into the known past as it explores potential futures.” —The New York Times Book Review “[A book] that you don’t so much read as drink in, refuse to put down, cast inside of like a hunting dog, seeking against all odds the insight that will illuminate everything, a true answer to the fix we’re in.” —Los Angeles Times “A vivid, cautionary tale—or, more precisely, a keen lament for our irremediably incautious species.” —Ursula K. Le Guin, bestselling author of Changing Planes
Author: George R. Stewart
Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
ISBN: 0899683703
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 325
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Book Description
Author: David Hofmeyr
Publisher: Penguin UK
ISBN: 0141354453
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 274
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Book Description
The Hunger Games meets The Road in a stunning debut novel from a powerful new voice in YA fiction. *Shortlisted for the Branford Boase award 2016* Adam Stone wants freedom and peace. He wants a chance to escape Blackwater, the dust-bowl desert town he grew up in. Most of all, he wants the beautiful Sadie Blood. Alongside Sadie and the dangerous outsider, Kane, Adam will ride the Blackwater Trail in a brutal race that will test them all, body and soul. Only the strongest will survive. The prize? A one-way ticket to Sky-Base and unimaginable luxury. And for a chance at this new life, Adam will risk everything . . . Good luck - and may you live to see the sky. 'Pacy and gripping, with echoes of Mad Max and a dash of Brave New World.' Sally Green, author of Half Bad
Author: Jessica A. Heybach
Publisher: IAP
ISBN: 1623962854
Category : Education
Languages : en
Pages : 299
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Book Description
Dystopia and Education: Insights into Theory, Praxis, and Policy in an age of Utopia Gone Wrong provides an as-of-yet unexplored critical perspective for examining contemporary educational theory, praxis, and policy with particular reference to the current state of dehumanizing and often oppressive policy and practices that have come to demarcate the era of NCLB and RTT. The authors in this collection employ dystopian themes found in literature, film, visual art, and video games as the lens for that critical inquiry. As such Dystopia and Education: Insights into Theory, Praxis, and Policy is an essential contribution to the philosophical/critical tradition in educational scholarship. It is especially valuable because the inquiry undertaken is from a new perspective—one that will extend the critical tradition into a yet unexplored arena. Given the educational climate established by NCLB and RTT, this collection is especially important to the ongoing critical analysis of such policy mandates. There is also a significantly important timeliness to this book given NCLB’s utopian expectation of universal academic proficiency among American schoolchildren by the year 2014: as educators race to achieve such a noble yet naïve goal, this collection of essays examines the educational environment that has been enacted to achieve such ends, and describes our current state as a utopia-gone wrong.
Author: Gregory Claeys
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0191088617
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 569
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Book Description
Dystopia: A Natural History is the first monograph devoted to the concept of dystopia. Taking the term to encompass both a literary tradition of satirical works, mostly on totalitarianism, as well as real despotisms and societies in a state of disastrous collapse, this volume redefines the central concepts and the chronology of the genre and offers a paradigm-shifting understanding of the subject. Part One assesses the theory and prehistory of 'dystopia'. By contrast to utopia, conceived as promoting an ideal of friendship defined as 'enhanced sociability', dystopia is defined by estrangement, fear, and the proliferation of 'enemy' categories. A 'natural history' of dystopia thus concentrates upon the centrality of the passion or emotion of fear and hatred in modern despotisms. The work of Le Bon, Freud, and others is used to show how dystopian groups use such emotions. Utopia and dystopia are portrayed not as opposites, but as extremes on a spectrum of sociability, defined by a heightened form of group identity. The prehistory of the process whereby 'enemies' are demonised is explored from early conceptions of monstrosity through Christian conceptions of the devil and witchcraft, and the persecution of heresy. Part Two surveys the major dystopian moments in twentieth century despotisms, focussing in particular upon Nazi Germany, Stalinism, the Chinese Cultural Revolution, and Cambodia under Pol Pot. The concentration here is upon the political religion hypothesis as a key explanation for the chief excesses of communism in particular. Part Three examines literary dystopias. It commences well before the usual starting-point in the secondary literature, in anti-Jacobin writings of the 1790s. Two chapters address the main twentieth-century texts usually studied as representative of the genre, Aldous Huxley's Brave New World and George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four. The remainder of the section examines the evolution of the genre in the second half of the twentieth century down to the present.
Author: Jack London
Publisher: Good Press
ISBN:
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 3589
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Book Description
The 'Dystopia Boxed Set: 18 Dystopian Classics in One Edition' offers readers a profound exploration of dystopian literature, showcasing a wide range of literary styles from the speculative to the allegorical. This collection highlights the diversity and significance of dystopian narratives, from the eerily prescient to the hauntingly allegorical, providing an encapsulating overview of societal concerns throughout different periods. The works included not only represent landmarks in the genre but also serve as a testament to the evolution of dystopian themes, from authoritarian control to the erosion of individual freedom, making it an essential compilation for understanding this genre's complexities and depths. The assortment of standout pieces, each uniquely contributing to the canon of dystopian literature, promises to engage readers with their visionary insights and stylistic innovations. The contributing authors, including Jack London, H.G. Wells, Aldous Huxley, and George Orwell, among others, bring a remarkable breadth of experiences and perspectives to the anthology. Their cumulative contributions reflect significant historical, cultural, and literary movements, from the unsettling prophecies of early 20th-century writers to the critically introspective works of the mid-century. By weaving together narratives that reflect on authoritarian regimes, technological domination, and societal decay, this collection aligns with pivotal moments in history and various literary movements, providing a kaleidoscopic view of mankind's dark imaginations and potential futures. The backgrounds of these authors, from journalists to philosophers, enrich the collection with a diversity of thought and theory, grounding their speculative worlds in the tangible fears and concerns of their times. 'Dystopia Boxed Set: 18 Dystopian Classics in One Edition' is recommended for readers seeking to immerse themselves in the rich tapestry of dystopian literature. This anthology presents a unique opportunity to explore a broad spectrum of dystopian visions and themes, offering educational value through its exploration of societal fears and utopian ideals turned nightmarish. Engaging with this collection promises not just a journey through the storied landscapes of dystopian fiction but also an invitation to ponder the direction of our own world. Readers are encouraged to delve into these pages for a comprehensive understanding of dystopian literature's evolving narrative and historical significance, fostering a dialogue between different epochs and ideologies within the genre.
