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adventurous
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Incredibly over hyped novel. Truly didn't have much to say, though I do feel like what it actually was saying gets very misinterpreted by most people. Dull and dry, not much substance. Go read The Iliad instead if you want classic literature diving into the horrors of war, it'll give you better commentary and won't make you want to tear your hair from boredom.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Child death, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Abandonment, War, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Fatphobia
Minor: Xenophobia, Antisemitism, Religious bigotry, Classism
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Whew! This book is crazy! But it was good and everyone should read it at some point. Especially if you read the audio with William Golding.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Racism, Violence, Religious bigotry
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lord of the Flies – The Overhyped Banana Rot of the Canon
(Golding’s Lord of the Flies is what happens when a metaphor puts on a school uniform and beats you with a stick for 200 pages.)
(Golding’s Lord of the Flies is what happens when a metaphor puts on a school uniform and beats you with a stick for 200 pages.)
Characters – 4/10
Let’s call it like it is: these kids aren’t characters, they’re walking, talking plot devices in short pants. Ralph is “leadership.” Jack is “rage.” Piggy is “logic.” Simon is “Jesus, but make it fragile.” And the twins? Congratulations, they have a personality only when lumped into a single name like a failed boy band. I’m supposed to care about them spiraling into savagery, but how can I when most of them are less developed than NPCs in a 90s video game? These boys don’t evolve—they just switch moral alignment when Golding decides it’s time to turn up the “civilization is doomed” dial. It's all very Lord of the Archetypes.
Let’s call it like it is: these kids aren’t characters, they’re walking, talking plot devices in short pants. Ralph is “leadership.” Jack is “rage.” Piggy is “logic.” Simon is “Jesus, but make it fragile.” And the twins? Congratulations, they have a personality only when lumped into a single name like a failed boy band. I’m supposed to care about them spiraling into savagery, but how can I when most of them are less developed than NPCs in a 90s video game? These boys don’t evolve—they just switch moral alignment when Golding decides it’s time to turn up the “civilization is doomed” dial. It's all very Lord of the Archetypes.
Atmosphere/Setting – 8/10
Golding can write a jungle like no one’s business, I’ll give him that. The island feels sweaty, sinister, and claustrophobically hostile. Unfortunately, he leans so hard into his overripe symbolism that the atmosphere goes from immersive to suffocating. If I read the word “creepers” one more time I’ll start slashing vines myself. The jungle isn’t just a jungle—it’s a metaphor for evil, or the subconscious, or man’s primal nature, or whatever Golding's undergrad lit professor told him once. It’s impressive, but about as subtle as a burning conch shell to the face.
Golding can write a jungle like no one’s business, I’ll give him that. The island feels sweaty, sinister, and claustrophobically hostile. Unfortunately, he leans so hard into his overripe symbolism that the atmosphere goes from immersive to suffocating. If I read the word “creepers” one more time I’ll start slashing vines myself. The jungle isn’t just a jungle—it’s a metaphor for evil, or the subconscious, or man’s primal nature, or whatever Golding's undergrad lit professor told him once. It’s impressive, but about as subtle as a burning conch shell to the face.
Writing Style – 4/10
Golding’s prose is bloated and self-important. He’s clearly in love with his own voice, and unfortunately, that voice often reads like a thesaurus fell down a flight of stairs. The narrative constantly toggles between grandiose Biblical overtones and awkward, stilted dialogue from kids who sound like they studied existentialism at prep school. Example: Simon dies and it’s described with so much marine imagery, you'd think Poseidon himself was officiating. Meanwhile, Piggy’s dialogue reads like, “Cor blimey, guv’nor, I got me asthma!” The tone whiplash is real, and not in a fun way.
Golding’s prose is bloated and self-important. He’s clearly in love with his own voice, and unfortunately, that voice often reads like a thesaurus fell down a flight of stairs. The narrative constantly toggles between grandiose Biblical overtones and awkward, stilted dialogue from kids who sound like they studied existentialism at prep school. Example: Simon dies and it’s described with so much marine imagery, you'd think Poseidon himself was officiating. Meanwhile, Piggy’s dialogue reads like, “Cor blimey, guv’nor, I got me asthma!” The tone whiplash is real, and not in a fun way.
