Be Specific About Based On Books This Perfect Day
Title | : | This Perfect Day |
Author | : | Ira Levin |
Book Format | : | Mass Market Paperback |
Book Edition | : | Anniversary Edition |
Pages | : | Pages: 368 pages |
Published | : | February 1st 1991 by Bantam (first published 1970) |
Categories | : | Science Fiction. Dystopia. Fiction. Horror. Classics |
Ira Levin
Mass Market Paperback | Pages: 368 pages Rating: 4.02 | 7451 Users | 673 Reviews
Commentary Conducive To Books This Perfect Day
The story is set in a seemingly perfect global society. Uniformity is the defining feature; there is only one language and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race called “The Family.” The world is ruled by a central computer called UniComp that has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the earth in check. People are continually drugged by means of regular injections so that they will remain satisfied and cooperative. They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce. Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the UniComp’s will—men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night.Specify Books Supposing This Perfect Day
Original Title: | This Perfect Day |
ISBN: | 0553290029 (ISBN13: 9780553290028) |
Edition Language: | English |
Characters: | Chip Winston, Lilac, Wei |
Literary Awards: | Prometheus Hall of Fame Award (1992) |
Rating Based On Books This Perfect Day
Ratings: 4.02 From 7451 Users | 673 ReviewsComment On Based On Books This Perfect Day
An excellent read. A deceptively simple writing style belies a very complex book with deep social commentary. The question is simple. What happens when a computer runs the world and keeps the citizenry asleep and suddenly you wake up? Social commentary on over medication, individuality, collectivism, as well as hard choices make for a very entertaining read. Oddly enough, I think This Perfect Day is more relevant today than it was even 45 years ago.3 1/2 StarsThis character-driven dystopia had very good character development and a rather frightening view of a possible future for all of mankind. In the minds of the developers of the society, this was Utopia. In the minds of not such a small group of people in today's world, the world in this novel may appear Utopian. No war, no need for guns, no over-population -- but the price to pay = no freedom of choice, of any kind, ensured by constant injections of drugs.There was only factor in this
I'm surprised at the low rating many have given this classic. What makes This Perfect Day a must read is not just a well-crafted, twisting plot and setting, but the depth of the main character. The author reveals him to us gradually -- as the character becomes less drugged/more cogent, we know and care about him even more. The style of writing, although in the past tense and 3rd person, achieves an immediacy that transports the reader to the setting and action as it happens. For instance, as
Centuries in the future, the people of Earth live under the control of an artificial intelligence called UniComp. A century and a half earlier, the computers governing the five continents had come together in the Unification. The result was a worldwide society free of war, hunger, crime, and violence of any sort. "Hate" and "fight" are swear words. This is the world Ira Levin describes in his superb science fiction novel, This Perfect Day.The world run by Unicomp is dedicated to efficiency above
This 1971 novel presents an early imaginative vision of a computer controlled dystopian society masquerading as a utopia. Its more in the tradition of Brave New World than 1984 in that thought control is not by propaganda but by all intrusive counselors and drugs. The Soma in this tale goes beyond rendering pleasure and a sense of contentment, but pacifies by dampening emotions and curiosity. As in Huxleys masterpiece, promiscuity is encouraged adding to a populace of happy, shiny people who
Completed way back in June, 1969, Ira Levin's novel THIS PERFECT DAY introduces a futuristic colony with a computer at the helm where everyone is programmed to be cold and lifeless, and everyone, as a member of the "family" is monitored throughout the day. "Even the basic facts of nature are subject to the Unicomp's will ----- men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night." Lots of action and some pretty cool twists along the way keep things from becoming
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