Looking for the best dystopian audiobooks to listen to? You’ve come to the right place. Check out our picks for the 15 top options below…
Year One: Chronicles of the One, Book 1
Nora Roberts
On New Year’s Eve in New York City, disease starts to spread and soon half of the world’s population is gone. The government has collapsed and the fear and chaos are insurmountable. Lana continues with her witchcraft in hopes of bringing some order to her world, but soon she and her lover Max are headed out west like hoards of other people. It’s the end of the world as they know it, and they aren’t sure if their final destination will bring them peace or more chaos, but they plod on until the very end.
The Giver
Lois Lowry
Jonas is 12 years old and has been given the assignment as the Receiver of Memory. It is only then that he realizes that his fragile, colorless community is filled with secrets he never knew it had. Instead of peace and contentment, Jonas is now unsure what to do with these secrets, but it is up to him to find out what’s best. This is the first novel in a set of four books that you’ll love from beginning to end, and listening to the stories will help you understand why they have won so many awards.
The Last Survivors: A Dystopian Society in a Post-Apocalyptic World
Bobby Adair
It’s been hundreds of years since society fell, and the world is still a chaotic place to be. Everyone is afraid, and monsters are found all throughout the forests. Now, disease is starting to spread and even disfiguring men and turning them into evil creatures set out to destroy everything and everyone. Dissension is spreading, but through it all, one mother is determined to protect her son at all costs. Follow along with the narrator as the story becomes more and more interesting, causing you to wonder how it will all end.
The Variant Saga: A Dystopian Sci-Fi Epic
J.N. Chaney
In the year 2157, a mysterious gas that people call the Variant is killing or mutating everyone it touches, and the only hope lies in a genetically engineered child named Terry. He is the only hope of bringing back a civilization that is immune to this gas, so everything depends on him. After all, the people are still hiding underground until the earth is habitable again, even though no one knows when that will be. Follow along as Terry’s story develops and becomes even more interesting.
One Second After
William R. Forstchen
This story is about what might actually happen in the future of the United States and is based on a weapon known as the Electro Magnetic Pulse, or EMP, which can destroy the entire country in one second. The book is about a man in a small North Carolina town trying to adjust to life after a war that America loses and which could send it back to the Dark Ages. It is a terrifying, but very interesting audiobook that everyone should read, particularly since it is already well-known by members of Congress and other governmental officials.
Strange New World
Rachel Vincent
Dahlia finds out that instead of being raised in a perfect world, she is actually living on a clone farm that mass-produces clones to serve as household help for the elite. To make things worse, she is one of 5,000 people with the same face as she. When the other 4,999 girls are destroyed, Dahlia goes on the run with a soldier who risked his life to save hers. She then finds out that there is one more clone of herself, and when they finally come face to face, it raises many more questions than it answers.
The Collapse: EMP Survival in a Powerless World, Box Set
J.S. Donovan
You’ll hardly be able to stop listening to this amazing audiobook, which consists of two separate books and centers on the detonation of the EMP, which wreaks havoc on the country and causes an apocalyptic-like existence for everyone who is left behind. Follow the stories of several different families and learn how they are coping in an unimaginable world. This is a nail-biting story that will keep you on your toes and which you will remember long after the book is finished.
Ready Player One
Ernest Cline
Wade loves to visit a virtual world that is much more pleasant that the world he lives in now in the year 2044. Hidden within the games he plays online are clues that promise to yield a huge amount of money to whomever is able to solve them, and Wade spends countless hours trying to do just that. Finally, he solves the first puzzle and starts on the road to a better life – or so he thinks. Should he continue to solve more puzzles, or should he just be content with the virtual world he’s established for himself?
Forsaken: A Young Adult Dystopian
J.L. Weil
If you loved The Hunger Games, you’ll love Forsaken. It is the story of Dash and Charlotte, who have returned to Diamond Towers only to find toxic zombies all around them and the dwindling of Charlotte’s magical powers. They know they have to rebuild their precious Institution, but studying humans is the first step, and it’s proving much more difficult than they thought. The book is filled with layers, awful secrets, and a power-hungry father, and it is one audiobook you will never forget.
Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature
Pamela Bedore
With a total of 24 lectures narrated by the author, these are stories that are thought-provoking, beautiful, scary, and funny all at the same time. They try to answer some of the basic questions that most of us have, including questions about who we are as a society and who we are afraid to become. These stories try to find the best and worst of humanity, and the utopian-dystopian conflict is ever present in all of them. Listen as the author reads the works and learn why these are some of the most interesting stories you’ll ever run across.
Immersed: Book 2 in the Configured Trilogy
Jenetta Penner
Avlyn is in a new world that she thinks will be better than her old one, but she is now starting to doubt that. In the new world, lies and deceit are the rule rather than the exception, and because Avlyn has a powerful Immersion ability, she is branded as both valuable and very dangerous. She is determined to make her way in this unfamiliar land, but is she going to be successful or will she have to die trying? An intriguing audiobook you won’t soon forget.
Anthology of Horror Stories: Zombies, Murder, and Mystery
Daphne Haydens
Consisting of many different stories, you’ll be able to enjoy tales about surviving a post-apocalyptic world, ghosts that provide people with spooky warnings, individuals that can kill zombies, and ghosts and beasts that will both scare you and fascinate you. If you are a fan of the macabre, this book is for you. The tales are read by Ashton Haugen and are thrilling yet creepy at the same time, and you’ll look forward to what is coming up next no matter which page you’re on.
Rule of Capture: A Novel
Christopher Brown
Donny is a lawyer who represents Xelina, an unjustly accused individual who witnessed an opposition leader’s murder and is now accused of terrorism. In a world where unlawful behavior is the rule of thumb, Donny has to find out the truth if he is going to save his client’s life, so he sets out to do just that. But he soon learns devastating secrets that cause him to feel like he must decide between his client’s fate and the fate of the entire country. A gripping dystopian tale that you won’t soon forget.
Day 21
Kass Morgan
This is the sequel to The 100 and tells the story of Wells, Clarke, and Bellamy. Follow these interesting characters as they try to adjust to a world where their very survival may depend on how well they stick together. Their stories are unforgettable and the plot is very unique, and it includes secrets that are revealed, relationships that are tested, and beliefs that are challenged. The story takes place after the 100 have set foot on the earth and think they are the only ones there. A gripping story that will have you anxious to hear what happens next every step of the way.
The List
Patricia Forde
In the town of Ark after the Apocalypse, people are only allowed to speak using 500 pre-sanctioned words. When the Wordsmith dies and his apprentice Letta takes over, she finds it difficult to save and collect words, and she soon comes up with a not-so-pleasant plan to save words so that Ark’s citizens won’t be able to talk. Soon, however, she realizes that she must both save Ark’s language and also the city itself, and she isn’t quite sure how to do this … at first. A unique and very interesting dystopian story that will have you talking about it for a very long time.
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