Author: Alexander Weinstein
Publisher: Macmillan + ORM
ISBN: 1250099005
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 202
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Book Description
Includes "After Yang," the basis for the acclaimed A24 film After Yang, starring Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, and Haley Lu Richardson, and directed by Kogonada. A New York Times Notable Book “A darkly mesmerizing, fearless, and exquisitely written work. Stunning, harrowing, and brilliantly imagined.” —Emily St. John Mandel, author of Station Eleven Children of the New World introduces readers to a near-future world of social media implants, memory manufacturers, dangerously immersive virtual reality games, and alarmingly intuitive robots. Many of these characters live in a utopian future of instant connection and technological gratification that belies an unbridgeable human distance, while others inhabit a post-collapse landscape made primitive by disaster, which they must work to rebuild as we once did millennia ago. In “The Cartographers,” the main character works for a company that creates and sells virtual memories, while struggling to maintain a real-world relationship sabotaged by an addiction to his own creations. In “After Yang,” the robotic brother of an adopted Chinese child malfunctions, and only in his absence does the family realize how real a son he has become. Children of the New World grapples with our unease in this modern world and how our ever-growing dependence on new technologies has changed the shape of our society. Alexander Weinstein is a visionary and singular voice in speculative fiction for all of us who are fascinated by and terrified of what we might find on the horizon.
Author: Peter R. Stone
Publisher: CreateSpace
ISBN: 9781492949701
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 296
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Book Description
Forager's Twists & Turns Will Keep You Guessing Until the Very End Eighteen-year-old Ethan Jones has a secret that even his parents and foraging companions don't know. And if that secret is discovered, he'll be dragged away by the town's draconian paramilitary Custodians to be dissected like a frog. The only time he feels safe, the only time he feels free, is when he's out in the ruins of 2122 AD Melbourne, foraging for scrap metals. The dull, drudgery of his life, however, is shattered when he rescues a mysterious Japanese girl from the degenerate, savage Skel. A girl who then breaks the town's rigid conventions in her attempts to get to know him, a girl who also carries the pain of a broken heart. Meanwhile, the nomadic Skel savages are ramping up their attacks on Newhome's foraging teams and infesting Melbourne's ruins in ever greater numbers. Is this part of a larger plan that could spell the town's doom?
Author: Daniel Cojocaru
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443883522
Category : Literary Criticism
Languages : en
Pages : 335
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Book Description
Violence and Dystopia is a critical examination of imitative desire, scapegoating and sacrifice in selected contemporary Western dystopian narratives through the lens of René Girard’s mimetic theory. The first chapter offers an overview of the history of Western utopia/dystopia with a special emphasis on the problem of conflictive mimesis and scapegoating violence, and a critical introduction to Girard’s theory. The second chapter is devoted to J.G. Ballard’s seminal novel Crash (1973), Chuck Palahniuk’s Fight Club (1996) and Rant (2007), and Brad Anderson’s film The Machinist (2004). It is argued that the car crash functions as a metaphor for conflictive mimetic desire and leads to a quasi-sacrificial crisis as defined by Girard for archaic religion. The third chapter focuses on the psychogeographical writings of Iain Sinclair and Peter Ackroyd. Walking the streets of London the pedestrian represents the excluded underside of the world of Ballardian speed. The walking subject is portrayed in terms of the expelled victim of Girardian theory. The fourth chapter considers violent crowds as portrayed by Ballard’s late fiction, the writings of Stewart Home, and David Peace’s GB84 (2004). In accordance with Girard’s hypothesis, the discussed narratives reveal the failure of scapegoat expulsion to restore peace to the potentially self-destructive violent crowds. The fifth chapter examines the post-apocalyptic environments resulting from failed scapegoat expulsion and mimetic conflict out of control, as portrayed in Sinclair’s Radon Daughters (1994), Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale (1985) and Oryx and Crake (2003), and Will Self’s The Book of Dave (2006).
Author: Novuyo Rosa Tshuma
Publisher: Atlantic Books
ISBN: 1786493179
Category : Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 333
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Book Description
Winner of the Edward Stanford Prize for Fiction with a Sense of Place, 2019 Shortlisted for the Dylan Thomas Prize, 2019 Shortlisted for the Orwell Prize, 2019 Longlisted for the Rathbones Folio Prize, 2019 __________ 'Extraordinary' Guardian __________ Bukhosi has gone missing. His father, Abed, and his mother, Agnes, cling to the hope that he has run away, rather than been murdered by government thugs. Only the lodger seems to have any idea... Zamani has lived in the spare room for years now. Quiet, polite, well-read and well-heeled, he's almost part of the family - but almost isn't quite good enough for Zamani. Cajoling, coaxing and coercing Abed and Agnes into revealing their sometimes tender, often brutal life stories, Zamani aims to steep himself in borrowed family history, so that he can fully inherit and inhabit its uncertain future.
