Curated by one of Scotland’s brightest rising stars, each book in this subscription dives into thrilling dystopian stories and ambitious ideas that stretch the boundaries of what speculative fiction can do. Perfect for fans of Never Let Me Go, Station Eleven, Interstellar, Annihilation, and more.
Rachelle Atalla, acclaimed author of The Pharmacist and The Salt Flats, selects gripping dystopian novels that explore survival, resistance, and what people do at the edge. These page-turners ask powerful questions about how we carry on, whether facing sweeping global change or a deeply personal apocalypse. Expect stories full of suspense, wonder, and a deep connection to the natural world that remind us how small, and how extraordinary, we really are.
Please note that we recommend this book subscription for adults, aged 18 and over, as the books selected contain adult themes and content.
What's in the book subscription?
Subscribe now, and each month for the length of your subscription, you will receive a book box containing:
One beautifully wrapped mystery book chosen by our curator
An exclusive postcard with their reason for choosing the book
What to read next: recommendations from our expert team
A reflective reading postcard to support you to access the wellbeing benefits of reading for pleasure
More about the curator
Rachelle Atalla is a Scottish-Egyptian novelist, short story writer and screenwriter based in Glasgow.
Her debut speculative novel The Pharmacist was published by Hodder and Stoughton in 2022 to critical acclaim and was shortlisted for Best Fiction at the Scottish National Book Awards. In 2023, she published her climate-focused second novel Thirsty Animals followed most recently by her third novel The Salt Flats in 2024.
Her short stories have been published widely, she has written for BBC Radio 4, is the recipient of a Scottish Book Trust New Writers Award and has a number of screen projects in development.
Sneak Peek (spoilers ahead!)
If you'd like to know a little about the books you will receive in your subscription please click the drop downs below.
If you think you've read a book, but you still want to subscribe, please get in touch with us at sales@scottishbooktrust.com
3 month subscription hints
A baby cries, and a woman is sent to a re-training programme for mothers. Will their children be restored to them, and what will they have to do first?
A modern classic, and a prescient look at facism, climate change and equality. A young woman who can feel the pain of others becomes displaced from her home and founds a religion.
A short novel that lingers long after the last page. Children are born weak and prone to illness in an isolated future Japan. An elderly grandfather tries to save the life of his young grandson.
6 month subscription hints
A darkly funny novel with profound grief for the natural world at its core. A researcher is asked to find out how intelligent an at-risk species is, in a future where corporations' activities can cause ecological damage so long as they buy enough 'extinction credits.'
A small farming community comes together for a terrible annual ritual in the chilling title story in this short story collection. When this story was first published in 1948, readers were so horrified they sent the author hate mail; it has since gone on to be regarded as one of the greatest short stories of all time.
One of the only humans left on Earth must take care of a group of human-like creatures and explore the ruins of a medical experimentation facility for supplies to survive. Will he - and his charges - survive, and how did this apocalypse happen?
A young girl grows up amid the specter of climate change and eventually becomes a marine biologist exploring ocean trenches and investigating and anomaly at the edge of the Solar System.
An unsettling short story collection that builds tension and explores the violence experienced by women's bodies from outside and within.
A satirical debut set in north-central Scotland, and a modern Scottish classic. A mysterious lone woman drives around the countryside picking up hitchhikers. What happens to them, and why is she doing this?
Buying a gift?
To give this book subscription as a gift, please enter the gift recipient's details into the delivery address fields at checkout. Do you want them to choose their own book subscription? Then please purchase a gift subscription.
When will I get my first book?
We send out book boxes once a month, during the first week of the month. To ensure your order is included in the next dispatch, please order before the final day of the month.
Rachelle Atalla's selection of dystopian fiction was broad and introduced me to writers I had not discovered before, across a range of genres too. Great for an emerging dystopian writer.
A
Anne
Dystopian Book subscription 3 months
This is my second subscription. I’m really pleased with all three books and would happily recommend the book subscriptions from Scottish Trust.
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