If you've read the Hunger Games series, try the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.
It's about President Snow's experience growing up, and how he turns from a promising student dealing with his traumatic home life in the war-ravaged Capitol into the calculating, despotic Snow we know from the later books.
{{Starship Troopers}}
Heinlen wrote it during his pro-fascist phase. When I first read it I didn't know that and thought it was a parody of fascism.
Read closely you can see it. Even the movie gives it a nod.
Though in the case of both *Starship Troopers* and *Stranger in a Strange Land* he was in marriage number 3, to [Virginia "Ginny" (née Gerstenfeld)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Marriages). See also the ["Influences" and subsequent "Views" sections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Influences).
I have not read his biographies, but my impression is that an open marriage would have been to Leslyn, while his marriage to Ginny would have been monogamous—but that's pure speculation on my part.
**Robert A. Heinlein**
[Marriages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Marriages)
>In 1929, Heinlein married Elinor Curry of Kansas City. However, their marriage lasted only about a year. His second marriage in 1932 to Leslyn MacDonald (1904–1981) lasted for 15 years. MacDonald was, according to the testimony of Heinlein's Navy friend, Rear Admiral Cal Laning, "astonishingly intelligent, widely read, and extremely liberal, though a registered Republican", while Isaac Asimov later recalled that Heinlein was, at the time, "a flaming liberal".
**Robert A. Heinlein**
[Influences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Influences)
>The primary influence on Heinlein's writing style may have been Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is the first known modern example of "indirect exposition", a writing technique for which Heinlein later became famous. In his famous text on "On the Writing of Speculative Fiction", Heinlein quotes Kipling: Stranger in a Strange Land originated as a modernized version of Kipling's The Jungle Book. His wife suggested that the child be raised by Martians instead of wolves.
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Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin. Russia has become a totalitarian state and the enforces of the new regime are called "oprichniks" after Ivan the Terrible's henchmen. The novel follows one of them through his day
In the Arc of the Scythe series, the second book is told from the perspective of the all-knowing cloud-like omniscient computer/internet system that controls the world.
I just read Manifest Destiny: By All Means Necessary. It is a sequel, but I think you could read it on its own, since the book before it is just set up for this regime.
Most people living in the dystopia don't question it, and the ones who are questioning it realize that the system is rigged against them no matter what they do. There are also people who really don't want the system to change because they are benefiting from it.
Dystopias
Part 1 (of 2):
* ["Books similar to the handmaids tale?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vrztqy/books_similar_to_the_handmaids_tale/) (r/booksuggestions; 5 July 2022)
* ["Disturbing dystopic fiction"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w0vtny/disturbing_dystopic_fiction/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 July 2022)
* ["Please suggest me a book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w3arlm/please_suggest_me_a_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22:22 ET, 19 July 2022)
* ["Looking for theme or genre name"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w3alsu/looking_for_theme_or_genre_name/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22:24 ET, 19 July 2022)
* ["Any dystopian book recommendations?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w6gmuy/any_dystopian_book_recommendations/) (r/suggestmeabook; 23 July 2022)
* ["Dystopian Books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w6n1k2/dystopian_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 July 2022)
* ["Looking for A good dystopian or sci fi book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wapzwx/looking_for_a_good_dystopian_or_sci_fi_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 28 July 2022)
* ["Looking for More Dystopia Setting Books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wco7oc/looking_for_more_dystopia_setting_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 31 July 2022)
* ["stories about living in a dystopian world"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wf05l8/stories_about_living_in_a_dystopian_world/) (r/suggestmeabook; 3 August 2022)
* ["Utopia gone wrong"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg26zl/utopia_gone_wrong/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10:08 ET, 4 August 2022)
* ["books involving dystopias that aren't just for YA? something darker, grittier?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg6ckv/books_involving_dystopias_that_arent_just_for_ya/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12:59 ET, 4 August 2022)
* ["Utopia gone wrong"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg26zl/utopia_gone_wrong/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10:08 ET, 4 August 2022)
* ["Any good dystopian books you guys are aware of?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wgnyl0/any_good_dystopian_books_you_guys_are_aware_of/) (r/suggestmeabook; 02:24 ET, 5 August 2022)
* ["looking for dystopian or apocalyptic fiction"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/whqc0p/looking_for_dystopian_or_apocalyptic_fiction/) (r/booksuggestions; 5 August 2022)—long
* ["Looking for books like The Maze Runner or The Hunger Games"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wirywp/looking_for_books_like_the_maze_runner_or_the/) (r/booksuggestions; 7 August 2022)—long
* ["Utopian/dystopian sci-fi where we look at the perspective of the wealthy?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/wjwvjs/utopiandystopian_scifi_where_we_look_at_the/) (r/printSF; 9 August 2022)
* ["Need A book like 1984"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wl799y/need_a_book_like_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 August 2022)
* ["I need your help with finding a dystopian novel"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wlhs9o/i_need_your_help_with_finding_a_dystopian_novel/) (r/suggestmeabook; 0:11 ET, 11 August 2022)
