I think it’s safe to say that there are few dystopian novels more influential than Aldous Huxley’s [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1575509280l/5129._SY75_.jpg|3204877]. That said, at this point, as I have simply read so many better novels in this genre, I was mostly disappointed by this book.

The novel centers on a world where humans are artificially created and engineered to fit into set castes. Citizens are fairly comfortable with this arrangement, with their moods stabilized by the drug “soma.” People do not give birth, as this is implemented purely by the state, and citizens are encouraged to be sexually promiscuous. Monogamy, nuclear family units, religion, literature, and general free thinking are all seen as primitive and detrimental relics of an archaic past.

I feel like this set up could be really compelling, but it begins to unravel with Bernard’s dry inner-monologue before events even really take off. A cousin of mine summed up this book as a promising plot that is centered on the most boring and unmemorable character, and I’d say this assessment is pretty spot on. For someone who is supposed to be a representative of free thought, he spends most of the novel complaining without actually doing much anything of consequence. He comes off more so like the indignant teenager Holden Caulfield from [b:The Catcher in the Rye|5107|The Catcher in the Rye|J.D. Salinger|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1398034300l/5107._SY75_.jpg|3036731], than a compelling and strong lead for a dystopian sci-fi. This odd characterization left me feeling like I was reading a rough draft, more-so than a fully fleshed-out story.

I think that the most interesting part of this book, is the artificial selection and creation of human beings. Had this element been further developed, I would have probably enjoyed it much more. Other work — like Octavia Butler’s [b:Lilith's Brood|60926|Lilith's Brood (Xenogenesis, #1-3)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1439247785l/60926._SY75_.jpg|3739] and [b:Seed to Harvest|60924|Seed to Harvest (Patternmaster, #1-4)|Octavia E. Butler|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1404406563l/60924._SY75_.jpg|59256] series, N.K. Jemisin’s [b:The Broken Earth Trilogy: The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky|38496769|The Broken Earth Trilogy The Fifth Season, The Obelisk Gate, The Stone Sky|N.K. Jemisin|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1530531199l/38496769._SX50_.jpg|60137524], Margaret Atwood’s [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1)|Margaret Atwood|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1578028274l/38447._SY75_.jpg|1119185], and even the 1997 film Gattaca — all explore this theme of forced selection in greater depth and with superior style.

Now, it is not lost on me that these later works might not exist without Brave New World, but I would still recommend reading [b:1984|40961427|1984|George Orwell|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1532714506l/40961427._SX50_.jpg|153313] instead if you are looking for a good, O.G. dystopian novel. Sorry, not sorry.