12 books to read after The Handmaid's Tale

In a near-future gripped by overpopulation and economic collapse, parenthood has become a privilege few can afford. But a groundbreaking tech solution offers a lifeline: MetaChildren—hyper-realistic virtual kids raised in the Metaverse. As part of a bold reality TV experiment, contestants must navigate the emotional highs and lows of parenting a digital child over an intense nine-month simulation. The reward? The chance to keep their MetaChild—or gamble everything for a real baby.

1970's Florida. A group of so-called "wayward" girls are hidden away at Wellwood House—out of sight, out of mind. Pregnant and silenced by shame, fifteen-year-old Fern finds herself trapped under the thumb of a system that wants her to forget everything. But when a mysterious librarian slips her a book of witchcraft, a new kind of power begins to rise among the girls. Secrets fester, bonds are forged, and something dark begins to stir within the house’s walls. Perfect for fans of The Handmaid’s Tale, with a horror twist.

On a remote stretch of coastline, two strangers seek solace from broken pasts. Cole, a self-proclaimed “good guy,” is reeling after his wife leaves him. Lennie, an artist haunted by trauma, is rebuilding her life in a crumbling clifftop cottage. But when two young women vanish during a protest against gendered violence—just moments from where Cole and Lennie live—their quiet retreat becomes the focus of national scrutiny. As suspicion deepens, so does the question: who gets to define what makes a good man?

The King's Witches is a fiercely gripping reimagining of the Scottish witch trials, brimming with intrigue, defiance, and the fight to survive. In a city crackling with suspicion and fear, three women find their fates entwined at the dawn of one of Scotland’s darkest chapters. As Princess Anna of Denmark arrives in Edinburgh to marry King James VI, she must prove her worth in a treacherous court. And in the shadows, Jura, a runaway housemaid, is drawn into the hysteria of witch hunts sweeping the country. With danger closing in, each woman must navigate a world where power is perilous and being different can be deadly. 

In a world where magic exists and autonomy is a privilege tightly controlled, women live under constant surveillance—especially those who dare to remain single. At 28, Josephine Thomas is nearing the State’s marriage deadline, where refusal means surrendering her freedom to government monitoring. Still haunted by the mysterious disappearance of her mother—rumoured to have been a witch—Jo is torn between compliance and defiance. When a final request in her mother’s will leads her on an unexpected journey, Jo is thrust into a world of secrets, power, and possibility.

Jack is five. He knows what “Room” is—every wall, every creak, every corner. It’s his whole world, shared with Ma, who makes games from scraps and turns routine into comfort. But what Jack doesn’t know is that Room isn’t just home—it’s a prison. And outside its locked door is a reality he’s never imagined. When Ma reveals the truth, their bond is tested in ways neither of them could have prepared for.

In this portrayal of a dystopian future that is frighteningly real—just like The Handmaid's Tale, Emily St John Mandel asks: If civilisation was lost, what would you do to preserve it? Set on a snowy evening in Toronto, a night in which a deadly plague erupts and wipes out 99% of the population, and the North America that is left behind, Station Eleven is the story of a world changed forever, and the fragile hope that remains in the people that are left behind.

As floodwaters engulf London, a woman brings new life into a world on the brink. Forced to flee with her newborn, she begins a harrowing journey north in search of refuge, navigating a fractured landscape where nothing is certain—except her fierce will to protect her child. The End We Start From is a breathtaking meditation on motherhood, survival, and the quiet strength found in beginnings. Megan Hunter’s debut is a hauntingly intimate dystopian tale, as beautiful as it is unsettling— and is now a major film starring Killing Eve's Jodie Comer.

When a young woman is found murdered in the crumbling city of Besźel, Inspector Tyador Borlú expects a grim but straightforward investigation. Instead, he’s pulled into a mystery that defies logic—one that leads him across a surreal border into Ul Qoma, a city occupying the same physical space but violently divided by law, culture, and perception. As Borlú navigates a world where citizens must “unsee” what’s right before them, he uncovers a conspiracy so strange, it could shatter both cities.

Truth is a weapon, and even thoughts can betray you. Winston Smith knows this better than anyone—his job is to erase the past and rewrite history to fit the Ministry of Truth's ever-shifting narrative. But when he dares to question, to fall in love, to hope for something more, his quiet rebellion becomes a dangerous act. Surveillance is constant, loyalty is demanded, and Big Brother is always watching. Nineteen Eighty-Four is George Orwell’s searing vision of totalitarianism—haunting, prophetic, and more relevant than ever.

In a fractured America ravaged by climate change, plague, and a brutal second Civil War, six-year-old Sarat Chestnut is forced to grow up too fast. After losing her father and home, she’s shaped by violence, betrayal, and the warped ideals of a divided nation. As the years pass, Sarat transforms from a curious child into a weapon of war, driven by vengeance and the belief that justice lies in destruction. This bold and unsettling dystopian debut from Omar El Akkad is an unflinching exploration of the personal cost of conflict, and what happens when a nation turns its fury inward.

What happens when power literally shifts hands? In Naomi Alderman’s electrifying dystopian novel The Power, teenage girls around the world discover a new ability—the capacity to inflict pain, to kill, to dominate. As this force spreads, a global power shift begins, upending gender dynamics and transforming politics, religion, and society itself. Told through the intersecting lives of a privileged Nigerian heir, a runaway foster child, an ambitious politician, and a street-tough Londoner, this gripping and provocative novel reimagines the world with one simple twist of biology.