The concept of "dystopia" refers to the idea of a society suffering from a world-dominating entity which could take form as a totalitarian state or a post apocalypse.

'Dystopia is the opposite of utopia: a state in which the conditions of human life are extremely bad as from deprivation or oppression or terror (or all three). A dystopian society is characterized by human misery in the form of squalor, oppression, disease, overcrowding, environmental destruction, or war.'  The common characteristics of the genre includes; social and economic class division; lack of individualism; environmental devastation and war. Furthermore, the entities that enforce these dystopian characteristics can manifest in various forms, adding depth and diversity to the genre.

These entities may be religious institutions, powerful corporations, advanced technologies, bureaucratic systems, or a combination of these elements. The exploration of these different facets allows dystopian fiction to offer critical commentary on various aspects of contemporary society, serving as a lens through which authors can examine the potential consequences of certain ideologies, practices, or trends.