Read about dystopian literature. Other dystopic works include George Orwell's 1984, Aldous Huxley's A Brave New World, and Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange. Why do you suppose some authors consider the future such a dark and frightening place? Can you relate to the human fear of the unknown future? Why or why not?

Imagine how the story would be different if Blood were not a dog but a different animal. Choose an animal and give it a history, a way of relating to Vic, and a name. Write a synopsis of the story in which you replace Blood with your new animal character.

Science fiction involves taking a scientific principle or a set of scientific facts and extending them to create a work of imaginative fiction. In "A Boy and His Dog," the story springs from the reality of the widespread destruction that...