Dystopian Novels: The Rise Of Speculative Fiction

Speculative fiction books can be described as books that allow readers to enter worlds of pure imagination. It is also referred to as nonrealistic fiction and includes fantasy, horror, and science fiction. Many of these types of books include futuristic settings and ideas. Speculative fiction books also often include imaginative worlds and possibilities that draw a reader away from the real world. It is for this reason that speculative fiction has become an incredibly popular genre and young adults are often drawn towards it.

The popularity of speculative fiction has spiked in recent years because of the increasing number of books being written in this genre. A huge wave of dystopian style novels have been released, and they are becoming more and more popular with young adults. These books are often in a futuristic setting that follows some sort of tragedy. The Divergent and Darkest Minds series are two of the popular series that have emerged from this wave of dystopian novels. Books like these allow readers to step into another society, and that is part of what is so appealing about them.

Movies have also had a huge effect on the growing popularity of speculative fiction.

Many movies had been made based off of the books and series that are being written. This only goes to fuel the interest of these books. Movies help make pages come to life, they help to make what a person is seeing in their head during a book become real. Stories that are put into a multimedia spectrum, like a TV series or film, have rapid increases in popularity simply because of the audience it appeals to. The Perks of Being a Wallflower was published in 1999 and became a movie in 2012. It is a very popular book with the young adult audience and this was helped largely by the movie coming

out.
Speculative fiction books have become so popular with young adults because of the way they can take a reader away from the real world. In many novels the main character loves to read because books take them away from their real life. This is also true in the real world. Speculative fiction series are exceptionally good at this because readers really have a chance to get to know the characters. Young adults like to read books they can connect to, as well as books that allow them to embrace their imagination. It is for this reason that fantasy, science fiction, and horror are some of the favorite young adult genres.
Another reason that speculative fiction is so popular among young adults is that there is a sense of suspense and unknowing while reading. When a reader opens a normal novel, they go into reading it with previous knowledge of how the world works. Opening a story that has completely new society and culture throws the reader for a loop. There is something about not knowing the way of the world that adolescents enjoy. In many horror, science fiction, and fantasy novels there is also a large feeling of suspense. Not only does this make the book impossible to put down, but it also provides a sense of excitement. Young adults crave excitement that isn't given to them in their ordinary lives. Along with suspense and excitement comes a sense of relief at the end of the novel or series. The author will typically resolve the story in an epilogue that tells us how the characters' lives pan out after the fact of the story. At the end of The Hunger Games series, the author tells what happens to Katniss and Peeta after all is said and done. Having them grow up and have children gives the reader a sense of relief that after all they have been through they are safe now. This allows young adults to have hope for the future. Overall, young adults are drawn to speculative fiction because of how one can step into another world, in addition to the feelings this genre brings upon a reader while reading.
Speculative fiction would be a great genre to teach students in a classroom. Getting students to read is always a difficult task for teachers, and speculative fiction would be a great way to allow students to read something they would be very interested in. Often times teachers have students reading old time classics or novels with a timeless theme for class. Although those are valuable books to have students reading, it is also important that kids learn to have a love for reading. Seeing as many popular speculative fiction books are written in series, this would be a great way to expose students to the first book and get them interested enough to continue on reading the series on their own.
Some books that would work well in a middle school or high school classroom would be Divergent, Maximum Ride, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. All of these stories fall into the speculative fiction genre and would allow for students to be immersed into an alternate world. Speculative fiction also allows for a great opportunity to do projects that go along with the book. A great way for students to dig deeper into a book and really get into it is for them to do projects on the book. For books that take place in a dystopian society, students could discuss how society went from how it is today to the setting of the book. Fantasy novels could provide an opportunity for kids to use their creativity to come up with their own stories and ideas. Looking in magazines and online could help students figure out what books are especially popular with young adults, and projects could then be done to compare those to the ones used in the classroom. Speculative fiction books are definitely ones that would work very well in a classroom setting.
Overall, the speculative fiction genre is one that is becoming increasingly popular with young adults. Movies, social media, and TV shows are all fueling that interest and making it more fun to become committed to these books. Speculative fiction stories are also often ones full of suspense and excitement, two feelings that adolescents love to have. Another one of the main reasons that young adults love fantasy, horror, and science fiction so much is that these books transport readers into another world and they are full of creativity. This creativity is a great concept to incorporate into a classroom for young adults. Speculative fiction books truly have the ability to take a reader to a fantastic world of pure imagination.