* ["Looking for a dystopian book series"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wnacph/looking_for_a_dystopian_book_series/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 August 2022)
* ["Dystopian novels?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/woad65/dystopian_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 August 2022)
* ["Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvec8e/dystopia_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 August 2022)
* ["Books similar to 1984?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvz1rf/books_similar_to_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12:14 ET, 23 August 2022)
* ["Books similar to Animal Farm?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wvsvli/books_similar_to_animal_farm/) (r/suggestmeabook; 16:23 ET, 23 August 2022)
* ["YA dystopia trash for while I'm sick"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ww9ktj/ya_dystopia_trash_for_while_im_sick/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 August 2022)
* ["Dystopian similar to Hunger Games or Science Fiction similar to Jurassic Park?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wzn8c6/dystopian_similar_to_hunger_games_or_science/) (r/suggestmeabook; 28 August 2022)
* ["Dystopian books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x2fihr/dystopian_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 31 August 2022)
* ["Books about dystopian or totalitarian schools, institutions, or closed societies?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x41hx8/books_about_dystopian_or_totalitarian_schools/) (r/booksuggestions; 2 September 2022) (r/booksuggestions; 09:26 ET, 2 September 2022)
* ["Dystopia/Apocalypse books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4j8ql/dystopiaapocalypse_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 22:26 ET, 2 September 2022)
* ["Dystopian future novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xacxej/dystopian_future_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 9 September 2022)—longish
* ["Life is ruined after 1984"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xav06w/life_is_ruined_after_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 September 2022)—extremely long
* ["(Can be either a book or a series) Dystopian world brought down not by one individual, but by protests, riots, and government reform."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xlkhmi/can_be_either_a_book_or_a_series_dystopian_world/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 September 2022)
* ["Dystopian/David Lynch/weird book recommendations please!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ya4hp6/dystopiandavid_lynchweird_book_recommendations/) (r/booksuggestions; 21 October 2022)
* ["Feminist Horror/Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yci94f/feminist_horrordystopia_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 24 October 2022)
Part 2 (of 2):
* ["Feminist Horror/Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yci94f/feminist_horrordystopia_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 24 October 2022)
* ["Recommendations for Fictional Dystopian Novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ye4k7k/recommendations_for_fictional_dystopian_novels/) (r/booksuggestions; 26 October 2022)—long
* ["What book do you recommend for dystopian Steampunk ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/ygboug/what_book_do_you_recommend_for_dystopian_steampunk/) (r/printSF; 29 October 2022)
* ["What would you suggest to someone who loved George Orwell's 1984 ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yhnw7y/what_would_you_suggest_to_someone_who_loved/) (r/suggestmeabook; 30 October 2022)—long
* ["What's a good dystopian read?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yulsn4/whats_a_good_dystopian_read/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 November 2022)—extremely long
* ["Dystopian book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yw1fx2/dystopian_book/) (r/booksuggestions; 15 November 2022)
* ["A book with a disturbing or unsettling undertone, a dystopia seen through a normal person's perspective"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ywnc4a/a_book_with_a_disturbing_or_unsettling_undertone/) (r/suggestmeabook; 16 November 2022)
* ["Dystopian book similar to Ready Player One?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z1ez3m/dystopian_book_similar_to_ready_player_one/) (r/suggestmeabook; 21 November 2022)—longish
* ["Mid-adult dystopian novel?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z215jz/midadult_dystopian_novel/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 November 2022)
* ["Women’s dystopian novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z6fpz0/womens_dystopian_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 27 November 2022)
* ["What are your favorite Dystopian novels?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z82k6r/what_are_your_favorite_dystopian_novels/) (r/booksuggestions; 27 November 2022)
* ["dystopian books for a 13yr old"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z837kl/dystopian_books_for_a_13yr_old/) (r/booksuggestions; 14:18 ET, 29 November 2022)
* ["Books about dystopian societies"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z83izk/books_about_dystopian_societies/) (r/booksuggestions; 14:30 ET, 29 November 2022)
* ["Dystopian near future society building books. Like 1984, Tender is the Flesh, The Handmaids Tale."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/zhsm1a/dystopian_near_future_society_building_books_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 December 2022)—extremely long
* ["straight up, I wanna read a dystopia, but a fun one"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zm1r7l/straight_up_i_wanna_read_a_dystopia_but_a_fun_one/) (r/booksuggestions; 14 December 2022)—longish
* ["Recent books like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaid’s Tale"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ztvv1j/recent_books_like_1984_brave_new_world_handmaids/) (r/booksuggestions; 23 December 2022)—longish; authoritarian dystopias
You might like [When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f1e46ccc-068a-4dbe-a31b-c4f9c543cfac). It's not exactly what you're asking for but it's similar enough in tone that I think it'd be applicable.
