I first read Brave New World
when I was 13 or 14. My class was assigned to write an essay on a book in
English so I went to the library to find something that interested me. Now
Icelandic libraries in the early 90's did not have great selection of English books
(at least I do not recall them) but the librarian helped find some Sci-Fi that
was appropriate for me and my reading abilities.
She showed me a simplified version of a Brave New World. I read the book and
loved it. Now 20 years later I read it again and now the original version. My
memory of the novel was so different. The emphasis on the society’s addiction
to Soma was not as prevalent in the simplified version. I see now how this
theme is rich in many other dystopian novels. The free love aspect was really
interesting to a shy teenager but now I see how it is connected to numbness
induced by the Soma.
The story is slow and it really drives home some of its themes (some of which I
do not agree with). Now when reviewing a work like this I always feel conflicted.
Should I judge as I would a contemporary novel or should I take into account
the influences the book has had? I am never sure but I would recommend this to
anyone who is a fan of dystopian fiction and wants to explore the roots of the
genre.
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