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Courtesy of the National Public Mayhem Review
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
"Huxley tells the story of a future world in which everyone's lives revolve around the assembly line..."
Brave New World, stands as a monument in both science fiction and also in economic criticism. Huxley tells the story of a future world in which everyone's lives revolve around the assembly line and everyone worships Henry Ford. In this dystopia, people are cloned and immediately placed into different castes based upon their genetic makeup and the conditioning they will recieve at the Cloning Plant. Alphas are the highest and they run virtually everything from businesses to the Cloning Plant. Epsilons are the lowest form of human and they do all the menial tasks. Notibly, the Epsilons have darker skin, much as a mockery of Ford's own anti-black racism. This book is wonderfully written and keeps you engrossed in its crazy futuristic possibilities up until the end.
~Majin Butter~
Catch 22, by Joseph Heller
"... I did not find myself laughing once."
This book is catagorized as a comedy but I did not find myself laughing once. Heller's humor is dry and out-dated. His poorly-designed characters are all extremely sarcastic and he over-uses their sarcasm in practically every situation. I found myself wanting to skip entire conversations because it was the same, dull, sarcastic joke floating through a conversation which Heller placed in the novel with the intent to make us laugh. Plain and simple, I do not understand how this book is considered a classic. If you find a 6 year-old sarcastic brat amusing then maybe you will like this book because all the characters have a personality of that calibur.
~Majin Butter~
Das Kapital, by Karl Marx
"...anyone interested in the communist party ... should read this book."
One cannot deny the historical significance of a book such as Das Kapital, but one may not enjoy reading the actual text. Being interested in the communist econmical system myself, I found the book very interesting, but unless you are interested in that particular topic, do not read this book; you will be bored out of your mind. Chances are if you're even reading this far, you are interested in the book. The chapters discuss mainly assessing the value to some commodity, as comparing it to another commodity in value based upon a few different methods. If you are interested in reading a book about the communist political system, read The Communist Manifesto, by Karl Marx, which is the counterpart to Das Kapital; otherwise, anyone interested in the communist party, or in the life achievements of Karl Marx, the man who created communism, should read this book.
~Majin Butter~
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
"The suspense, and sense of sci-fi realism that Bradbury portrays in this novel, displays his talent as a writer and his foresight as a human being."
Have you ever wondered what would happen to the world is censorship was taken too far? Bradbury's most famous novel gives us quite an interesting view. In the future, books are not allowed, people all seem to be less interesting. When books are discovered, "firemen" burn them all and the building holding them as well. The main character is one of these "firemen" and eventually realizes the mistakes he's made but he has quite the trouble correcting them because even his own wife is against him. The suspense, and sense of sci-fi realism that Bradbury portrays in this novel, displays his talent as a writer and his foresight as a human being. This book is wonderful for everyone, and makes you think twice about supporting a ban... ever.
~Majin Butter~
Fight Club, by Chuck Palahniuk
"Although it differs from the movie's screenplay, it is an excellent book and should be regarded as such."
When a book gets made into a movie, certainly things will be altered from the original version. This original text is heavily related to the movie, but it is very different. If one were to read this book, they would never have thought of Brad Pitt as Tyler Durden in the movie version. Although it differs from the movie's screenplay, it is an excellent book and should be regarded as such. If you are interested in the movie, and what the foundation of the movie was built on, read this book. It is almost like an alternate universe of the same two characters from the movie. I enjoyed this book, and only wish it was longer.
~Majin Butter~
Ishmael, by Daniel Quinn
"...the book was like having a radical environmentalist screaming in your ear about how man has destroyed the earth for over 200 pages."
Ishmael is indeed a book you will remember for long after you have finished reading it. Daniel Quinn uses a unique character relationship which lies between a telepathic gorilla and a young adult man. If you can look past the fact that there is a telepathic gorilla, then you might just enjoy the book; many people I know did. I did not enjoy it very much, however; the book was like having a radical environmentalist screaming in your ear about how man has destroyed the earth for over 200 pages. I found the book tedious and boring at times, and it seemed as though Daniel Quinn was not writing a story about what a gorilla felt, he was writing about what he felt instead. Overall the book was somewhat interesting, but unless you are interested in ecology or saving the planet, don't bother reading it.
~Majin Butter~
Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
"If there was a list of books a person must read before he dies, this book would be at the top of the list."
One might think that this book gets excellent ratings is because it's a classic and we have to praise it or commit editorial suicicde, but that is not the case in the slightest. The classic partnership of a strong stupid guy and a small smart guy all started here. You may have seen it in that Looney Tunes short with characters named Lenny and George; these two characters are directly taken from Of Mice and Men. This book is simply amazing for such a short book about the farming business in the 1920's. If there was a list of books a person must read before he dies, this book would be at the top of the list. This book is great for anyone who likes suspense, surprise, and excellent story-telling done by Steinbeck throughout the short paper-back.
~Majin Butter~
Waterlily, by Ella Cara Deloria
"Because of the monotonous story cycle and of the inveterated bias due to [the author's] upbringing, this book was left at being nothing but a lifeless tale..."
Waterlily had the potential to be an excellent story and maybe spawn sequels. Deloria's lack of flair and writing style surely made the book flop. Because of the monotonous story cycle and of the inveterated bias due to her upbringing, this book was left at being nothing but a lifeless tale of a girl raised amongst the Lakota Sioux tribe. Although I have studied this book thoroughly, I have realized its true potential as a work of art. It is also come to my knowledge that Deloria cut out at least 500 pages of material from the original version. Had that 500 pages included a real plot or maybe some action to spice-up the adventure, then the book might not have failed in the way it did. Do not bother reading this book unless you need information regarding the Lakota people.
~Majin Butter~
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