Fahrenheit 451 is a science fiction novel that tells of a society where books are burned and people a perpetually kept away from any sort of thought or offense by being stimulated all the time. In this dystopia, a firefighter (which is now an occupation to burn books) meets a girl who asks him about the past, goes on walks outside, enjoys hidden knowledge. This sparks a curiosity in the fireman, and he begins to go against the system he was a worker for. Meanwhile, the threat of war looms overhead.

Cons:

Some of the text is very hard to read, or I guess hard to understand, because the author does not make distinction between reality between the actual surroundings and what the main character is feeling. It's like reading the simile without the "like" or "as". Simple when done a couple times, but rather confusing when done a lot. The book is also very short for how many ideas and conflicts it introduces.

Pros:

The messages and themes of this book are amazing. It takes inspiration from many areas of history to critique totalitarianism, such as the Third Reich, the Soviet Union, and McCarthyism. This book is a homage to all other books and their knowledge, and a call to action to remember our history to improve. The imagery in this book is also top-tier. The Hound, not quite beast or machine, is described amazingly, and so are other characters or events. Honorable mention to the bomb scene. The prose, while I have said it can be confusing, is also beautiful. It describes fire so well, and even abstract concepts such as knowledge and ignorance.

Content:

Death

Suicide

Burning to Death

Mass Destruction

Score:

4/5

Masterpiece in concepts, but some areas of are confusing and I would have preferred it longer to explore more characters. But I suppose that is the price all dystopias have to pay to remain mysterious.