“My happiness is not the means to any end. It is the end. It is its own goal. It is its own purpose.”
Title: Anthem
Author: Ayn Rand
Series: Standalone
Format: Paperback (Borrowed)
Genre: Dystopian
SPOILER FREE
Blurb:
He lived in the dark ages of the future. In a loveless world, he dared to fall in love. In an age that had lost all trace of science and civilization, he had the courage to seek and find knowledge. But these were not the crimes for which he would be hunted. He was marked for death because he had committed the unpardonable sin: standing out from the mindless human herd.
Plot: ★★★
Since this is such a short book, I find that everything is very rushed, which is understandable to an extent. I've never been a fan of dystopians, but I had been recommended this book so much that I decided to give it a try. You're kind of just thrown into the world without much information at all, and just as you start to get used to the world and plot, the book is over. I didn't really like the direction the plot took, I thought it was all kind of predictable and nothing jumped out at me. I mean, this book did have some nice messages in it, but it's definitely just a way for the author to get her political views out, in my opinion.
Characters: ★★★
Again, we don't really get to know the characters very well. I do like the main character, he stands out and doesn't believe what the rest of the people there believe, but he's kind of your generic dystopian heroes. I mean, I have to give this book some credit because it was one of the first dystopians, but I've read too many for it to stand out to me. And the other main character, the girl, I can't stand. I can't stand their relationship, or her personality, or the MAJOR case of insta-love. I just can't stand her.
Writing: ★★★
This book is pretty solidly average for me, and the writing didn't stand out at all. The writing felt rushed and all over the place, and again, nothing stood out to me. A lot of things aren't explained or elaborated on either, and that drives me crazy.
Ending: ★★
So predictable. I wasn't given a sense of satisfaction or happiness, except that the book was over and I didn't have to read any more. I didn't like the way it ended, I felt like that's what I was expecting before I even started the book, and it was boring.
Rereadability: No.
Final Rating: ★★★
It was just an okay book for me. If you like dystopians, you might like this. It just felt like Ayn Rand was ranting about her political views instead of writing a story.
