: Re: Dystopia that isn't cliche Dystopian fiction is a big thing right now, and YA books like The Hunger Games and Divergent are pretty individual and subsequently are bestsellers. But a lot of

@Berumen699

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This is an addition to Cyn's crucial point that the center is the story and not the theme.

[...] dehumanization of others through the oppression of mutated humans by a fascist dictatorship

When summarized like this, if you ignore the "mutated" part, it is not just clichè: it has been the object of numerous studies in psychology, philosophy, economics and other fields [1].

One issue with your summary is that it is "obvious". To make it less obvious you could borrow from Lovecraft and Poe and twist elements that are common and reassuring by making them the core of your dystopia.

I give two examples:

oppression of mutated humans by a constitutional democracy

This is not really an invention. Internment camps were used in US during WWII to detain Japanese individuals [2]. One could borrow from this, and picture the dystopia of a nation that is willing to brace arms and fight for freedom, while denying that very freedom to a minority within its borders.

[...] dehumanization of others through the glorification of mutated humans by a philantropic society

Why should it be an oppression? An absurd, unjustified, glorification, could also lead to dehumanization. In fact the objects of such extreme adoration may find it impossible to live a normal life, or to communicate with others. They may feel excluded and segregated even if that was done with the best of intentions. Imagine millions living in the dust of coal factories, covered in grease, barely able to afford a loaf of bread, and working restlessly out of their own volition (fanatism) to grant a few mutants a golden paradise beyond the crystal walls of the shrine. How would these mutants feel if they had even but a shred of empathy?

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