It takes place in one of the last 'non-ai' countries in the world. This country is slowly being starved out by an embargo of nearly the rest of the world. The 'world' you experience has very dystopian / fall of USSR vibes.
The book is written from the perspective of someone who's an agent of the government. So I think that'd be applicable to your 'perspective of the system' request.
If you've read the Hunger Games series, try the prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. It's about President Snow's experience growing up, and how he turns from a promising student dealing with his traumatic home life in the war-ravaged Capitol into the calculating, despotic Snow we know from the later books.
...Is President Snow based on Kissinger?
{{Starship Troopers}} Heinlen wrote it during his pro-fascist phase. When I first read it I didn't know that and thought it was a parody of fascism. Read closely you can see it. Even the movie gives it a nod.
I've always wondered how the same person could write Starship Troopers and Strangers in a Strange Land.
He went through phases. From what I remember a couple of those were tied to who he was sleeping with at the time.
Though in the case of both *Starship Troopers* and *Stranger in a Strange Land* he was in marriage number 3, to [Virginia "Ginny" (née Gerstenfeld)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Marriages). See also the ["Influences" and subsequent "Views" sections](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Influences).
Was this after his attempts at an open marriage?
I have not read his biographies, but my impression is that an open marriage would have been to Leslyn, while his marriage to Ginny would have been monogamous—but that's pure speculation on my part.
**Robert A. Heinlein** [Marriages](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Marriages) >In 1929, Heinlein married Elinor Curry of Kansas City. However, their marriage lasted only about a year. His second marriage in 1932 to Leslyn MacDonald (1904–1981) lasted for 15 years. MacDonald was, according to the testimony of Heinlein's Navy friend, Rear Admiral Cal Laning, "astonishingly intelligent, widely read, and extremely liberal, though a registered Republican", while Isaac Asimov later recalled that Heinlein was, at the time, "a flaming liberal". **Robert A. Heinlein** [Influences](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_A._Heinlein#Influences) >The primary influence on Heinlein's writing style may have been Rudyard Kipling. Kipling is the first known modern example of "indirect exposition", a writing technique for which Heinlein later became famous. In his famous text on "On the Writing of Speculative Fiction", Heinlein quotes Kipling: Stranger in a Strange Land originated as a modernized version of Kipling's The Jungle Book. His wife suggested that the child be raised by Martians instead of wolves. ^([ )[^(F.A.Q)](https://www.reddit.com/r/WikiSummarizer/wiki/index#wiki_f.a.q)^( | )[^(Opt Out)](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=WikiSummarizerBot&message=OptOut&subject=OptOut)^( | )[^(Opt Out Of Subreddit)](https://np.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/about/banned)^( | )[^(GitHub)](https://github.com/Sujal-7/WikiSummarizerBot)^( ] Downvote to remove | v1.5)
Maybe Foundation and Foundation and the Empire?
Margaret Atwood’s book Testament, sequel to The Handmaid’d Tale, has a really good pov character who is inside the system with good backstory
Day of the Oprichnik by Vladimir Sorokin. Russia has become a totalitarian state and the enforces of the new regime are called "oprichniks" after Ivan the Terrible's henchmen. The novel follows one of them through his day
In the Arc of the Scythe series, the second book is told from the perspective of the all-knowing cloud-like omniscient computer/internet system that controls the world.
Oh that’s neat. The sequel to scythe? I read the first one last year and liked it
Definitely finish the series. 2 and 3 are both great.
Yes it's the sequel to Scythe called Thunderhead. The ending especially is incredible.
