Paperback, 310 pages
English language
Published Nov. 7, 1956 by Modern Library.
Originally published in 1932, this outstanding work of literature is more crucial and relevant today than ever before. Cloning, feel-good drugs, antiaging programs, and total social control through politics, programming, and media -- has Aldous Huxley accurately predicted our future? With a storyteller's genius, he weaves these ethical controversies in a compelling narrative that dawns in the year 632 AF (After Ford, the deity). When Lenina and Bernard visit a savage reservation, we experience how Utopia can destroy humanity. A powerful work of speculative fiction that has enthralled and terrified readers for generations, Brave New World is both a warning to be heeded and thought-provoking yet satisfying entertainment.
Strange book. The idea was there but the writing did not captivated me.
The relation between sex and individualism was extremely interesting, but IMHO was not explored to its full potential.
Perhaps for a story written in the 1930's I should be a little more forgiving but this book had flashes of brilliance but those moments were too few and far between to make me really interested in it. When the story shifted to New Mexico I think my enthusiasm dropped and never recovered. In concept this was a strong story but the execution didn't appeal to me.
The book is over 80 years old and science fiction and dystopian works have come a long way, and perhaps without this book there wouldn't be others that I enjoy so much, but for me I think I will stick to the more modern works.
I read this one many years ago, when I was on my twenties, many people compare it with Orwell's 1984. I think the books does not accomplish the same thing: in one society, the one from this book, the purpose is to eradicate completely the purpose of human reproduction trough sex in order to achieve the "perfect being" and on the other, it's about mind control. By which I remember, there was not such a thing in the Brave New World's society, but you had castes just as in 1984, but there appears to be only one superior caste: the rulers. I think that 1984 have more strength, at least if left stronger mind marks than this one.
Anyway, one thay I will reread this one.
Un classique du roman d'anticipation. J'ai eu du mal à le lire : le style est assez lourd, les termes pseudo-scientifiques très nombreux et même si l'idée de départ est bonne, le récit lui-même ne m'a pas passionné. Je sais que ce roman est un classique, et j'ai peur d'être passé à côté de quelque chose de grand.
This was the first book I ever read that changed me.
I think that this is a book that inspires thought and discussion more than a good book. The characters get muddled together more than once making it occasionally difficult to figure out who is doing what.
The premise is good though and the topics it brings up are interesting, I just feel that it doesn't stand up well by itself.
Sorry for a candid review, but wow, this was definitely a crazy surprise for me.
I mean, I knew it was a 'classic', but I never expected SO MUCH to personally resonate with me and what I care about. I also think it's noteworthy to pay attention to the publication date of this book.. it's absolutely ridiculous in the resolution of its projection into the future technologies and its effect on humanity, considering what was even known or theoretical at the time.
The almost completely unspoken religious themes are brilliant, and not just a coy way to avoid angering the more sensitively devout.
If you are interested in reading this book, but still unsure if it's right for you, I would say the key themes of the book that resonate the most with me are religion, survival, history, media, and dystopian government.
Take the risk on this one, but skip …
Sorry for a candid review, but wow, this was definitely a crazy surprise for me.
I mean, I knew it was a 'classic', but I never expected SO MUCH to personally resonate with me and what I care about. I also think it's noteworthy to pay attention to the publication date of this book.. it's absolutely ridiculous in the resolution of its projection into the future technologies and its effect on humanity, considering what was even known or theoretical at the time.
The almost completely unspoken religious themes are brilliant, and not just a coy way to avoid angering the more sensitively devout.
If you are interested in reading this book, but still unsure if it's right for you, I would say the key themes of the book that resonate the most with me are religion, survival, history, media, and dystopian government.
Take the risk on this one, but skip any introduction your edition might have. It's been known to turn people off because Huxley apparently goes on about how prophetic his work was. (Which it totally was! But, I can understand how reading the intro before the work might leave you feeling like Huxley feels a bit to big for his britches.. which to be fair, may be an accurate depiction of the author so many years after writing this and seeing it come to pass)
I have never read this book, but was aware of it as a classic of science fiction and of English literature. It is an amazing work, especially considering the context (1932!). My previous education in political theory, philosophy and interwar history made me appreciate BNW on many different levels. I would have loved to study this book in a classroom environment. I feel like there is so much more in there. Thus, I am off to look for reviews and analyses to help me process the book.
A word about how I read this. I started with the audio version as narrated by Michael York. First of all, what a pick for a narrator! I mean, Logan's Run! And he does a brilliant performance. Unfortunately, I think the structure of sections in the book do not lend themselves to the audio format. So I got the eBook to read as …
I have never read this book, but was aware of it as a classic of science fiction and of English literature. It is an amazing work, especially considering the context (1932!). My previous education in political theory, philosophy and interwar history made me appreciate BNW on many different levels. I would have loved to study this book in a classroom environment. I feel like there is so much more in there. Thus, I am off to look for reviews and analyses to help me process the book.
A word about how I read this. I started with the audio version as narrated by Michael York. First of all, what a pick for a narrator! I mean, Logan's Run! And he does a brilliant performance. Unfortunately, I think the structure of sections in the book do not lend themselves to the audio format. So I got the eBook to read as well. I bounced between both.
It's about 20 years since I first read this book but I was surprised how much has stuck with me. Despite being almost 80 years old now it's still highly relevant, possibly more so than ever - I can't hear about someone taking Prozac or Xanax without thinking of soma. I've never been a huge fan of the book's ending, but its thoughtful look at society makes it well worth reading. I will have to reread this again in another 20 years and see how things compare then...
In "Brave New World," first published in 1931, Aldous Huxley creates a dystopia of carnal pleasure, where truth is traded for comfort, and pain is swapped with apathy. Huxley paints a brilliant image of people who've been consumed by ambiguity and have sacrificed the integrity of individuality. The lewd and crass behavior in which the majority of characters act--contrasted with the protagonist's alien perspective--vividly creates a paradoxical juxtaposition of the obscene and the rational. Eighty years after it's publication, it's startling to see how closely the world imitates Huxley's emanations. "Brave New World" is a novel that absolutely must be read if humanity's senselessness is to be checked.
fantastic setting, poor in most other respects
