History CrapsackWorld / Literature

** What makes this CrapsackWorld truly effective is that... it's completely normal. There's no monsters, demons, or aliens anywhere in sight. It's just regular human evil in a terrifyingly realistic world fueling the eternal misery for decades and decades.

* The Franchise/ConanTheBarbarian universe is a great example of a CrapsackWorld in fantasy. What you've got is a LowFantasy world full of assorted, real-world inspired ancient civilizations, and some barbarians. The choice that Creator/RobertEHoward gives you is basically Barbarism Vs. Civilization. Civilizations are generally decadent and corrupt old empires with scheming, militaristic kings who will do anything up to and including resurrecting a dead sorcerer from an ancient, evil empire (in ''Literature/TheHourOfTheDragon'') to get more land for their nation. The only nation that doesn't seem to be either full of evil sorcerers (Stygia, Koth, Khitai, Zembabwei) or expansionist kings (Koth, Ophir, Nemedia, Turan, everyone else) would be Aquilonia, a Rome/medieval England hybrid that winds up being the first nation that is completely annihilated by a horde of savages, along with every other halfway-decent place to live in Hyboria. Barbarians will find that the line is very thin between savagery and noble savagery, once again. Cimmerians prove to be the only race in this category that have even a rudimentary grasp on morality, everyone else is either a cannibal (the Darfari), an unapologetic savage (Picts fit this perfectly), or a Viking-esque village pillager (the Vanir and Aesir).

** Pretty much anything written by Creator/HPLovecraft is set in a CrapsackWorld, since he is after all a NietzscheWannabe.

** But it's also arguably a WorldHalfFull. Insanely determined people like Harry Dresden and Michael ''can'' make a difference with a lot of effort and help from the benevolent supernatural powers. The whole CrapsackWorld and HopelessWar tropes get subverted [[spoiler: when Harry wipes out the entire Red Court at the end of ''Changes''.]]

** ''Literature/BookOfTheNewSun'' is ''such'' a CrapsackWorld that the ending of the series, in which [[spoiler: almost the entire population of the world drowns]] is seen as being the ''good'' ending.

* Most residents of Camorr, a sort of LowFantasy medieval Venice turned UpToEleven in Scott Lynch's ''Literature/TheLiesOfLockeLamora'', would pay good money (doubtless stolen or extorted) to live in a CrapsackWorld instead. To elaborate, Camorr is a place where children as young as eight are hung for stealing a loaf of bread as a matter of course, slavery is openly practiced, nobles have literally no checks on their power and can do whatever they please, including torturing commoners for their own amusement, and gladiatorial combat between humans and giant octopuses, man-eating sharks and fist-sized wasps are a common and beloved form of entertainment. Characters like Vencarlo Barsavi, Maxilan Stragos and Requin, who would be monstrous {{Big Bad}}s ripe for getting their arses kicked by the heroes in any other 'verse, are here irreproachable pillars of the community and on-and-off allies of the protagonists.

* The ''Punktown'' stories are set on a dark future world that houses the titular dystopian city. Stories are a blend of horror, dystopian sci-fi and film noir and the resultant concotion has abominations, creepy future fetishes and lots of violent crime. You know you live in a CrapsackWorld, when Punktown has become a sourcebook for ''TabletopGame/CallOfCthulhu''.

* The world of Literature/Timeline191 may not be a total CrapsackWorld, but it's definitely a much grimmer reality than our own. The United States is forced into geopolitics much sooner, and is never able to develop into the "land of opportunity" that defined its character from the late 19th Century onward. Surrounded by hostile countries, it instead evolves into a slightly less-oppressive version of the Soviet Union, becoming just another player in the global empire-building game. The world is far less idealistic and far more militarized. The most brutal battles of both World Wars take place between the Union and the Confederacy, and [[spoiler: nuclear weapons are used with more abandon. Ironically, Japan is the only major player in this timeline's version of UsefulNotes/WorldWarII ''not'' to have a nuclear bomb dropped on it.]]

* ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream''. Outside, the world is a scorched nuclear wasteland. Inside, in a world-filling complex, are the final five survivors. All of them are at the mercy of [[AIIsACrapshoot AM]], the godlike [=AI=] that destroyed the world. It utilizes its power to endlessly twist and torture them, from [[BodyHorror corrupting their bodies]] to sending them on impossible missions for food while keeping them on the brink of starvation. It's been doing this for the last 109 years and plans on doing it forever out of sheer, contemptuous hatred for humanity. ''And that's just the premise.'' Hell, considering that 1984's appendix refers to The Party in the past tense, which could be interpreted as Big Brother falling after all in the end, the world of IHNMAIMS may be [[UpToEleven even worse]]. In the book at least, the most noble thing you can do is [[MercyKill kill your fellow men to release their suffering.]]

* ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream''. Outside, the world is a scorched nuclear wasteland. Inside, in a world-filling complex, are the final five survivors. All of them are at the mercy of [[AIIsACrapshoot AM]], the godlike [=AI=] that destroyed the world. It utilizes its power to endlessly twist and torture them, from [[BodyHorror corrupting their bodies]] to sending them on impossible missions for food while keeping them on the brink of starvation. It's been doing this for the last 109 years and plans on doing it forever out of sheer, contemptuous hatred for humanity. ''And that's just the premise.'' Hell, considering that 1984's appendix refers to The Party in the past tense, which could be interpreted as Big Brother falling after all in the end, the world of IHNMAIMS may be [[UpToEleven even]] [[UpToEleven ''worse'']]. In the book at least, the most noble thing you can do is [[MercyKill kill your fellow men to release their suffering.]]

* ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream''. Outside, the world is a scorched nuclear wasteland. Inside, in a world-filling complex, are the final five survivors. All of them are at the mercy of [[AIIsACrapshoot AM]], the godlike [=AI=] that destroyed the world. It utilizes its power to endlessly twist and torture them, from [[BodyHorror corrupting their bodies]] to sending them on impossible missions for food while keeping them on the brink of starvation. It's been doing this for the last 109 years and plans on doing it forever out of sheer, contemptuous hatred for humanity. ''And that's just the premise.'' Hell, considering that 1984's appendix refers to The Party in the past tense, which could be interpreted as Big Brother falling after all in the end, the world of IHNMAIMS may be [[UpToEleven even ''worse'']]. In the book at least, the most noble thing you can do is [[MercyKill kill your fellow men to release their suffering.]]

* ''Literature/IHaveNoMouthAndIMustScream''. Outside, the world is a scorched nuclear wasteland. Inside, in a world-filling complex, are the final five survivors. All of them are at the mercy of [[AIIsACrapshoot AM]], the godlike [=AI=] that destroyed the world. It utilizes its power to endlessly twist and torture them, from [[BodyHorror corrupting their bodies]] to sending them on impossible missions for food while keeping them on the brink of starvation. It's been doing this for the last 109 years and plans on doing it forever out of sheer, contemptuous hatred for humanity. ''And that's just the premise.''

** In ''Literature/{{Caliphate}}'', much of Continental Europe is undergoing decay under Caliphate rule. The Middle East is a crapsack state as well, as noted by character Besma. The rest of the world isn't much better, with everyone pretty much in a state of hostility to one another that's effectively low-level war punctuated by periods of actual armed combat.

* For all of its lightheartedness and optimism, the United States of America in ''Literature/TheCampHalfBloodSeries'' (''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'', ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'', and all SequelSeries afterwards) just ''sucks''. The country is lorded over by the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology gods of Olympus]], a bunch of [[JerkassGods selfish, petty, divine jerks]] who packed up and left Greece/Rome to settle down in America and now regularly take out their anger on whoever they feel like. If you're a normal human then you at least have the chance of staying off their radar and [[WeirdnessCensor the Mist]] will ensure that you remain blissfully ignorant of their existence. Unfortunately there's an equally good chance that you'll be the victim of a god's temper tantrum, which you won't see coming because of the aforementioned Mist. Even if you avoid it your entire life, the afterlife isn't any better. If you died without having accomplished great things in life, you get to spend the rest of eternity in the [[HellOfAHeaven Asphodel Fields]], doing nothing but standing around. And all of that is just if you're human. May God help you if you the had the misfortune of being born a [[SemiDivine demigod]], because the Olympians won't do much. If you're a demigod you get to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder for the many, many monsters that will hunt you [[FeelingOpressedByTheirExistance simply for having been born]] [[FantasticRacism with divine blood]]. The only safe place in the country is Camp Half-Blood and there's a very good chance you'll die on the way there - as a ''kid''. Your godly parent is likely aloof at best and abusive at worst, and any day they or another god may come to you with a dangerous quest or just show up to mess with you. Oh, and that's if your parent [[ParentalNeglect bothers to claim you at all]]. Let's just say there's a very good reason Percy starts off the first book with a SnicketWarningLabel about how you don't want to be a half-blood.