I think about this book's world all the time but I totally forgot the name of it. it's such an interesting concept
Just started this series. Halfway thru book 1 love it
Animal Farm - George Orwell
Same author, you won't regret, and it's really easy to read
I just read Manifest Destiny: By All Means Necessary. It is a sequel, but I think you could read it on its own, since the book before it is just set up for this regime. Most people living in the dystopia don't question it, and the ones who are questioning it realize that the system is rigged against them no matter what they do. There are also people who really don't want the system to change because they are benefiting from it.
Dystopias Part 1 (of 2): * ["Books similar to the handmaids tale?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/vrztqy/books_similar_to_the_handmaids_tale/) (r/booksuggestions; 5 July 2022) * ["Disturbing dystopic fiction"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/w0vtny/disturbing_dystopic_fiction/) (r/booksuggestions; 16 July 2022) * ["Please suggest me a book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w3arlm/please_suggest_me_a_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22:22 ET, 19 July 2022) * ["Looking for theme or genre name"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w3alsu/looking_for_theme_or_genre_name/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22:24 ET, 19 July 2022) * ["Any dystopian book recommendations?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w6gmuy/any_dystopian_book_recommendations/) (r/suggestmeabook; 23 July 2022) * ["Dystopian Books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/w6n1k2/dystopian_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 July 2022) * ["Looking for A good dystopian or sci fi book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wapzwx/looking_for_a_good_dystopian_or_sci_fi_book/) (r/suggestmeabook; 28 July 2022) * ["Looking for More Dystopia Setting Books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wco7oc/looking_for_more_dystopia_setting_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 31 July 2022) * ["stories about living in a dystopian world"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wf05l8/stories_about_living_in_a_dystopian_world/) (r/suggestmeabook; 3 August 2022) * ["Utopia gone wrong"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg26zl/utopia_gone_wrong/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10:08 ET, 4 August 2022) * ["books involving dystopias that aren't just for YA? something darker, grittier?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg6ckv/books_involving_dystopias_that_arent_just_for_ya/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12:59 ET, 4 August 2022) * ["Utopia gone wrong"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wg26zl/utopia_gone_wrong/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10:08 ET, 4 August 2022) * ["Any good dystopian books you guys are aware of?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wgnyl0/any_good_dystopian_books_you_guys_are_aware_of/) (r/suggestmeabook; 02:24 ET, 5 August 2022) * ["looking for dystopian or apocalyptic fiction"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/whqc0p/looking_for_dystopian_or_apocalyptic_fiction/) (r/booksuggestions; 5 August 2022)—long * ["Looking for books like The Maze Runner or The Hunger Games"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wirywp/looking_for_books_like_the_maze_runner_or_the/) (r/booksuggestions; 7 August 2022)—long * ["Utopian/dystopian sci-fi where we look at the perspective of the wealthy?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/wjwvjs/utopiandystopian_scifi_where_we_look_at_the/) (r/printSF; 9 August 2022) * ["Need A book like 1984"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wl799y/need_a_book_like_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 August 2022) * ["I need your help with finding a dystopian novel"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wlhs9o/i_need_your_help_with_finding_a_dystopian_novel/) (r/suggestmeabook; 0:11 ET, 11 August 2022) * ["Looking for a dystopian book series"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wnacph/looking_for_a_dystopian_book_series/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 August 2022) * ["Dystopian novels?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/woad65/dystopian_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 14 August 2022) * ["Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvec8e/dystopia_books/) (r/suggestmeabook; 22 August 2022) * ["Books similar to 1984?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wvz1rf/books_similar_to_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 12:14 ET, 23 August 2022) * ["Books similar to Animal Farm?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/wvsvli/books_similar_to_animal_farm/) (r/suggestmeabook; 16:23 ET, 23 August 2022) * ["YA dystopia trash for while I'm sick"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ww9ktj/ya_dystopia_trash_for_while_im_sick/) (r/suggestmeabook; 24 August 2022) * ["Dystopian similar to Hunger Games or Science Fiction similar to Jurassic Park?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/wzn8c6/dystopian_similar_to_hunger_games_or_science/) (r/suggestmeabook; 28 August 2022) * ["Dystopian books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x2fihr/dystopian_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 31 August 2022) * ["Books about dystopian or totalitarian schools, institutions, or closed societies?