Plot – 5/10
If you’ve ever wanted to watch a group project fall apart in slow motion, but with more blood and fewer snacks, this is your book. The plot is simple: kids crash, kids argue, kids commit casual murder, kids get rescued. And yet, it drags. The middle chapters are a swamp of meaningless meetings, pointless rule-making, and “who stole the fire this time” drama. The big twist (SPOILER: humanity is garbage) is telegraphed by chapter two. Once you realize Golding’s main point is “without grown-ups we’re all doomed,” everything else becomes repetitive sermonizing.
If you’ve ever wanted to watch a group project fall apart in slow motion, but with more blood and fewer snacks, this is your book. The plot is simple: kids crash, kids argue, kids commit casual murder, kids get rescued. And yet, it drags. The middle chapters are a swamp of meaningless meetings, pointless rule-making, and “who stole the fire this time” drama. The big twist (SPOILER: humanity is garbage) is telegraphed by chapter two. Once you realize Golding’s main point is “without grown-ups we’re all doomed,” everything else becomes repetitive sermonizing.
Intrigue – 5/10
The opening is promising: mystery, survival, conch politics. But the moment you realize the story is a slow countdown to “Piggy dies and everything burns,” the tension dies. There’s no nuance, no suspense, just a grim inevitability that flattens the experience. I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading—I just felt obligated. You know, the way you eat broccoli because you’re “supposed to.”
The opening is promising: mystery, survival, conch politics. But the moment you realize the story is a slow countdown to “Piggy dies and everything burns,” the tension dies. There’s no nuance, no suspense, just a grim inevitability that flattens the experience. I didn’t feel compelled to keep reading—I just felt obligated. You know, the way you eat broccoli because you’re “supposed to.”
Logic/Relationships – 3/10
The logic of the book is best summed up as: Golding wanted this to happen, so it does. These boys degenerate into face-painted murderers faster than you can say “power vacuum,” and somehow no one stops to build an actual shelter. Relationships are formed and discarded like Lego blocks. The power dynamics shift because symbolism, not actual character motivation. Also, why are the littluns even here? They do nothing, contribute nothing, and exist solely to remind you that kids are helpless little plot clutter. I half-expected them to disappear like background extras in a movie.
The logic of the book is best summed up as: Golding wanted this to happen, so it does. These boys degenerate into face-painted murderers faster than you can say “power vacuum,” and somehow no one stops to build an actual shelter. Relationships are formed and discarded like Lego blocks. The power dynamics shift because symbolism, not actual character motivation. Also, why are the littluns even here? They do nothing, contribute nothing, and exist solely to remind you that kids are helpless little plot clutter. I half-expected them to disappear like background extras in a movie.
Enjoyment – 4/10
Reading this felt like attending a very long, very pretentious TED Talk in the middle of a heatwave. It’s not that the ideas are bad—it’s that they’re shoved down your throat with the subtlety of a warthog. “Man is inherently evil.” Cool. Heard that. Got it. But couldn’t you, I don’t know, show it with some complexity instead of turning every character into a binary moral stance in khaki shorts? The result is a joyless descent into chaos that feels both emotionally hollow and thematically smug.
Reading this felt like attending a very long, very pretentious TED Talk in the middle of a heatwave. It’s not that the ideas are bad—it’s that they’re shoved down your throat with the subtlety of a warthog. “Man is inherently evil.” Cool. Heard that. Got it. But couldn’t you, I don’t know, show it with some complexity instead of turning every character into a binary moral stance in khaki shorts? The result is a joyless descent into chaos that feels both emotionally hollow and thematically smug.
Final Verdict: 4.5/10
Lord of the Flies is one of those “classics” people cite to sound well-read, but secretly dread rereading. It’s bloated with symbolism, light on actual storytelling, and cynically obsessed with proving that we’re all monsters underneath our school uniforms. If you want an insightful examination of humanity’s dark side, maybe try literally anything else that doesn’t involve yelling about a shell for twenty pages.
Lord of the Flies is one of those “classics” people cite to sound well-read, but secretly dread rereading. It’s bloated with symbolism, light on actual storytelling, and cynically obsessed with proving that we’re all monsters underneath our school uniforms. If you want an insightful examination of humanity’s dark side, maybe try literally anything else that doesn’t involve yelling about a shell for twenty pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Murder
Moderate: Body shaming, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Fatphobia, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic friendship
Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexism, Religious bigotry, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Classism
Though not graphically sexual, the novel contains disturbing psychological content, especially relating to the dehumanization of others, loss of moral compass, and the innate capacity for cruelty in children. The story is especially intense due to its themes of hopelessness, tribalism, and the collapse of order.
It may be especially upsetting for those sensitive to bullying, child endangerment, or group violence.