As speculative fiction, Fahrenheit 451 is interesting but inconsistent. The controlling nature of the society doesn't seem fully realized--if books are so contraband that their owners must be killed, how do families like Clarisse's manage to operate in their own way without governmental interference? If everyone is being watched all the time, how are people still largely free to live as they want? Who is at the top of the society, controlling it for all others?

While the concept of book-burning and censorship has potential, Bradbury leaves too many unanswered questions about the context to make this story believable in any way.