Take a photo of a barcode or cover
4.11 AVERAGE
4.11 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
War Is Peace
Freedom Is Slavery
Ignorance Is Strength
A classic, historical novel by George Orwell is reimagined and paired with the captivating, evocative illustrations by Fido Nesti, to bring a new perspective to an iconic story that is still relevant to this day.
The graphic adaptation brings the grim totalitarian state of Oceania to life as we follow Winston Smith, a man living in what we think is the year 1984 in London, which is a grim city under a totalitarian regime known as Big Brother.
You see, Big Brother is always watching you and the Thought Police can practically read your mind. Winston Smith is a man in grave danger for the simple reason that his memory still functions. In a world where the narrative of the past is controlled and any contradictions to the Party, history, facts are erased and replaced with what the Department of Records, where Winston works, deem correct for their narrative. However, in the corners of his mind, Winston is slowly remembering what the works was like before the revolution, before The Party and Big Brother and he even begins to secretly write on a journal his hidden thoughts, a dangerous task and possibly one that won’t go farther because if he’s caught by the Thought Police, it will nearly be another document erased alongside him.
When Winston is drawn into a forbidden love affair, he finds the courage to join a secret revolutionary organization called the Brotherhood, who are dedicated to the destruction of the Party. Together
with his beloved Julia, he hazards his life in a deadly match against the powers that be.
This was a very grim, haunting story about how controlling one’s thoughts and being able to erase all history lends to absolute power over everything and everyone. However, especially given the political climate currently, it’s more important than ever to read and reread these books that are often subjected to bool bans and continue discussing these topics and ideas the story brings to light.
Some of my favorite quote are below:
“HOW COULD YOU MAKE APPEAL TO THE FUTURE WHEN NOT A TRACE OF TOU NOT EVEN AN ANONYMOUS WORD SCRIBBLED ON A PIECE OF PAPER, COULD PHYSICALLY SURVIVE?”
“EVERYTHING FADED INTO MIST. THE PAST WAS ERASED, THE ERASURE WAS FORGOTTEN, THE LIE BECAME TRUTH.”
“It is absolutely necessary to their structure that there should be no contact with foreigners. Except with war prisoners, the average citizen of Oceania never sets eyes on a citizen of either Eurasia or Eastasia, and he is forbidden the knowledge of foreign languages. If he were allowed contact with foreigners he would discover that they are creatures similar to himself and that most of what he has been told about them is lies. The sealed world in which he lives would be broken, and the fear, hatred and self-righteousness on which his morale depends might evaporate.”
slow-paced
challenging
dark
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:
Complicated
challenging
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Thought provoking! Makes you wonder about the unknown agendas of the powers that be… I always have my conspiracy theory hat on
I don’t think I would’ve been able to get through this without the audible graphic audio. I had an eerie feeling the whole time.
I don’t think I would’ve been able to get through this without the audible graphic audio. I had an eerie feeling the whole time.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was a good way to reread 1984. I didnt like the art style, but it did fit the feel of the story so it didn't detract from it.
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
Reading this in graphic form 45 years after I first read it in HS illustrates just how chillingly prescient Orwell was about technology, foretelling of AI and novels (and other art) produced by unfeeling machines for an unfeeling society. He also foresaw the thought policing of the internet, the constant rewriting of history as propaganda, and explores the notion that there is a better tomorrow coming (that never arrives). He had a bit too much sympathy for the soulless hacks in the upper middle class, but it's hard to feel for those who took the money and now can't enjoy sex or speak in marketing jargon (which is also a feature of Millennials and Gen Z). Portraying a Jewish president merely showed where American sympathies always lay, in the fascism of religious control of the masses.
Sadly, the protagonist merely thought that education would help the masses rise up, disproven now by the fact that we have all the information we could ever have at our fingertips, but prefer cat memes.
It's the rare graphic adaptation that may not exceed the original format, but does enhance it.
Sadly, the protagonist merely thought that education would help the masses rise up, disproven now by the fact that we have all the information we could ever have at our fingertips, but prefer cat memes.
It's the rare graphic adaptation that may not exceed the original format, but does enhance it.
dark
sad
tense