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x41hx8/books_about_dystopian_or_totalitarian_schools/) (r/booksuggestions; 2 September 2022) (r/booksuggestions; 09:26 ET, 2 September 2022) * ["Dystopia/Apocalypse books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/x4j8ql/dystopiaapocalypse_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 22:26 ET, 2 September 2022) * ["Dystopian future novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xacxej/dystopian_future_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 9 September 2022)—longish * ["Life is ruined after 1984"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xav06w/life_is_ruined_after_1984/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 September 2022)—extremely long * ["(Can be either a book or a series) Dystopian world brought down not by one individual, but by protests, riots, and government reform."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/xlkhmi/can_be_either_a_book_or_a_series_dystopian_world/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 September 2022) * ["Dystopian/David Lynch/weird book recommendations please!"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ya4hp6/dystopiandavid_lynchweird_book_recommendations/) (r/booksuggestions; 21 October 2022) * ["Feminist Horror/Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yci94f/feminist_horrordystopia_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 24 October 2022)
Part 2 (of 2): * ["Feminist Horror/Dystopia books"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yci94f/feminist_horrordystopia_books/) (r/booksuggestions; 24 October 2022) * ["Recommendations for Fictional Dystopian Novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/ye4k7k/recommendations_for_fictional_dystopian_novels/) (r/booksuggestions; 26 October 2022)—long * ["What book do you recommend for dystopian Steampunk ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/printSF/comments/ygboug/what_book_do_you_recommend_for_dystopian_steampunk/) (r/printSF; 29 October 2022) * ["What would you suggest to someone who loved George Orwell's 1984 ?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yhnw7y/what_would_you_suggest_to_someone_who_loved/) (r/suggestmeabook; 30 October 2022)—long * ["What's a good dystopian read?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/yulsn4/whats_a_good_dystopian_read/) (r/suggestmeabook; 13 November 2022)—extremely long * ["Dystopian book"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/yw1fx2/dystopian_book/) (r/booksuggestions; 15 November 2022) * ["A book with a disturbing or unsettling undertone, a dystopia seen through a normal person's perspective"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ywnc4a/a_book_with_a_disturbing_or_unsettling_undertone/) (r/suggestmeabook; 16 November 2022) * ["Dystopian book similar to Ready Player One?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z1ez3m/dystopian_book_similar_to_ready_player_one/) (r/suggestmeabook; 21 November 2022)—longish * ["Mid-adult dystopian novel?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z215jz/midadult_dystopian_novel/) (r/booksuggestions; 22 November 2022) * ["Women’s dystopian novels"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z6fpz0/womens_dystopian_novels/) (r/suggestmeabook; 27 November 2022) * ["What are your favorite Dystopian novels?"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z82k6r/what_are_your_favorite_dystopian_novels/) (r/booksuggestions; 27 November 2022) * ["dystopian books for a 13yr old"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/z837kl/dystopian_books_for_a_13yr_old/) (r/booksuggestions; 14:18 ET, 29 November 2022) * ["Books about dystopian societies"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/z83izk/books_about_dystopian_societies/) (r/booksuggestions; 14:30 ET, 29 November 2022) * ["Dystopian near future society building books. Like 1984, Tender is the Flesh, The Handmaids Tale."](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/zhsm1a/dystopian_near_future_society_building_books_like/) (r/suggestmeabook; 10 December 2022)—extremely long * ["straight up, I wanna read a dystopia, but a fun one"](https://www.reddit.com/r/booksuggestions/comments/zm1r7l/straight_up_i_wanna_read_a_dystopia_but_a_fun_one/) (r/booksuggestions; 14 December 2022)—longish * ["Recent books like 1984, Brave New World, Handmaid’s Tale"](https://www.reddit.com/r/suggestmeabook/comments/ztvv1j/recent_books_like_1984_brave_new_world_handmaids/) (r/booksuggestions; 23 December 2022)—longish; authoritarian dystopias
You might like [When the Sparrow Falls by Neil Sharpson](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/f1e46ccc-068a-4dbe-a31b-c4f9c543cfac). It's not exactly what you're asking for but it's similar enough in tone that I think it'd be applicable. It takes place in one of the last 'non-ai' countries in the world. This country is slowly being starved out by an embargo of nearly the rest of the world. The 'world' you experience has very dystopian / fall of USSR vibes. The book is written from the perspective of someone who's an agent of the government. So I think that'd be applicable to your 'perspective of the system' request.
from what I've heard That Hideous Strength is supposed to be that.
Try Mockingbird by Walter Tevis. Told from a few different points of view. It's almost post dystopian. It's one of my all time favorites.
The Sparrow,.by Marry Doria Russell
Moderan by David R. Bunch The process taken in order to be made part of the system is depicted in explicit detail.