As its title suggests, Boualem Sansal’s award-winning 2084: The End of the World takes some of its inspiration from George Orwell’s 1984. Sansal keeps some of the details of his futuristic setting intentionally obscured until late in the book – this is a novel told from the viewpoint of someone who doesn’t necessarily start questioning aspects of the society in which he lives until he’s forced by certain events. And the slow revelation of a government blending religious fundamentalism, totalitarian omnipresence, and a willingness to alter history makes for an unnerving setting on several levels.
