I read this while I had a temperature, which may not be the best experience for this book, but nevertheless it's gripping and diverting. It's set in a world with a tiny human population, in which almost everything is automated, and humans are encouraged to take drugs in order not to think or feel. The family unit has been abolished, and people are not supposed to cohabit with one another. On of the main rules is, "Don't ask - relax." The story follows three characters: Robert Spofforth, a robot of very high intelligence, and the only being who understands what's going on in the world; Paul Bentley, the last human who is able to read, and Mary Lou, an outcast, one of the few who doesn't take soporific drugs. Paul and Mary Lou become friends, and, through reading, try to understand the history of the world around them, and what events have led up to the world existing in its current state. But Spofforth begins to feel threatened by their actions, and intervenes. Though this novel is gruelling in its depressing view of the world, and in its depictions of the hopelessness of the characters, there is also a sense of love and human decency within this story. It's a bleak portrait of the world, but also one in which change is possible, and Tevis creates a twisted but compelling portrait of the future.

There are a couple of odd notes here. The fact that Spofforth is the only Black character, and that being Black is so noticeable in the far future in which much else has changed, strikes me as not fully thought-through. There is also the inclusion of a religious community living on some kind of nuclear reactor, which feels like it should be part of an entirely different sci-fi story and doesn't belong here. But these elements stand out so strongly because the rest of the book is so carefully judged, and the story feels so balanced.

I don't think this is as good as The Man Who Feel to Earth, but it is very worthwhile, and I would recommend it. Also, to this who need to know: the cat is fine throughout.

I've been sitting here, trying to come up with some kind of review, but I keep drawing blanks. This is a very good book- a little bit average at times, and the themes became a little bit forced at points- but it's very enjoyable and one that will make you think.

I felt that how the world came to be illiterate was not explained well. Though, I suppose, that was partially the point. If nobody can read, and people are obsessed only with themselves (or, as it is said in the text, Privacy), then history is unlikely to be passed down. They don't even know what year it is, though it's stated at some point as being the 25th century.

The characters in [b:Mockingbird|2657|To Kill a Mockingbird|Harper Lee|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1234606708s/2657.jpg|3275794] are interesting, but I found myself unable to truly connect with any of them. I sympathised with Bentley and Spofforth (Mary Lou I was rather ambivalent about), but towards the end of the novel, I found them starting to become rather irritating. Maybe it was because of the prison and why it was never really explained as to why Spofforth decided to imprison Bentley (outside of shacking up with Mary Lou).

An enjoyable book, but some questions that I felt were unanswered.

It still reads as pretty prescient in some ways, but....this may be sacrilege but I feel like a lot of these dystopian future novels would be better as short stories or novellas. The point gets made and then hammered home so repeatedly, that some of the impact gets lost. Or maybe dystopian future novels just aren't my thing and I'm rationalizing why they should be shorter. I shouldn't take it out just on this book, it had some good parts for sure and the beginning and ending were both excellent.

A true classic. Surprises me that this has not been spun into a tv series, but “secretly” happy that it hasn’t. The ending could have been slightly elongated but overall I couldn’t ask more from this book.

It might be a 3/5 but the description of the characters learning about the concept of reading was a 5/5. Read as a part of a book club and it was an amazing book for creating great discussions.

It's not perfect, but if you're a fan of dystopian SCIFI you should give it a shot!

wasn't sure when I first started it if I was going to like it or not but decided to keep going and glad I did. I enjoyed it alot

Likte spesielt den delen hvor han reiste rundt i den ødelagte verden med katten sin og levde på muslinger.

A touching, tender novel about a future in which benevolent robots run the disintegrating world - and about a rediscovery of books. A valuable read for anyone interested in the edges of humanity.