Sometimes books like A Clockwork Orange get lost in a cloud of their own notoriety because the imagined world and the characters’ actions are too painful, too shocking, too plausible to comprehend. but if you dare to read on, you will discover authors of sublime skill and unparalleled vision, for though they may be portrayed through disturbing means, the subversive undertones of these novels are incredibly perceptive (even topical) despite having been written decades ago.
Anthony Burgess’s 1962 classic A Clockwork Orange addresses oppressive governments, the importance of free will, and the dualities of our reality such as good versus evil, man versus government, neutrality vs. compromise, to name a few. Set in the not-too-distant future, Alex, the novel’s teenage protagonist, describes his barbaric and violent exploits before he is imprisoned and used as a guinea pig by a government trying to reform.
While not always for the faint-hearted or those who enjoy fiction that’s a little easier to digest, the novels featured on the list cater to all types of book readers like A Clockwork Orange with appearances from big-name authors. in the dystopian genre like margaret atwood, george orwell and another from burgess himself, enjoy!
You are reading: Books like a clockwork orange
8 books like a clockwork orange
the handmaid’s tale, by margaret atwood
margaret atwood has become somewhat of a queen of dystopian fiction with an unparalleled imagination that has earned her the booker award twice among many other prestigious accolades. When asked where she got the inspiration for her 1985 classic The Handmaid’s Tale, Atwood explains that the basis of the novel is nothing that hasn’t happened to women throughout the ages. history using the salem witch trials as an example. .
As in many books like A Clockwork Orange, the events in The Handmaid’s Tale take place in the future, but a future that can easily be realized. a future where people struggle to conceive and a dissenting authority takes matters into their own hands to save the human race; enter the creation of gilead, a new totalitarian state.
In Gilead, anyone with functioning ovaries is forced to become a serf, a slave to commanders and their wives in an attempt to give them a child. Narrated by Offred, she shares the plight of the maids as they struggle to survive this terrifying new life while holding on to memories of their previous happy lives.
eerily plausible that gives the reader a sense of foreboding, a really compelling read.
Have you already read this disturbing novel? Check out our list of books like The Handmaid’s Tale.
lord of the flies, by william golding
the following novel, like a clockwork orange, has been labeled an allegory, a political treatise, a morality tale, and even a vision of the apocalypse, but for me, william golding’s extraordinary novel the lord of the flies is a poignant reminder of the inevitable end of innocence and how dark the human soul can become.
narrated anonymously, we see what happens to a group of schoolchildren when they are stranded on a desert island after a tragic plane crash. being their first time without adult supervision, initially their freedom is embraced and celebrated because kids can do whatever they want, literally anything.
but as they try to forge their own society, this celebrated freedom soon descends into chaos; a reign of violent and savage terror with barbaric behavior unimaginable to children as young as the hope of being rescued begins to be as distant and forgotten as their innocence.
While the children end up living in a nightmarish society, despite being created by themselves, Lord of the Flies is an excellent example of dystopian fiction that fans of A Clockwork Orange they will surely enjoy. enjoy.
Have you read this classic novel? check out our list of books like lord of the flies.
1984, by george orwell
published in 1949, george orwell’s infamous 1984 becomes increasingly poignant and eerily real as each year passes and that’s what makes it such a brilliant read for anyone looking for books similar to clockwork. orange.
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That’s where the famous term “big brother” comes from because, in Oceania, where the novel takes place, the big brother is always watching, monitoring thoughts, nullifying individuality and opposing any concept that rivals the totalitarian bureaucratic world that they have created.
The main character, Winston Smith, works at the Ministry of Truth, where he rewrites historical events to fit society’s version of events, in other words, manipulate the truth. He secretly hates his job, “the party” in charge, and the world he lives in, but not many are willing to share his affinity for rebellion and need for individuality until he meets Julia.
Together they begin a love story, an act of rebellion in itself that could result in torture to reform or death. 1984 is one of the most terrifying books of the 20th century, describing futuristic purgatory and Orwell’s accuracy in depicting modern life in such a real version of hell is amazing.
Do you already know and love this classic dystopia? check out our list of books like 1984.
us, by yevgeny zamyatin
said to be the spark of inspiration for other dystopian classics like the aforementioned 1984 and other prestigious authors like ayn rand and aldous huxley, you expect a lot from us from yevgeny zamyatin before you even read the first page, and luckily, you don’t disappoints.
Citizens of one state live lives devoid of passion and creativity, where everyone is numbered and dreams are a symptom of mental illness, as their tightly guarded, glass-enclosed totalitarian city is ruled by logic.
