Dystopian novels inspiration

A look at the dystopian novels Jon Lymon read before, during and after writing the two books in his World of The Powers dystopian novels series.

SUMMARY

What are the most popular dystopian novels?

How did they inspire Jon Lymon during the writing of his own dystopian novel series?

Which classic dystopian novel just didn’t land with Lymon?

Goodreads lists 3,790 books under Best Dystopian Novels and Post Apocalyptic Fiction. If there are this many works rated as ‘best’ in this genre, you can bet your bottom dollar, or five pound note if you hail from the same side of the Atlantic Ocean as I, that there are a huge amount of other titles that don’t rank quite so highly.

But sticking to the title of this post like a propaganda poster to the outside of a newsagent’s window, I decided to concentrate on the classic dystopian novels that have hit a nerve and struck a chord with the reading public while writing my own dystopian novels Flying Ant Day and Dead Headz.

(Whether it’s a good idea to read dystopia while writing it is perhaps the subject for another post.)

Dystopia?

If you’re unfamiliar with the term dystopian, you’ve likely strayed onto the wrong page. I bid you farewell and good luck in finding your intended destination.\

This page is for readers seeking a little enlightenment on some of the best known titles in the dystopian novels genre.

You may well have to endure a brief plug or two about my own dystopian novel series, which launched in 2023 with the release of Flying Ant Day, and continued in 2026 with the release of Book 2 in the World of the Powers series, Dead Headz.

How these top-rated dystopian novels influenced the writing of Dead Headz

1984 & Animal Farm – same author, vastly different books. George Orwell’s classics are a staple of every English Literature syllabus here in the UK. You may not have enjoyed being forced to read them at school, but they’re recommended reading for anyone with an interest in dystopia (ie, me). Orwell excels at bleak world building, and has his ruling party making some shocking government decisions in 1984. These inspired me to make the youth-led governing party in Dead Headz deliver some shocking decisions that only make some kind of sense when you realise what’s happening behind the scenes in the First World.

The Hunger Games – perhaps the 21^st Century’s biggest dystopian franchise, the books being ranked number one in the aforementioned Goodreads list with close to 10 million ratings at the time of me writing this. I’ve only read the first book, and enjoyed it, despite being a couple of decades older than the target audience. I’m not sure how much this inspired me - most likely it was in the sense that I give young people a big say in the future of the First World in Dead Headz.

Fahrenheit 451 – the concept of a fireman being employed to burn books is an interesting one, although I’m not as sold on this being a life-changing classic as loads of other people seem to be. That said, the idea of learning being frowned upon interested me enough to take it and run with a version of it in Dead Headz.

The Handmaid’s Tale – I abandoned ship with this one early doors, as I couldn’t get into it. So it’s not been an influence on my series. But I hate giving up on books and will give it another try soon as I invested a month’s credit in it on Audible. Note to self: take greater care with books labelled ‘a tour de force’ in future.

World War Z – The book bears almost zero resemblance to the Brad Pitt movie of the same name. The book is a series of reports by journalists that track a zombie uprising. I preferred the film but respect the book for its original designing principle, something I thought long and hard about before landing on the quiz theme for Dead Headz. I wanted to write something that encourages people to use their brains in a time when so many are pushing for machines to do everything.

A little bit about Jon Lymon's dystopian novels

Flying Ant Day – the World of the Powers, first introduced in this book, ticks all the trope boxes needed for a dystopian adventure. Home Drones put the populace under 24/7 surveillance. The threat of Removal keeps the populace oppressed. And a series of Directives ensure individual freedoms are eroded.

It paves the way for Dead Headz, the second novel set in this world, which serves as a warning for humanity should we continue on the path we’re currently taking. I hesitate to call this a tour de force, but I’ve just gone and done it.

Some other recommended dystopian novels I read before and after writing my series:

For Emma by Ewan Morrison

Wool by Hugh Howey

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

The Wall by John Lanchester