Brave New World

By Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley's utopian-cum-dystopian masterpiece tells the tale of a socially engineered, futuristic society.
A forerunner to Orwell's 1984, it is considered one of the most influential sci-fi novels ever written.
"It isn't only art that is incompatible with happiness, it's also science. Science is dangerous, we have to keep it most carefully chained and muzzled." (quote from the text)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Vulpine Press
• Release date: Jun 29, 2022
• ISBN: 9781839191152

Aldous Huxley

Aldous Huxley (1894-1963) was a prominent and successful English writer. Throughout his career he wrote over fifty books, and was nominated seven times for the Nobel Prize in Literature. Huxley wrote his first book, Crome Yellow, when he was seventeen years old, which was described by critics as a complex social satire. Huxley was both an avid humanist and pacifist and many of these ideals are reflected in his writing. Often controversial, Huxley’s views were most evident in the best-selling dystopian novel, Brave New World. The publication of Brave New Worldin 1931 rattled many who read it. However, the novel inspired many writers, Kurt Vonnegut in particular, to describe the book’s characters as foundational to the genre of science fiction. With much of his work attempting to bridge the gap between Eastern and Western beliefs, Aldous Huxley has been hailed as a writer ahead of his time.

Reviews for Brave New World

[petroglyph_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There’s little I can add at this point, so I’ll keep my review very brief. This was an easy read. I can see why it is a classic, and I was not bored while reading it, despite the influence it’s had on the dystopian subgenre. I really liked the prevalence of images drawn from music theory (I’m eyeing his Point counter point as my next read by Huxley).

[Alexandru Pavelescu · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Interesting perspective of what the culture you grow in does for you conditioning, for your perspective on normality, good and evil!
Also on how society might, if now already did, do to control the populous.

[dylanwolters · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Interesting novel. It has a very strong start - perfectly painting a world so different from our own. As the beginning chapters went on, however, the book began to drag for me. It seemed void of purpose, to some extent. But by the half way mark that started to change around, at least for me. The story at this point began to turn into a "fish out of water" story. Except, unlike so many other stories of similar structure, you - the reader - are the fish out of water. For me, this was the most intriguing aspect of the novel and what brought me to continue reading it. Well worth the read, though Huxley's writing style may be tedious at times.

[she_climber · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I get that it's a classic and all but it just did nothing for me. This I'm sure was the first, but it's approximately the third book I've read in the last few months with this dystopian society where they have figured out how to have everything perfect and nobody ever has to experience any uncomfortable feelings, or really any feelings at all. [The Giver by Lois Lowery and Scythe by Neil Shusterman] I will now credit this book for starting the whole process but by this point in my reading I'm just over it.

[bookalicious_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I only gave this 4 stars because in the ongoing debate as to which dystopia more closely describes the direction our world is going I have to say George Orwell's 1984 wins out. But that does not mean that this novel is any less of a read than 1984. Though the grim vision of Orwell's world hold's true today so does much of Huxley's the concept of soma being used to numb the mind, prevent thinking, it exists in our world. Television is our soma,, crass news stories of lost cats or who is the father of who's celebrity baby, its all mind numbing rot. How much longer before babies are created in tubs off gel and people are bread for specific tasks and castes in our societies. Closer than we think I fear.

[missboyer3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley is a classic science fiction work that continues to be a significant warning to our society today. Tony Britton, the reader, does an excellent job of portraying clinical detachment as the true nature of the human incubators is revealed. The tone lightens during the vacation to the wilderness and the contrast is even more striking. Each character is given a separate personality by Britton's voices. As the story moves from clinical detachment to the human interest of Bernard, the nonconformist, and John, the "Savage," listeners are drawn more deeply into the plot. Finally, the reasoned tones of the Controller explain away all of John's arguments against the civilization, leading to John's death as he cannot reconcile his beliefs to theirs.

[soylentgreen23 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

It didn't take me long to read "Brave New World;" I'd be inclined to think that it's not a book that takes many people very long to read. It's a good piece, and fits in neatly with all the other dystopian future societies one finds on the shelves of the local library; other books are compared to it, so it's found its own social standing too.I'm a big fan of the Huxley family; we have good old T.X. Huxley to thank for getting Darwin's ideas out to a wider audience, and I believe he defended him from attack a great deal too.

[bexaplex · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

Brave New World is about a dissatisfied little man (figuratively and literally), a pneumatic girl who's getting too attached to a companion, a poet in search of something to write about, and a limnal figure born of civilization and reared outside it. Huxley phrases the modern dilemma as freedom against societal engineering.It's a dystopian fantasy, so fleshing out the characters isn't top priority. The conversation between the head of the government and the Savage sounds like a James Bond villain exposition. But what is completely remarkable about this book is its \immersion in 30s gender ideology. In a world where sexuality and reproduction is completely controlled by the state (which is, in turn, controlled by men), challenge to the state comes not from, say, half the population, but from isolated men who chafe at the restriction of having to have as much sex as possible with as many women as they can find.

[widdersyns · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

no thanks!

