Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury's 1953 dystopian novel, has sparked debates about censorship and the importance of books and literature in a free and informed society. Many people's curiosity about dystopia and science fiction has been piqued by Fahrenheit 451, and they're now looking for more books like it.

We hope this list of books like Fahrenheit 451 helps you find some inspiration for your own contemplations on the state of our society in the twenty-first century!

8 Books Like Fahrenheit 451

Never Let Me Go, by Kazuo Ishiguro

In this 2005 novel by English novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, most major world diseases have been eliminated and human life expectancy has reached an incredible high.

 

A rural English boarding school, Kathy H.'s life is chronicled in the book as she develops relationships with classmates Ruth and Tommy.

Kathy and her classmates' "special" status is revealed in the book, which is written as if everything is normal, prompting questions about the morality of a cure for society's greater good and the effect it has on the faceless few.

Unlike Fahrenheit 451, Never Let Me Go deals with themes of humanity in a world that isn't all that different from our own, such as censorship and oppressive governments. Carey Mulligan, Andrew Garfield, and Keira Knightly starred in the 2010 film adaptation.

Check out our list of books like Never Let Me Go if you've already read this one.

Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Fiveis an excellent choice if you're looking for another post-WWII American social critique like Fahrenheit 451.

Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five is widely regarded as one of his greatest works, and it cleverly switches between the present and an alien zoo on the fictional planet Tralfamadore.

Billy Pilgrim, one of the few Allied survivors of the Dresden firebombings in 1945, is the protagonist of the book. While serving as a POW in Germany, Pilgrim was held in the basement of an abandoned slaughterhouse during the bombings, just like Kurt Vonnegut.

Slaughterhouse-Five, widely regarded as one of the most powerful anti-war novels of its time, has faced its fair share of censorship and criticism. It is also regarded as one of the earliest works of literature to acknowledge that homosexuals were victims of the Holocaust..

Slaughterhouse-Five, a novel published in 1969, is a great alternative to Fahrenheit 451.

Brave New World,by Aldous Huxley

In 1931, Aldous Huxley published Brave New World, a dystopian novel that's still relevant today.

One of the most influential dystopian novels ever written, Brave New World is a must-read if you are looking for books like Fahrenheit 451.

 

Bernard Marx, a psychologist, is the narrator of the novel, which takes place in London in the year AF (After Ford) 632 or 2540. For example, Henry Ford is revered as the modern-day Messiah by the novel's characters. As in Fahrenheit 451, the novel explores themes of social conformity and a false sense of well-being.

If you want to read one of the most acclaimed and earliest works of dystopia, Brave New World is a great option.

If you've already read Brave New World, take a look at our list of similar books.

Anthem, by Ayn Rand

Ayn Rand, a dystopian novelist, is well-known for her political views, which are still debated today. However, Anthem is an excellent choice if you're looking for something along the lines of Fahrenheit 451.

With a focus on a young man named Equality 7-2521 who lives in an unspecified future where society has fallen into another Dark Age, Ayn Rand wrote this 1938 novella, one of her less well-known works.

It's a futuristic caste system, and the main character does a lot of "transgressions," like going places he's not supposed to go. He eventually discovers electricity and sees the value of individualism, which has been wiped out in this primitive society through such explorations.

Unlike Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 in that it imagines a future in which humanity has regressed, Anthem emphasizes the importance of individualism and free thought.

The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood

In the same vein as Fahrenheit 451, Margaret Atwood's 1985 novel of speculative fiction, which has recently been made into a Hulu television series, is an excellent choice if you're looking for books similar to Fahrenheit 451.

Following a young woman named Offred as she flees the oppressive, totalitarian regime that has taken over the state of Massachusetts after the overthrow of the US government, The Handmaid's Tale follows the rise of the Republic of Gilead. According to this regime, which is based on an erroneous interpretation of the Old Testament, the rights of women in particular are completely curtailed in society.

As a cautionary tale for the reader, The Handmaid's Tale is one of the best novels ever written, even though it's a bit of a challenge to read.

If you've already read The Handmaid's Tale, be sure to check out our list of similar books!

Kindred, by Octavia E Butler

Octavia E Butler's Kindred is a great choice if you're looking for books similar to Fahrenheit 451, despite the fact that it isn't a dystopia set in the future. A modern-day black woman is transported to a Maryland plantation in the antebellum south in this 1979 novel about Dana Franklin.

Dana must learn to adapt to a world where she is treated as less than human in light of what she has seen in the future.

Kindred is a novel about a modern-day woman's perspective on one of the most heinous chapters in American history. No warnings are given about what might happen in the future, but it does a fearless examination of what has already happened in frightening detail.

Look no further than Kindred for another fantastic book to add to your reading list that deals with speculative fiction or dystopian fiction.

The Man in the High Castle, by Phillip K Dick

Phillip K Dick's 1962 novel The Man in the High Castle, now an Amazon television series, is an excellent work of science fiction and a great choice if you're looking for books like Fahrenheit 451.

The novel takes place fifteen years after the end of World War II, in an alternate history where the Axis Powers triumphed over the Allied forces. Imperial Japan occupied the west coast of the United States, while Nazi Germany occupied the east coast of the United States in this alternate reality.

The Man in the High Castle's subtitle, "An electrifying novelty of our world as it might have been," calls into question the freedom and rights that the west takes for granted and how easily history could have been different.

With its focus on government censorship and personal freedom, Fahrenheit 451-like themes are also explored in the novel.

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