Book Review: We

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 03:53 PM

We - by Yevgeny Zamayatin (Fiction)

Whoa. Whoa! Whoa!

Lemme tell you folks, I've been batting a thousand lately on the book front (albeit with a list of ringers). "We" is no exception. Somebody might have recommended it here? Thanks.

We is a flat out masterpiece. period, full stop. We also sits at the top (if not on top then very, very near) of the dis-topian/sci-fi genre. What makes it even more remarkable is that it predates most of the genre's greatest works by quite some time. By way of comparison, We was written in 1923, whereas the closely related work 1984 (2 books down on my reading/re-reading list BTW) wasn't written until 1948 (completed then IIRC).

Even though it is a translation the power comes through although the poetry & meter is obviously lost. The style is quite different from most works of fiction and while in the end I ended up at ease with it and enjoying the style, at first I found it moderately difficult to get my head into its gear (just a warning).

Set in the far distant future, and written as a memoir of sorts by D-503, We chronicles a strikingly well rendered authoritarian distopian society (ruled by the Benefactor (the only named character), a none-too-subtle Stalin figure, think of him as a gauzier/iron Big Brother) that starts coming apart at the seams. Basically, all aspects of an "individual's" life are regulated and coordinated broken down into chunks of time by their table of the hours (based on an ancient railroad schedule no less). D-503 begins as a quite earnest and eloquent proponent of their system and gets sucked into a conspiratorial world that he's not even guessed at by a domineering I-330 pseudo "love" interest. Don't want to get too into the plot, it is good.

Basically, Zamayatin gets Stalinist Russia pegged way early on as to its goals and methods.

About the only "negative" criticism I have is that in many ways he has a great ability to imagine technology far into the future (flying cars, "glass" building materials that can be darkened at the push of a button, a listening membrane, space ship etc...) but seems unable to fit them into the story as more than mere baubles.

This is certainly a "dark" book. It is not one wholly without optimism but it is not uplifting. Stark, probing, insightful but not fun.

Really, a great read. If you've already read 1984/Brave New World you owe it to yourself to read We as well. If you haven't read 1984/BNW, it is time to get cracking and We is a great (but not an easy) start.

We gets three out of four lemons, the only demerits come from it being a) a translation and b) the technology criticism.
----------------------------------------------------------
A note on the Lemon Scale. 3/4 is high praise indeed. Four Lemons are reserved for those works that truly transcend this world. A one Lemon book is still completely readable (I figure why waste time reviewing for you books that are less than that so the "bottom" of the scale is still quite high).

--------------------------------
Next up? Harvest of Sorrow by Robert Conquest (Non-Fiction). Teaser: I've just started and know that this is going to be a "good" one. Black, awful, painful to read but good.

If you aren't paying attention you'll miss the sucker punch in the intro:
"We may perhaps put this in perspective in the present case by saying that in the actions here recorded about twenty human lives were lost for, not every word, but every letter, in this book." Page 1.

Note, it is neither a thin book nor does it have large printing.

**morningdew** · 03-02-2005, 04:00 PM

I might be a JONG, too, but come on...

MUSIC BOOKS AND MOVIES, JONG!!!

**Foggy_Goggles** · 03-02-2005, 04:01 PM

Books bitch!! You're either part of the problem or part of the solution. Now that you're joining the alpine world, you will be held to a higher standard.

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 04:09 PM

Foggy: I am part of the problem bitch! Nobody reads that forum, least of all me therefore it goes in here with all the other detritus.

Mourningdew: thanks for that, really I mean that sincerely.

**morningdew** · 03-02-2005, 04:17 PM

sorry, lemon.

just giving you a hard time. the book actually sounds pretty sweet. thanks for the review.

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 04:20 PM

Don't apologize dipshit. Does it look like I can't take it? Noooooooooooooooo.

: BTW- I don't think you know who you're jonging.

You're more than welcome otherwise, We is a tour de force. Powerful stuff.

**Foggy_Goggles** · 03-02-2005, 04:21 PM

Originally Posted by morningdew

sorry, lemon.

just giving you a hard time.

^^^^^^pussy

Don't be scared of Lemon just 'cause he's got a big truck and a bunch of guns.

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 04:23 PM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

^^^^^^pussy

Don't be scared of Lemon just 'cause he's got a big truck and a bunch of guns.