* For all of its humor, the United States of America in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' and its sequel series ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' sucks. The country is lorded over by the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology gods of Olympus]], a bunch of [[JerkassGods selfish, petty, divine jerks]] who packed up and left Greece/Rome to settle down in America and now regularly take out their anger on whoever they feel like. If you're a normal human then you at least have the chance of staying off their radar and [[WeirdnessCensor the Mist]] will ensure that you remain blissfully ignorant of their existence. Unfortunately there's an equally good chance that you'll be the victim of a god's temper tantrum or the unsuspecting prey of a monster, neither of which you'll see coming because of the aforementioned Mist. Even if you manage to avoid either group your entire life, the afterlife isn't any better. If you died without having accomplished great things in life, you get to spend the rest of eternity in the [[HellOfAHeaven Asphodel Fields]], doing nothing but standing around. And all of that is just if you're human. May God help you if you the had the misfortune of being born a [[SemiDivine demigod]], because the Olympians won't do much. If you're a demigod you get to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder for the many, many monsters that will hunt you simply for having been born with divine blood. The only safe place in the country is Camp Half-Blood and there's a very good chance you'll die on the way there. Your godly parent is likely aloof at best and abusive at worst, and any day they or another god may come to you with a dangerous quest or just show up to mess with you. Oh, and that's if your parent [[ParentalNeglect bothers to claim you at all]].

* ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'': Creator/IanFleming spends ''ten chapters'' outlining how life in the Soviet Union sucks and how only depraved sociopaths such as Red Grant ''actually enjoy'' working for its intelligence apparatus. Authorities routinely use beatings and extrajudicial killings to brutally suppress dissent, and they also have no qualms [[ThePurge purging]] "enemies of the state" and sending them over to TheGulag as they did under Stalin. The book also states that nobody would dare utter TheDreaded spy agency [[SecretPolice SMERSH's]] name openly lest they face StateSec knocking at their door. In short, the average Joe in Soviet Russia has no stomach for a possible revolt.
* ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'': In this TieInNovel to Disney's ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Prince Hans's home country, the Southern Isles, has been transformed into a PoliceState by his EvilOverlord of a [[TheCaligula father]], a cruel tyrant who violently solves problems he hates, despises criticism against his authoritarian rule, and squeezes his subjects to abject poverty with high taxes. It leaves Hans wondering how someone like his father "could be so stupid" and is one reason why he hates his family. However, if this were his story, Hans would be TheHero revolting against his abusive family, so his father [[VillainOfAnotherStory ends up being a minor character]] as the majority of ''A Frozen Heart'' focuses on covering the same plot as the original ''Frozen'' movie.

* ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'': In this TieInNovel to Disney's ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Prince Hans's home country, the Southern Isles, has been transformed into a PoliceState by his EvilOverlord of a [[TheCaligula father]], a cruel tyrant who violently solves problems he hates. In one case, his [[DisproportionateRetribution "solution"]] to a farmer's problem was to torch their barn and seize their livestock, while regime critics are beaten up (and possibly executed). The king also [[EvilDebtCollector squeezes his people for more taxes]] while subjecting them to abject poverty. This leaves Hans wondering how someone like his father "could be so stupid" and is one reason why he hates his family.

* ''Literature/FromRussiaWithLove'': Creator/IanFleming spends ''ten chapters'' outlining how life in the Soviet Union sucks, and how only depraved sociopaths such as Red Grant ''actually enjoy'' working for its intelligence apparatus. Authorities routinely use beatings and extrajudicial killings to brutally suppress dissent, and they also have no qualms [[ThePurge purging]] "enemies of the state" and sending them over to TheGulag as they did under Stalin. The book also states that nobody would dare utter TheDreaded spy agency [[SecretPolice SMERSH's]] name openly lest they face StateSec knocking at their door. In short, the average Joe in Soviet Russia has no stomach for a possible revolt.
* ''Literature/AFrozenHeart'': In this TieInNovel to Disney's ''WesternAnimation/Frozen2013'', Prince Hans's home country, the Southern Isles, has been transformed into a PoliceState by his EvilOverlord of a [[TheCaligula father]], a cruel tyrant who violently solves problems he hates. In one case, his [[DisproportionateRetribution "solution"]] to a farmer's problem was to torch their barn and seize their livestock, while regime critics are beaten up (and possibly executed). The king also [[EvilDebtCollector squeezes his people for more taxes]] while subjecting them to abject poverty. This leaves Hans wondering how someone like his father "could be so stupid," and is one reason why he hates his family.

