The utopia with a dark secret

The utopia with a dark secret in fiction: 4 works

1. 1879The Begum's MillionsJules Verne

   The novel presents a utopian city alongside a dystopian one, and explores the 'potential for scientific and industrial power to shape societal ideals, for better or worse,' implying that even the utopian vision might harbor underlying issues or costs.

2. 1973The Ones Who Walk Away from OmelasUrsula K. Le Guin

   Omelas's perfect happiness depends on the ceaseless suffering of one hidden child.

3. 1986WatchmenAlan Moore, Dave Gibbons

   A staged catastrophe engineers world peace at the cost of millions, a utopia built on atrocity.

4. 1998The Truman ShowPeter Weir

   The idyllic town of Seahaven conceals that it exists solely to imprison its unwitting star.