10 Obscure Sci-Fi/Fantasy Novels That You Need To Read
5. We – Yevgeny Zamyatin
Coming in as the oldest entry on this list as it was
written in pre-Soviet 1920s Russia, this dystopian novel is as close to a classic
as obscure gets.
Predating even the likes of Brave New World and 1984, at first glance Zamyatin’s We is the typical image of a dystopian novel of the era. But what isn’t typical is just how ahead of its time it actually was. Recognising the dangers of totalitarianism and predicting the developments of space travel, screen-to-screen communication and even the horrible reality of people being raised as little more than a number, We was a novel among the fore-bearers of the dystopian genre and provided the more recognisable classics with many of the plot elements and character archetypes they eventually popularised it.
We is the epitome of exactly what a dystopian novel should be. It may not be the earliest example, as the likes of H.G. Wells and peers were already publishing stories of lost and unforgiving futures as early as the 19th century. Instead, Zamyatin took what is still possibly the most sustaining and insightful look at the centuries that lay before him, mapping out the fall of man and how we might bring about our subjugation.
And they say I'm not cheerful.