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Which Book To Read Next? (Theme: Dystopia)

B

BassGod

Jan 21, 2004
3,420
15
#1
I'm very interested in the theme of dystopia, and dystopian society (and related topics). I know there are many novels based on the subject. Through the magic of Wikipedia, I've come up with a list of a few that sound interesting to me. Basically I wanna know your opinions on them, which ones are good, which ones to avoid, etc.

The List:

- A Clockwork Orange
- Logan's Run
- Player Piano
- Brave New World
- Animal Farm
- Nineteen Eighty-Four
- Fahrenheit 451
- Anthem

That's about it. The only books I've read that can be classified as dystopian are 'Lord of the Flies' (which I didn't like) and 'The Giver'. I didn't like the latter when I first read it (in grade seven) but looking back, it was actually quite a good book.

Any thoughts/other reccomendations?

Graeme

P.S. As an interesting note, Rush's epic '2112' was what got me interested in the subject.
 
#5
Clockwork Orange is the best on that list, followed by Brave New World, then 1984 and Animal Farm. I heard mixed reviews about Farenheit 451. Haven't heard of the rest.

BUT, if you want a book that will challenge you like you've never been challenged before, a book that will leave your head spinning, a book that could be read 50 times and still miss some of the allegory and double meanings, a book that is probably the best book on the dystopian subject (at least as good as Clockwork Orange), then check out Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban. This book has so many layers that the amount of thinking and insight you can do is endless. Provided you're up for a challenge, I absolutely recommend it as #1.
 
#8
Well, from those list, as others mentioned, a clockwork orange, brace new world, and 1984 would be important works, also, they each have a different dystopia,
in brave new world technology has transformed society mostly
in 1984 a fascist/communist(elements of both) totalitarian system has taken over the world, more politically and socially involved
clockwork orange....can't remember:rolleyes: should pick upt that book again soon

I kind of like the french book Malevil by robert merle too, it tells the story of a group of french who survive the impact of this huge atom bomb over france. This sounds canny, but the focus is on intragroup and intergroup(there are more survivors) relations, it is really well written and a gripping story, but well you know, it's in french and I don't know if it's translated.
als animal farm is maybe a shorter and easier read, and is written very clearly
 
#9
I'll just weigh in on Anthem.

Anthem is a wonderful book, but once you read it, you're tempted to turn into the main character. This is a problem with all of Ayn Rand's fiction - as soon as you read it, you think in your head, "why I can't I be like that?" When you read something else that is based on personal ethics, you'll go back to normal (hopefully). Otherwise, you'll probably go out and become a card-carrying member of The Objectivist Club. Yikes.

Read Anthem - it is a great, great book. Three hours, tops. Hell, you could read that and Animal Farm in the same day.
 
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#16
Scott Zoltok said:
I reiterate: Riddley Walker.
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I looked, but alas it could not be found. My local Chapters was also out of A Clockwork Orange.

So I bought Nineteen Eighty-Four. On a slightly unrelated note, I also bought The Divine Comedy, which should be a good read.

I'll look for the above mentioned next time, and I'll probably end up buying Anthem too. So thanks for the help, but continue discussing. I'm really starting to like this whole "literature" thing. ;)

Graeme
 
#17
Eric Cioe said:
I'll just weigh in on Anthem.

Anthem is a wonderful book, but once you read it, you're tempted to turn into the main character. This is a problem with all of Ayn Rand's fiction - as soon as you read it, you think in your head, "why I can't I be like that?" When you read something else that is based on personal ethics, you'll go back to normal (hopefully). Otherwise, you'll probably go out and become a card-carrying member of The Objectivist Club. Yikes.

Read Anthem - it is a great, great book. Three hours, tops. Hell, you could read that and Animal Farm in the same day.
Click to expand...
Didn't see this... Three hours tops, eh? Are you a speed-reader? I'm pretty fast but I've never finished a novel in three hours. 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' took me three days!

Nontheless, it shall be read.

Graeme
 
#18
BassGod said:
I looked, but alas it could not be found. My local Chapters was also out of A Clockwork Orange.

So I bought Nineteen Eighty-Four. On a slightly unrelated note, I also bought The Divine Comedy, which should be a good read.

I'll look for the above mentioned next time, and I'll probably end up buying Anthem too. So thanks for the help, but continue discussing. I'm really starting to like this whole "literature" thing. ;)

Graeme
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You might need to get Riddley of Amazon, it's kinda rare. As Marshall said, this was his first novel. Before that he wrote kids' books. Trust me, it';s worth the look though.

You got the Divine Comedy? Wicked! I'm writing an essay on it, or the inferno anyways. It's pretty heavy. Good though. What translation did you get?
 
#19
BassGod said:
Didn't see this... Three hours tops, eh? Are you a speed-reader? I'm pretty fast but I've never finished a novel in three hours. 'For Whom The Bell Tolls' took me three days!

Nontheless, it shall be read.

Graeme
Click to expand...

Dude, Anthem is about 110 pages long. The book reads itself.

As far as the Divine Comedy, I love Inferno. The others are good, but Inferno is something else. I ended up winning $1k from an essay I wrote about it (specifically, the concept of justice as far as it relates to the "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" conception in Exodus) while I was in high school. I took an Italian class here (University of Chicago) called Italian through Dante. We basically spent a quarter (10 weeks) translating the first canto.

I forget the translator, but whoever did "Everyman's Library" version of it did a really good job.
 
#20
Eric Cioe said:
Dude, Anthem is about 110 pages long. The book reads itself.

As far as the Divine Comedy, I love Inferno. The others are good, but Inferno is something else. I ended up winning $1k from an essay I wrote about it (specifically, the concept of justice as far as it relates to the "eye for eye, tooth for tooth" conception in Exodus) while I was in high school. I took an Italian class here (University of Chicago) called Italian through Dante. We basically spent a quarter (10 weeks) translating the first canto.

I forget the translator, but whoever did "Everyman's Library" version of it did a really good job.
Click to expand...
Cool. Actually, I might just buy Anthem and read it before I start the others. An appetizer of sorts.

I can't wait to begin The Divine Comedy, as poetry interests me greatly. I mainly bought it for the Inferno section, but I will no doubt be reading the others. Actually, the version I bought contains Inferno, Purgatory, Paradise, as well as another work of Dante's, whose name I can't recall.

Graeme
 

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