Dystopian Swagger: Margaret Atwood and Octavia E. Butler

Dystopian Swagger: Atwood, Butler, and the Return of the Real-Life Plot Twist

March 2025 musings from Janet Writes: What happens when speculative fiction starts feeling less speculative? I revisit the razor-sharp visions of Margaret Atwood and Octavia E. Butler — two authors who never needed a crystal ball to see where power, fear, and resilience collide. And yes, there’s a nod to the latest twist in American politics (spoiler: it’s orange). Not a rant, not a panic — just a literary side-eye and a few thoughts on how fiction sometimes feels like the sanest lens we’ve got.

Word count: 792