** The world of pretty much all of Sade's work in general qualifies as this big time. Anyone who isn't a bastard in his works is either a hypocrite or a victim. Given his general HumansAreBastards worldview, this isn't too surprising.

* Stephen King's ''Literature/ElevenTwentyTwoSixtyThree'' presents an alternate history which diverges from ours with the survival of John F. Kennedy. The civil rights movement was a failure. The Vietnam war ended with a nuke being dropped on Hanoi, which precipitated other atomic conflicts around the world, including the destruction of Miami, meaning radiation poisoning is prevalent. [[DividedStatesOfAmerica Maine seceded from the U.S. and became a Canadian province.]] President Hilary Clinton is now trying to hold the remains of the country under Martial law. Gang warfare, pollution, poverty, extremism, famine, and hate are commonplace. [[FromBadToWorse The disruption of the timestream is also causing frequent, increasingly violent earthquakes all over the world, some of which are strong enough to sink whole islands.]] [[ArsonMurderAndJaywalking And Paul McCartney is blind.]]

** After the show's fifth season, where the TV series caught up on the books [[ScheduleSlip and the next is still on the way]], chunks of the fanbase have become [[TooBleakStoppedCaring so overwhelmed by how bleak things got]] they are actively [[RootingForTheEmpire preferring to see said hideous monsters just kill everyone]] instead of [[CharactersDroppingLikeFlies whatever cruel fate the author and the showrunners have planned.]]

** What makes it even more horrific is that [[spoiler:O'Brien]] spends a good part of his second conversation with Winston detailing exactly why the {{Dystopia}} of the book [[AndIMustScream will never ever be dismantled]]. [[spoiler:Unless you include the Appendix.]]

* For all of it's humor, the United States of America in ''Literature/PercyJacksonAndTheOlympians'' and its sequel series ''Literature/TheHeroesOfOlympus'' sucks. The country is lorded over by the [[Myth/ClassicalMythology gods of Olympus]], a bunch of [[JerkassGods selfish, petty, divine jerks]] who packed up and left Greece/Rome to settle down in America and now regularly take out their anger on whoever they feel like. If you're a normal human then you at least have the chance of staying off their radar and [[WeirdnessCensor the Mist]] will ensure that you remain blissfully ignorant of their existence. Unfortunately there's an equally good chance that you'll be the victim of a god's temper tantrum or the unsuspecting prey of a monster, neither of which you'll see coming because of the aforementioned Mist. Even if you manage to avoid either group your entire life, the afterlife isn't any better. If you died without having accomplished great things in life, you get to spend the rest of eternity in the [[HellOfAHeaven Asphodel Fields]], doing nothing but standing around. And all of that is just if you're human. May God help you if you the had the misfortune of being born a [[SemiDivine demigod]], because the Olympians won't do much. If you're a demigod you get to spend the rest of your life looking over your shoulder for the many, many monsters that will hunt you simply for having been born with divine blood. The only safe place in the country is Camp Half-Blood and there's a very good chance you'll die on the way there. Your godly parent is likely aloof at best and abusive at worst, and any day they or another god may come to you with a dangerous quest or just show up to mess with you. Oh, and that's if your parent [[ParentalNeglect bothers to claim you at all]].

* In the Literature/MoreauSeries, the Pan-Asian War left Tokyo and New Dehli radioactive craters, and the PRC conquered Japan and Taiwan. Tel Aviv was nuked by the Islamic Axis during the Third Gulf War, and sub-Saharan Africa and South America have been devastated by other, unnamed wars. [[UpliftedAnimal Moreaus]], created as soldiers, are second-class citizens at best throughout the world, and many are refugees from war or persecution. UsefulNotes/TheTroubles continue unabated in Northern Ireland. The U.S. verges on a PoliceState, with rampant political corruption as a bonus, and verges on civil war with the Moreau population. [[spoiler: and the alien invaders who caused much of this conspire behind the scenes to make it worse.]]