[gouarfig · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It was OK, but overall a bit too predictable. It felt more like an essay than a novel. Also I thought some of the reaction of some characters didn't feel appropriate to their education or their conditioning. How can the savage have such a vision about the civilisation by reading shakespeare only?

[hippietrail · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Better than Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-Four, not as good as Zamyatin's We.

[nickelcopper · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

definately thought-provoking. an easy read in terms of vocabulary.

[andyray_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

There was a time in my youth that I wanted the utopia shown in this book, an utopia of free sex (everybody does everybody), drugged pleasure (soma), and when you reach a certain age, you get zapped during an alltime high. (Neat.) Of the published utipia's, I still like this one the best. The trouble is I am more like the Indian they bring back to "civilization", who hangs himself on the bridge in frustration and a feeling he lives in insanity..

[ptdilloway-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

As philosophy and prognostication it's great. As a novel it's a bit turgid. It gets a bit annoying that he refers to essentially the main character as "The Savage" all the time. It's hard for me to root for your character when you're belittling him the entire time.

[pcollins-1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Really enjoyed Brave New World. It's also fits in well with my fascination for futuristic dystopian literature and if you liked Brave New World I would also recommend Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale and Dick's Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep.

[caitlinsnead · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

the novel anticipates developments in reproductive technology, sleep-learning, psychological manipulation, and operant conditioning that combine to profoundly change society.

[karenduff · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I'm enough of a cynic to believe that if our leaders had access to the kind of technology that would make Huxley's Brave New World a reality that they would use it in the case of the characters in the book I just didn't care enough about them to hope that they would be able to break free from this brave new world and experience sadness, pain, illness etc or as we call it life and not just the mindless simplistic happiness that is on offer.

[silva_44 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This novel is much more sinister, in many ways, than Orwell's 1984. I think that this is more similar to Fahrenheit 451. I love this genre, although it chills me to the bone how much foresight these authors had. I fear that we are descending into a dystopia more every day, which makes novels like these so relevant.

[jennifyr · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Superb. One of the best books I have ever read. I recommend reading it, loaning it out, and then talking about it for hours. I was incredibly sad when it ended. Now on to read the rest of Aldous Huxley's works. The version I have also includes Brave New World revisited and a bunch of other goodies, which is excellent.

[tobikd · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

One of my all time FAVES! This book always comes to mind when I hear of another person taking anti depressants or another child being medicated for ADHD. Just a coincidence? (For all you haters, I am not against people taking medicine, I am against meds being used as a cure-all. But this probably isn't the right place for my soap box, so I'll get down.)

[rajivc_18 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I read this book many years ago, and did not fully appreciate it then. It has been years since I read the book, and suddenly it has taken over a whole new meaning, In the introduction to the book, the reviewers compared "Brave New World" with "1984", and postulated which of these two has been more prescient.I would say both, equally, and in good measure. With Google, Facebook, Amazon etc becoming more and more adept at garnering data about us, "1984" is definitely upon us.Yet, with the shiny malls, the plastic-slick soul that we all are confronted with, so is "Brave New World". The book is written in a sort of limp manner, deliberately, I feel, and this tends to heighten the effect of a world that is 'perfectly' ordered. Strangely, the caste system makes itself felt. Human equality is just a myth.

[talkingpotato_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Creepy and disturbing but it made me think. Which I guess would be a good thing? Where am I?

[swivelgal · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I can see how this book was shocking for it's time. In 2011, it looks as if Brave New World inspired updated futuristic, humans-are-evil novels. The Uglies and the Hunger Game series comes to mind.

[thelibraryhag · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

This was one of the books I read when I was in high school. I really did not care for it. But as I recall it was not the writing. It was just the story. I was not into that sort of thing at the time. So I will give it 3 stars since I was able to finish it.

[lizzy2x · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good sci-fi, but it reads much like other dystopian books I've read. (i.e. Fahrenheit 451, 1984)

[mhanover10 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

I always say, there are too many books in the world to continue reading one that doesn't grab your attention from the start. That being said, I am abandoning this audiobook after only 1.5 CDs. I have no clue what is going on and it is not keeping my attention.

[joeydag · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

required reading in high school?

[alwright1_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Made me think a lot about how people are conditioned to their beliefs even without the recorded messages in their sleep. Didn't particularly care for the end.

[drteeth_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Most excellent, indeed.

[mattries37315 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Aldous Huxley's cautionary tale of the price of contentment has been lauded as his prophetic masterpiece, unfortunately upon finishing "Brave New World" I found neither a masterpiece nor junk it was just an average book that didn't seem to have a clear story.Huxley constructs a blissful world in which no person has connections with anyone else and everyone has a place in society, on the surface the potential introduction of a nonconformist or an individual whose worldview is totally counter to Huxley's World State seems to be the perfect material for a story. Unfortunately Huxley's narrative is rich on world building and societal construction, but not on plot or character development. In fact after finishing the book, I still had not figured out what the central conflict was.While others might find great meaning in this book, I was left looking for something to hang an opinion on and could only find it with one word, meh.