Dystopian novels present dark, troubling visions of the future caused by a huge, often creative range of events: plagues, alien invasions, robot takeovers, and, of course, climate change.

Within the genre, there’s a subset of novels that paint a picture of a world without enough water—a problem that many people in many places already face.

Quite a bit of excellent nonfiction has been written about water scarcity; this list presents recent fiction about dystopian visions of a too-dry future.

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bacigalupi conjures up a horror show of water shortages: The Southwest is completely dry, corporations control every drop of water in the entire region, and violence and corruption reign. “Readers will find it hard to look at a glass of water the same way,” one reviewer wrote.

 

 

 

 

Sherwood Nation by Benjamin Parzybok
An updated Robin Hood tale for an age of water scarcity. In a dark version of Portland, citizens are rationed only one gallon a day until a young activist, “Maid Marion,” decides it’s time to create a new world order.

 

 

 

 

 

Memory of Water by Emmi Itaranta
Another terrifying vision of the future permeates this sci-fi thriller, which was translated from its original Finnish. In a bleak, water-less New Qian, heroine Noria Kaitio is set to inherit the knowledge of a secret natural spring from her tea-master father—but that knowledge is coveted by a powerful military commander who’s willing to destroy her to find out.

 

 

 

 

Drought by Pam Bachorz
In this YA fantasy novel, the world as Ruby knows it is controlled by the water that keeps her and her fellow enslaved citizens alive.   

 

 

 

 

 

Sharp and Dangerous Virtues by Martha Moody
Food and water are both in short supply in Moody’s scary new world, “The Grid,” where a portions of Ohio are at war over the land’s natural bounty.

 

 

 

 

 

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Have trouble reading standard print? Many of these titles are available in formats for patrons with print disabilities.