Customer Reviews
Out of the way... - By: R. Lowther, 31 Jul 2008 
I find with most 'classic' books, the hype is more than the substance & again Brave New World falls into that category.
It is quite an easy read - except the constant Shakespeare quotations towards the end, but it is a novel that I feel fails to take a great idea & develop it totally - the end is a big let down for instance.
I am glad that I read it to understand why it holds such attention after all these years but it isn't a book that I feel I could recommend.
A terrible dystopia or a beautiful utopia? - By: Mr. Mischief, 17 May 2008 
I read this book on the recommendation of a work colleague after reading George Orwell's 1984 and, whilst it is fairly entertaining, it just isn'tin the same league as Orwells's masterpiece. It might be wrong to compare the two given that they are very different books, but it seems that some people will read one & then turn to the other, as I did, so a basic comparison seems fair.
1984 is a harsh, brutal novel that preys on our fears of the police state taking over without us even knowing it, something that many would argue is happening right now. The populace portrayedin the book know & understand that their situation is bad but have grown to accept it because they are told & so believe that it is ultimately for the betterment of their nation as a whole.
Brave New World, on the other hand, gives us a futurein which the masses are literally bred (in test tubes) into their rolesin life, both for work & socially. People are conditioned through chemicals & mind manipulation, both before birth & during childhood, into not only accepting their statusin society but actually enjoying it. I actually find Huxley's future quite appealing, especially today when many of us seem to wander through life looking miserable, doing jobs we hate & desperately trying to find our `place'. Even though Huxley's masses' status & happiness might be forced upon them from conception, at least they know, accept & actually enjoy being who & where they are regardless of how this is brought about.
This book is no where near as gritty, nor does it seem as real or as believable as 1984; Huxley's future is cleaner, happier & generally more pleasant that Orwell's, with both the setting & his writing lacking any real bite. Brave New World has been described as one of the great dystopian novels, but I actually see itin the exact opposite light, as a vision of what could be considered a utopian future. By all means read it, but please don't expect it to be a thrilling, terrible read that'll leave you feeling grateful that things aren't as bad as they could be. And I think that is something 1984 still does to this day.
Was and will make me ill...I take a gramme and just am - By: L. Wright, 10 May 2008 
The ultimate dystopian fantasy, made even more eerie by it's remarkable prescience. The masses are kept enslaved by their own hedonistic impulses & the ubiquitous feel good drug soma. Huxley has seen the future & it's ghastly: a society of graded test tube people kept entertained by a virtual reality world i.e 'the feelies'(a kind of interactive movie), an intrusive & prurient media & Christianity forgotten 'because people wouldn't understand it'. Huxley sets his novel 600 years into the future but it's happening to us right now!
BNW - More car than book. - By: M. Southworth, 30 Mar 2008 I first read this book 15 years ago, having reading a few of Huxleys other works (Doors of Perception/Heaven & Hell, Ape & Essence, Chrome Yellow). All of which are far better books than this one, although Huxley's insites into how the future of human society developes, become more vivid with each passing day.
Essential reading - By: tricky wheeler, 23 Jan 2008 One of the twentieth century's most important dystopian novels, possibly even one of it's most important novels at all. A fantastic combination of engaging storyline & a social commentary that continues to be incredibly relevant.