* Most residents of Camorr, a sort of LowFantasy medieval Venice turned UpToEleven in Scott Lynch's ''Literature/TheLiesOfLockeLamora'', would pay good money (doubtless stolen or extorted) to live in a CrapsackWorld instead. To elaborate, Camorr is a place where children as young as eight are hung for sealing a loaf of bread as a matter of course, slavery is openly practiced, nobles have literally no checks on their power and can do whatever they please, including torturing commoners for their own amusement, and gladiatorial combat between humans and giant octopuses, man-eating sharks and fist-sized wasps are a common and beloved form of entertainment. Characters like Vencarlo Barsavi, Maxilan Stragos and Requin, who would be monstrous {{Big Bad}}s ripe for getting their arses kicked by the heroes in any other 'verse, are here irreproachable pillars of the community and on-and-off allies of the protagonists.

* ''Literature/TheAstralWandererAndTheForestOfTears'' by Creator/AmelieCLanglois is set in a sentient forest that slowly drives its occupants insane, and contains soul-devouring trees of flesh; predatory, hallucinogenic plants; and all manner of [[EldritchAbomination Eldritch Abominations]].

* ''Literature/{{Fahrenheit 451}}''. The entire world is an Film/{{idiocracy}} that subscribes to a nihilistic and hedonistic ideology which boils down to "[[KillItWithFire If you have problems, don't face them, burn them!]]" Nuclear war is so prevalent that the sound of jets flying off to nuke entire cities out of existence isn't even commented on. Television has taken the place of the family. Drug use is so ubiquitous that a single EMT team will likely deal with upwards of a dozen [=ODs=] a night. Running over pedestrians and crashing cars a la ''VideoGame/GrandTheftAuto'' is the new national pastime. Being a bookworm and engaging in other intellectual activities will make the ignorant masses feel unhappy and is punishable by having your house and possessions burned down. Resisting having your house burnt down will result in a giant mechanical spider hunting you down and killing you.

** The entirely of Republic history shows this isn't exactly an uncommon thing either. Galactic society came into being as a direct result of the ancient and warmongering Rakata Empire subjugating and seeding life throughout the galaxy, only to fall and it's technology reverse engineered centuries later. It's rare even a century or two can go by without some massive galactic war going on, usually between the two opposing Force orders, the Jedi and the Sith fighting one another. What's more since neither of these orders can actually ever manage to eliminate each other it's become an endless cycle of the two sides fight, one gets defeated, licks their wounds, and then rise up to do battle all over again. Entire planets are scoured of life during these wars and billions killed on a regular basis. If you are lucky you might be born, live, and die in one of the very rare times of true galactic peace, but even if there isn't a war on a galaxy wide scale going on right now, there are going to be multiple smaller intersystem and between system wars happening all the time that you could end up getting caught up in.

** What's that? You want to get the fuck off Oceania and take a vacation in Eastasia and/or Eurasia? Then congrats! You are now hated by Oceanians, but at least you can mind your own business, right? Wrong! Both Eastasia and Eurasia have the exact same ideology as Oceania, the "Obliteration of the Self", the "Neo-Bolshevism" or as Oceanians like to call it, Ingsoc. Why all the wars and tortures despite being NotSoDifferent? It's all just an excuse to waste as many resources as we can, provide the Proles with a cheap and easy reason should they come to complain about the crapsackness, and/or just because of [[ForTheEvulz pure power]].

* The world of ''Franchise/EvilliousChronicles'' certainly qualifies, given all the tragedies that happen in a thousand year stretch. Each time period has a host of issues- from diseases that drive people [[TooDesperateToBePicky mad]] [[HungryMenace with]] [[NoPartyLikeADonnerParty hunger]], to [[GodSaveUsFromTheQueen tyrannical princesses]], to the destruction of entire nations overnight. Still special mention goes to the [[JustBeforeTheEnd world by Gallerian's era]], where the "rules" that govern the world are breaking down and there are zombies roaming around, parents giving birth to bizarre (sometimes tiger-shaped) babies, and people are getting infected with Hereditary Evil Raiser Syndrome and more strange things, all for no reason. And it seems every power in the world, from the Freezis Foundation (now Freezis Conglomerate) to the Evillious governments, are maliciously corrupt.