Best/Scariest Dystopian Novel, and Most Likely Scenario

I think the best dystopian novel that I have read is One Second After by William R. Forstchen. It also happens to be the scariest dystopian novel I have read as well. The premise of the book is that an EMP hit the United States and every piece of electronics were fried. All communication is cut, all refrigeration, everything. The book chronicles a family's struggle to survive in a small town.

This is the best dystopian novel for a few reasons. It is really nicely written, has a plausible, relatable scenario, and is scary.

 - The book is easy to read and I couldn't put it down. That makes it good.
 - The scenario is easy to relate to. When the power goes out we think its fun. But then we go to use the computer... and we can't. We go to turn on the lights in the bathroom... and we can't. We go to use thr fridge... and its warm. Almost everything that we use in our life is reliant on electronic workings.

 - That is what makes it scary. We can't imagine a world without electronics. Our cars wouldn't work. Planes would drop out of the sky. Phones would not work. Pretty much nothing would work. Some of this might not sound that scary, like all "ooh it's like camping!" but the main character in the book has a son who need to take insulin. And insulin needs to be refrigerated. And refrigeration requires electricity. Almost the entire second half of the book is the main character racing to save his son from dying.

I think that the most likely dystopian scenario is a biological one. I think that some pthogen is going to be produced in a lab somewhere and sweep through the world, killing and infecting billions of people. In our world this would be relatively easy to accomplish with all the connections people have. A man can wake up in China, eat lunch in Europe, and go to bed in Brazil. The pathogen would be able to spread like wildfire. I think that this is the most likely scenario.

I don't think that a corporate or goverment dystopia is even possible. As we have seen in the Middle East in the past few year, people will revolt if there is something they don't like. People revolt against goverments, strike against corporations, and boycott corporations as well. The only way that government or corporate dystopias would work is through brainwashing.

And speaking of brainwashing, how about religion? HAHAHAHAHAHA. But seriously though a religious dystopia would not work because a religion needs to reach a critical mass of followers to become powerful enough to warrant a dystopia. Recent polls show that religion is declining and atheism is on the rise. If that trend continues our world will be a much better place HAHAHAHAHA JOKING JUST KIDDING. But seriously if that trend continues the chances of a religious dystopia will decrease. This article has more on the subject.

                                           Drop in Religiosity Index

Country 2005 2012 % change in Religiosity

Global Average 77% 68% -9

%

Vietnam 53%

30% -23%

Ireland 69%

47% -22%

Switzerland 71

% 50% -21%

France 58

% 37% -21%

South Africa 83

% 64% -19%

Iceland 74

% 57% -17%

Ecuador 85

% 70% -15%

United States 73

% 60% -13%

Canada 58

% 46% -12%

Austria 52

% 42% -10%