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mmbakerpaxton's review against another edition
“Sleeping, we cease to live that we may be lived (how blessedly!) by some nameless Other who this opportunity to restore the mind to sanity and being healing to the abused and self-tormented body.”
“Cruelty and compassion come with the chromosomes; all men are merciful and all are murderers.”
“Cruelty and compassion come with the chromosomes; all men are merciful and all are murderers.”
pilgrimbookstore89's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
cmarcatili's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars.
As a teen, Brave New World was probably my favourite book. It's the one that got me into reading – where I could clearly see stories could be much more than what they appear at face value. Over time I've slowly been making my way through Aldous Huxley's other works and this one has been on the list for a while.
Ape and Essence was not the worst Aldous Huxley book I've read, but I've certainly read better. Like many of his speculative novels it's a bit quirky – certainly flawed – but in typical Huxley style uses its weird premise to explore ideas of morality, politics, and to some degree even environmental degradation. And though it seems kind of dense I actually found it a quick read.
As a teen, Brave New World was probably my favourite book. It's the one that got me into reading – where I could clearly see stories could be much more than what they appear at face value. Over time I've slowly been making my way through Aldous Huxley's other works and this one has been on the list for a while.
Ape and Essence was not the worst Aldous Huxley book I've read, but I've certainly read better. Like many of his speculative novels it's a bit quirky – certainly flawed – but in typical Huxley style uses its weird premise to explore ideas of morality, politics, and to some degree even environmental degradation. And though it seems kind of dense I actually found it a quick read.
jonfaith's review against another edition
4.0
Cruelty and compassion come with the chromosomes
I've elected to storm into the ranks of Huxley, like a Korean antihero in a Vengeance film. This is a peculiar fruit. There was much from which I recoiled. I feel at moments that History had made the novel look foolish and impotent.
The reasons to dislike this were Legion
The novel's thrust is a rejected screenplay
The narrative then is couched
in satirical and cinematic terms
speaking of a future
a world devastated by nuclear exchange
Kiwis having no strategic importance
Set out to trawl the ruins
Sub-Saharan Africa as well
Though Huxley leaves us with but
an ill humored parenthesis
Back to the New Zealanders
Broaching the California shores
100 years after the mushroom clouds
He finds a strange tribal society
One worshiping the Diabolical
For what else could govern their
Haphazard hungry lives?
Sex is outlawed except for
yearly festival of frenzy
the mutated offspring are
sacrificed for their inherent
Misdeed
There is a classic information dump
The devil obviously arrived
in the Scientific Method
Without a humanizing temper
Radioactive fallout was Destiny
It is this final exchange of ideas which redeems the novel, so similar to Brave New World --though here we substitute Shelley for Shakespeare. There is an annoying glibness to this but it appears more a farce than anything meaningful or resonant, whereas the Orgy-Porgy scenes in Brave New World will haunt me forever. There wasn't a corresponding moment in Ape and Essence of the timeless. Parody, just parody.
I've elected to storm into the ranks of Huxley, like a Korean antihero in a Vengeance film. This is a peculiar fruit. There was much from which I recoiled. I feel at moments that History had made the novel look foolish and impotent.
The reasons to dislike this were Legion
The novel's thrust is a rejected screenplay
The narrative then is couched
in satirical and cinematic terms
speaking of a future
a world devastated by nuclear exchange
Kiwis having no strategic importance
Set out to trawl the ruins
Sub-Saharan Africa as well
Though Huxley leaves us with but
an ill humored parenthesis
Back to the New Zealanders
Broaching the California shores
100 years after the mushroom clouds
He finds a strange tribal society
One worshiping the Diabolical
For what else could govern their
Haphazard hungry lives?
Sex is outlawed except for
yearly festival of frenzy
the mutated offspring are
sacrificed for their inherent
Misdeed
There is a classic information dump
The devil obviously arrived
in the Scientific Method
Without a humanizing temper
Radioactive fallout was Destiny
It is this final exchange of ideas which redeems the novel, so similar to Brave New World --though here we substitute Shelley for Shakespeare. There is an annoying glibness to this but it appears more a farce than anything meaningful or resonant, whereas the Orgy-Porgy scenes in Brave New World will haunt me forever. There wasn't a corresponding moment in Ape and Essence of the timeless. Parody, just parody.
knitswithbeer's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
0.5
Bat.
Shit.
Shit.
glennab28's review against another edition
3.0
your basic dystopia novel - it paints a pretty bleak picture of the future, but then that's the point. a quick read and one that gets its point across with in your face imagery.
tessichu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Satanismmjhogan29's review against another edition
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Interesting book but took a little bit to get used the style. Completely different from Brave New World in the regard. Not completely dark but not very hopeful.
shreya615's review against another edition
4.0
I can't really determined what to think about this book.
What I love about Huxley is the fact that he can think about the future, the human society in ways nobody else can. But this book was...almost predictable. I couldn't find any reason why women were considered evil incarnate in this book. In a way, it really seemed like Huxley decided to revisit the times of geographical discovery- the first time white men discovered America or even Africa.
Maybe this is how he saw it. It is a big deal that this book was written in 1949, but it seems a little too predictable, given my 2012 mindset.
What I love about Huxley is the fact that he can think about the future, the human society in ways nobody else can. But this book was...almost predictable. I couldn't find any reason why women were considered evil incarnate in this book. In a way, it really seemed like Huxley decided to revisit the times of geographical discovery- the first time white men discovered America or even Africa.
Maybe this is how he saw it. It is a big deal that this book was written in 1949, but it seems a little too predictable, given my 2012 mindset.