Parable of the Sower
by Octavia E. Butler
The Last Tree:
Dystopian Stories of Ecological Imbalance
In the eerie shadows of imagined futures, where the balance between humanity and the environment has been irreversibly disrupted, dystopian tales of ecological imbalance unfold. These haunting narratives offer cautionary glimpses into worlds where nature’s delicate harmony has been shattered, leaving societies teetering on the brink of collapse.
Film and TV adaptations of novels with dystopian environmental worlds: The Book of Eli, WaterWorld, The Hunger Games, Blade Runner, and Annihilation.
Dystopian Books with environmental collapse: The Water Knife or The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi, Borne by Jeff VanderMeer, Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler, New York 2140 by Kim Stanley Robinson.
From landscapes poisoned by pollution to cities drowned beneath rising seas, these dystopian stories of ecological devastation serve as stark reminders of the consequences of unchecked human impact on the planet. Through these unsettling worlds, where the consequences of ecological imbalance echo through every barren wasteland and polluted skyline, writers offer a chilling reflection of our own world’s vulnerabilities.
These novels dive into worlds that are impacted by climate change and resource scarcity, new political systems, and growing social inequality, sprinkling with biotechnology and genetic engineering, as well as new and rogue technological solutions, they take on topics of isolation, survival, and adaptation. The aspect of keeping hope, gaining resilience, and providing lessons for the future are the ultimate traits of the protagonists that we find most engaging. Characters like Katniss Everdeen, Mark Whatney, K from Blade Runner, Eli, Rachel from Borne, Snowman, and Lauren Olamina are all strong dystopian characters who find resilience in the face of overwhelming odds. They adapt, become determined, are resourceful, find a deep well of courage, and bring hope in worlds of chaos and decay. As a writer, one should study these worlds and these impactful characters to see samples other writers have provided within variable dystopian landscapes (e.g., flood, famine, desert, or ice-lands). These characters are some incredible hardcore individuals who maintain a strong moral compass. They make difficult decisions with integrity, often choosing what they believe is right over what is easy.
Parable of the Sower
In my upcoming novel Trena, the Memory Reader, in a fictional new era, Trena agrees to leave her remote village, high on Sinsa Mountain, to find help for her newly acquired gift of the gods, down below in the valley. She is soon found traveling across an ocean and the ship’s weather-witch is unable to calm the storm. High waves and steep pitching seas are only growing. The waters are too fierce, and the ship is about to be crushed. But Trena was once offered a boon from a sea king.
Here is a sample:
An hour later the violence of the ship was causing out-and-out terror. Trena thought the gods were tossing the ship into the air to land and be kicked violently or they would slide down the perilous steep side of a wave to plunge so deep the passengers screamed. And the debris of anything not tied down was flung with deadly accuracy to puncture and stab those that were too slow to duck. One side of the central room would fill with loose items only to fling them to the opposite side. Trena realized what was truly an ‘untamed sea demon’ as she fought to stay standing and help anyone who fell and could not right themselves. For a few precious still moments, she stood clinging to a pillar, inside the large room.
“Will we die?” A skinny boy cried to his mother. She pressed him against her and trembled. “Nay. The water sprites do not need our salt son. But for Donassi’s sake, call her near.”
Trena’s eyes narrowed. Water sprites. These were more like water giants. Or…her eyes widened. She fumbled for her pouch and felt for the cold metal of the ancient coin.
Lass, you will need to call me and I will then grant the boon. His words rang once more in her mind.
Pinna showed signs of being self-tied to the bolted furniture when Trena finally found her. The girl tossed her bangs and looked skyward. “Trena it’s too dangerous to be out. You need to go to your cabin and hang on.”
“Where is your aunt, Pinna? I need her help.” Trena held up the ancient coin King Neejo once gave her.
Pinna’s eyes widened. “She’s down below. Let’s go find her.” The girl clearly had no idea of the coin’s value, but anything to do with Neejo meant the sea and that was ingrained in her making.
Trena shook her head. “No. I want my friend Granda Machar, to be here and he won’t agree to meet her in her quarters. He is a weather mage, down in the cargo hold. He feels the weather and has some powers. Take this coin to your aunt and ask her to meet you at the alcove at the back of the boat.
Pinna tilted her head. “Meet you at the leeward side of the stern. Got it.”
They both turned to head into the hallway. Pinna froze as they heard an ominous growl that rang through the boat. “We’d better hurry. If a mast breaks we are done for.” Then she took off running.
New York 2140
by Kim Stanley Robinson
Trena frowned. How does one convince an aging weather mage he is still strong and needed? She crossed the empty galley to head to the drenched and water-doused stairwell, stepping over a midden of foodstuffs that rolled back and forth. Her eyes lit on a handful of Pimtoes. Maybe she wasn’t the one that needed to convince him. She dropped to her hands and knees to grab as many as she could find and stuff in her pocket. As she rose, she stepped into the stairwell and felt the wind from above whistling. A loud crashing noise was falling downward, heading her way. She pressed against the wall and held up her hands to protect her head. A wooden mop bucket slammed against the walls and clattered further down just missing her by inches. She gritted her teeth readying for battle. Right now, the violence was too high to spend time arguing. “I’m not sure he will even notice, but this tree will force him to see the forest.”
Trena careened down the spiral hindered only by her own lack of balance. Her arms would surely be bruised. She almost sprawled across the cargo floor as she lost her grip on the last of the stair rails. She pushed herself up and called out.
“Granda? Granda Machar. Please, where are you?” Her eyes checked Rones and Cloud as she pushed deeper. They were cinched into their small stalls and seemed to be standing strong.
“I’ll make this end, Cloud. Hold on, my brave boy.”
He seemed to hear her as he whinnied in response.
“Granda, help. I need your help.
“Here child, whats this you say?” He spoke from behind some crates.
Check out what happens later this year.
In conclusion, for dystopian fiction, a chilling landscape, where the delicate balance between humanity and the environment has been shattered, writers create characters who embody the essence of survival. From the resilient and resourceful to the determined and courageous, these protagonists navigate worlds scarred by environmental collapse with unwavering resolve. They teach us lessons of adaptation, self-reliance, and the enduring power of hope even in the bleakest of circumstances. Exploring the pages of these dystopian novels, we are reminded of the urgent need to address our impact on the planet and the potential consequences of unchecked environmental degradation. Through their struggles and triumphs, these characters stand as beacons of resilience in the face of ecological catastrophe, offering both cautionary tales and glimpses of the human spirit’s indomitable strength amidst the ruins of a world undone. In reality, it’s not just a character’s resilience or their finding hope in facing overwhelming odds, it’s actually a reader’s hope for a better future and that we are able to find hope for humanity. If that’s not a powerful enough topic, perhaps you should try writing one of these novels to understand the physical, mental, and emotional roller-coaster ride someone has to take when chaos reigns.
Please read and review my serial publishing novel, Sparrow’s Legacy, on Kindle Vella. You can read the first three chapters free on Amazon by searching for “Sparrows Legacy Kindle Vella” or clicking here. Or you can find my debut SFF novel, the space opera Drayton’s Discoveries. For the love of all fantasy and SFF, please leave a review. Feedback is my sole sustenance for writing. Don’t let me starve. If you liked this blog, please be sure to sign up for future blogs on my site jlnichauthor.com.
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JL Nich, Science Fiction Fantasy Author
