Tag Archives: dystopia

This week at the library; Huck Finn and the British crown

Posted on July 14, 2014 by smellincoffee

            Try as  I might,  none of the French-related books I investigated this week struck my interest, so for the first time since starting the tradition,  my Bastille Day reading is a nonstarter. C’est la vie. … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Anthem

Posted on June 7, 2014 by smellincoffee

Anthem© 1938 Ayn Rand128 pages In a dark future, the triumph of collectivism has created a global society deteriorating to near-medieval conditions.  Man is utterly broken by the state, dominated by institutions from birth onward. Raised in cohorts in government … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics and Civic Interest, Reviews, Society and Culture | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Divergent

Posted on June 5, 2014 by smellincoffee

Divergent © 2011 Veronica Roth 487 pages Every major city has problems with organized gangs, but the Chicago of Divergent’s future has nothing else. The entire society is organized in five factions devoted to an ideal;  Dauntless, Abnegation, Erudition, Amity, … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , | 6 Comments

1984

Posted on May 18, 2013 by smellincoffee

1984© 1949 George Orwell326 pages 1984 needs no introduction. Written in 1949, it envisioned a world of constant surveillance, perpetual war, and a state with  complete control over people’s minds. Concepts from it – “Big Brother”, “thought police”,  and “doublethink” … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

This week at the Library: Hunger Games, Hunting, and Baseball

Posted on January 12, 2013 by smellincoffee

I started this year off by finishing The Hunger Games: its finale, Mockingjay, utterly consumed my attention. It’s the story of revolution, a war against the oppressive Capitol which erupted in the course of the 75th Hunger Games, a teenage deathmatch … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Hunger Games

Posted on December 31, 2012 by smellincoffee

The Hunger Games © 2008 Suzanne Collins 378 pages             Once every year,  two teenagers are chosen at random to represent their region in a nation-wide game….the Hunger Games. But they’re not competing in track and field … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews, science fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Brave New World

Posted on August 11, 2009 by smellincoffee

Brave New World © 1932 Aldous Huxley 270 pages In Amusing Ourselves to Death, Neil Postman introduced the book with his suspicion that Brave New World’s predictions were coming to fruition — namely, that human happiness will be pursued by … Continue reading →

Posted in Reviews | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments