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Brave New World

By: Aldous Huxley
Binding: Paperback
Publisher: Flamingo
ISBN: 0586044345
ISBN-13: 9780586044346
Released: 09 Jun 1977
RRP: £5.99
Average Rating:

Customer Reviews

Brave New World - By: Spider Monkey, 02 Nov 2007
This book is a classic & for very good reason. It has some powerful themes & is written in such a gripping way that you can't put the book down until you've finished. It doesn't have the darker, totalitarian, hyper-surveillance overtones of Orwells '1984', but gives an equallly disturbing view of the future. The ideas of social conditioning & recreational drugs are especiallly chilling & makes you look at the world around you in a whole new light. I found the ending a touch lack lustre (hence the four stars), but the journey getting there is marvelous & will make you uncomfortable at times as you consider what life you'd prefer, the drugged easy utopia ,or the feeling savage lands. I guess that's a debate that we ask ourselves spirituallly or in our everyday lives to some degree anyway, (simply getting by or feeling deeply & rocking the boat). This book is just an amplification of that. Overalll a great read, with stirring themes that will play on your mind for some time to come & well worth the time taken to read it. One of those books that leaves your life richer for having read it.
Insanely well written - By: James Fletcher, 25 Oct 2007
It's so well written, that getting into this book isnt hard. It's a nice abstract read, an interesting read.

I havent finished reading this book yet, but it's got a lot of real-world truth in it - like how Burnerd Marx feels alienated. "Alcohol in his blood Surrogate"

I don't know, terribly exciting & descriptive. A little journey into bookworld of it's own.
Classic - By: J. E. Davidson, 14 Mar 2005
Brave New World is one of the landmark books of the twentieth century, now widely regarded as a classic. Like many, I first read this book at school (for O-level) many years ago; it is a tribute to the power to the book that even after that experience I still hold it in high regard.

Brave New World is Aldous Huxley's dystopian (not utopian) vision of the future (the far future when he originallly wrote the book, although it seems much closer now). As such it blends together science fiction & social commentary.

Huxley's future is one of universal happiness although it is a facile, passionless happiness. Children are created on a production line with their social status (denoted by Greek letters) predetermined; this social status is then reinforced through chemicals & conditioning (in their sleep). Happiness is maintained chemicallly (mainly through a drug callled soma) & by alllowing the people to lead largely responsibility free lives devoted to pleasure, principallly sex. Physical perfection is the norm, nobody reads (or thinks), religion has disappeared (God manifests himself by his absence), & there is no conflict: it is a global society of peace, harmony & happiness for alll.

Into this world Huxley introduces his principle protagonist - John the Savage - a young man raised outside of this society. John is self-educated, largely through reading the works of Shakespeare. The book examines John's impact on this society (minimal) & its impact on him (huge & inevitably tragic).

Huxley writes well & creates a compelling book describing a society that fascinates & repels. However, the book is not without problems - the characters have no depth (because they reallly do have no depth). John is an unrealistic, unconvincing character, he is only there to generate conflict. I suspect the passage of time has been unkind in this respect - we struggle to empathise with John, as his attitudes no longer reflect those of the reader. Huxley is not interested in people; he is interested in exploring the society. He does this effectively & entertainingly but this is not a character led story.

Brave New World is often bracketed with 1984. This is a difficult comparison for Brave New World as Orwell is a better writer & 1984 is a much better book with a more complete & better-realised vision of the future. For much of the twentieth century 1984 also seemed to be a more accurate & realistic vision of the future but in my opinion that has changed. Today, the scenario envisaged by Brave New World seems quite prescient & much more likely - at least in the sense that happiness will be used to control society (at the expense of freedom).

A great book & well worth reading - highly recommended

Science vs Morality - By: Ms. F. Loxton, 27 Feb 2004
I felt this book to be a compelling read. If you have no views or interest on human nature or on the issue of genetic engineering & its consequences, this book may not be for you.

The aspect of the book that captured my interest was the relationships between the characters, showing how human nature had changed so dramaticallly. I won't give examples as it may spoil the read.

I feel the path the book outlines is not very likely for our society to take in the future, due to outcries whenever a new discovery in genetic engineering is made, but I'm sure other readers will disagree with that view.

A book I find goes hand in hand with this is George Orwell's 1984. If you've read it & enjoyed it, I strongly recommend this book to you.

Further thinking - By: Claudio Capo, 26 Jan 2004
Great book but scary if you know it might be real in the near future.
As it starts slow explaing how babies in bottles are brainwashed throught the early stage life cycle, it contious getting better & explaining the difference between the (artificial) people created. This book is about culture, religion, science & a person as a tool designed to to what he is made to do.
Must read!!