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d-503 is a mathematician and rocket engineer happily working on a spaceship destined to invade other planets until one day he meets i-330, who fascinates him by flouting the rules. soon d-503 makes an amazing discovery that will change his way of looking at life forever; he has an individual soul.
Us is a powerfully inventive piece of dystopian fiction that ended up foreshadowing the worst of Soviet Russia, a fitting addition to this list of perceptive novels like a clockwork orange.
cloud atlas, by david mitchell
If you find some of the other titles on this list of books like A Clockwork Orange a bit unwieldy at times, Cloud Atlas might be the perfect next read for you.
While technically not an easy read like many booker award nominees, it will give you an easy access to the dystopian genre with only 2 of the 6 linked and embedded narratives portraying a particularly unsettling world; a post-apocalyptic hawaii and nea so copros, a dystopian futuristic state in korea.
While the other 4 narratives are set in different time periods, while not always depicting life as we know it, they are a bit easier to digest. David Mitchell’s novel invites us to look at humanity as cyclical and delves into the ideas of reincarnation and the universality of human nature.
Each narrative focuses on a different character, although set in a different place and time, all the characters have a kite-shaped birthmark as if they were incarnations of the same soul, prompting you to read on to find out how everything is connected.
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A rollercoaster of a plot with inquisitive understanding and observation, ending in cliffhangers before delving into the next narrative, cloud atlas is a truly gripping read.
the seed you want, by anthony burgess
burgess is back to surprise us with another terrifying novel, said to have been thinking for 25 years the seed she wants is another fascinating insight into reproduction in a world overcrowded with governmental powers trying to control .
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the novel focuses on tristram foxe, his wife beatrice-joanna and his brother derek, in their overcrowded world, food is scarce and self-sterilization and homosexuality are encouraged and policed by the ‘grey boys’, the police force mostly gay.
derek pretends to be gay in public, which helps further his career, but behind closed doors he has an affair with beatrice-joanna that results in her pregnancy. the gray boys assume that tristram is his father and arrest him where he is forced to participate in an unjust war whose sole purpose is to reduce the population.
both fiercely funny at times and grimly serious at others, burgess manages to attack social issues, religion, government, history, and condemns war in this easy-to-make novel, so if you enjoy aspects similar to a clockwork orange, you will surely be captivated. for the missing seed as well.
world war z, by max brooks
OK, zombies aren’t necessarily as easy to conceive of as totalitarian governments, violent rebellions, and patriarchal separatist societies. however, max brooks certainly had something more to his world war z novel using zombies. as a vehicle to portray some particularly subversive messages (especially poignant given our recent pandemic).
A particularly clever take on your usual zombie apocalypse, as the novel is made up of written accounts from around the world describing how the apocalypse and zombies affected them. the real focus is on how different cultures and countries dealt with it, with some countries bombing each other while others rally in aid and support in an attempt to survive.
While the zombies themselves may not seem particularly visionary, Brooks’ look at the aftermath of the apocalypse in World War Z is particularly insightful and something that fans of books akin to A Clockwork Orange will love. they will find incredibly interesting.
Have you already read this book? Check out our list for more books like World War Z!
oryx and crake, by margaret atwood
We already know that Margaret Atwood has a unique ability to propel readers into the future, into a world still all too familiar and beyond the realms of normal imagination.
She describes her 2003 novel, oryx and crake, not as pure science fiction, but as more speculative fiction because it’s not about anything we can’t do or start doing yet; this to me is terrifying. understand in itself.
then we enter the world of crackers, pigoons and wolvogs, genetic experimentation and pharmaceutical engineering that has created a world that is not like the one we know. The protagonist snowman, formerly known as Jimmy, is assumed to be one of the last humans left on earth living among the superhumans designed to survive in the inhospitable landscape the world has become.
Through a narration that alternates between the past and the present, it is slowly revealed what has happened, who the mysterious oryx and the crake are, the part of jimmy in everything and why he is now pretending to be a doll. of snow and lives in a tree with a sheet tied. him.
A hauntingly fascinating read, oryx and crake is the perfect way to end this list of insightful books like a clockwork orange.
As you’ve seen, dystopia as a genre can come in speculative, horror, sci-fi forms… I’ve tried to include a range to show that books like A Clockwork Orange aren’t just an excuse to blood and gore, barbarism and violence are pieces of visionary literature that become more relevant every time you read them.
Looking for more books like A Clockwork Orange? Do you have any recommendations that are not on the list? tell us in the comments!
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