**Below Zero** · 03-02-2005, 04:28 PM

Hey Lemon - how did your post count drop to 25?

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 04:30 PM

:shrug:

That's how many posts I have...

I used my mad monkey steeze to hack the site (why it was down this AM) and reset them to zero...

The motherfucking benefactor (see above) put my post count in his glass bell and sucked all the air out of it...

**Foggy_Goggles** · 03-02-2005, 04:37 PM

I'm getting ownerized by a bean counter whos into wizards and shit. This sucks.

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 04:38 PM

Just be secure in the knowledge that yours is one of the many asses that I flat own.

**FRP** · 03-02-2005, 05:14 PM

I just finished reading WE two days ago, it took me four hours to read the book. Excellent read, its amazing given the historical context of when it was written and how early and ominously accurate it is. You can see how much Orwell and Huxley drew from zamatyin in their dystopian classics

**lemon boy** · 03-02-2005, 05:15 PM

Originally Posted by FRP

I just finished reading WE two days ago, it took me four hours to read the book. Excellent read, its amazing given the historical context of when it was written and how early and ominously accurate it is. You can see how much Orwell and Huxley drew from zamatyin in their dystopian classics

Agreed.....

**Will** · 03-02-2005, 05:22 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

By way of comparison, We was written in 1923, whereas the closely related work 1984 (2 books down on my reading/re-reading list BTW) wasn't written until 1948 (completed then IIRC).
...
Really, a great read. If you've already read 1984/Brave New World you owe it to yourself to read We as well. If you haven't read 1984/BNW, it is time to get cracking and We is a great (but not an easy) start.

Great book! I read it for a class back in college and as I recall the prof introduced it by pointing out that both Huxley and Orwell had just read "We" before they started their own dystopian novels.

I think one of the two had even promised 'never to write science fiction', but then read "We" and changed his mind.

damn fine book....

**Telenater** · 03-02-2005, 05:37 PM

Originally Posted by Foggy_Goggles

I'm getting ownerized by a bean counter whos into wizards and shit. This sucks.

Don't forget that he named his male hunting dog "Sue"

**Will** · 03-02-2005, 09:38 PM

Originally Posted by Telenater

Don't forget that he named his male hunting dog "Sue"

Huh.. tough dog?

Originally Posted by

Son, this world is rough
And if a man's gonna make it, he's gotta be tough
And I know I wouldn't be there to help ya along.
So I give ya that name and I said good-bye
I knew you'd have to get tough or die
And it's that name that helped to make you strong.

Now you just fought one hell of a fight
And I know you hate me, and you got the right
To kill me now, and I wouldn't blame you if you do.
But ya ought to thank me, before I die,
For the gravel in ya guts and the spit in ya eye
Cause I'm the son-of-a-bitch that named you 'Sue'.

**acostiga** · 03-02-2005, 10:29 PM

examples of four lemon books on the lemon boy rating scale?

**altagirl** · 03-02-2005, 10:36 PM

Originally Posted by lemon boy

Nobody reads that forum, least of all me therefore it goes in here with all the other detritus.

Am I the only one who uses the "new posts" button and therefore sees all the forums at once?

**lemon boy** · 03-03-2005, 07:48 AM

The only Four Lemon book that springs to mind immediately is: Money by Martin Amis.

Un-Fucking-Real.

Altagirl: yes, I think you are...

Will: Not particularily tough but tough enough. Foggy can attest to his whiney excitability. I shudder to think what a nancy boy he'd be with any less of a name:

**Tippster** · 03-03-2005, 08:16 AM

The main influence of Lucas' THX1138, by the bye...

**mr_gyptian** · 03-03-2005, 10:13 AM

LB, you read any Neal Stephenson?

**lemon boy** · 03-03-2005, 10:31 AM

Just Cryptonomicon. An excellent if overly math dense book with an oddly unsatisfiying ending.

2/4 Lemons (again, 2/4 is still high praise).

**Tippster** · 03-03-2005, 11:42 AM

I'm sure you Illuminati have read it, but my favorite SciFi author is Philip K. Dick, especially his book "The Man in the High Castle."

**powndnstein** · 03-03-2005, 12:12 PM

LB, You have a way with words and are astute. I have no agent, but will be shopping around my book this spring and would be grateful if I could send it your way; like to hear your thoughts. It's not sci fi, but ski fiction, a collection of twenty or so short stories, about skiers living on societies fringe. Lost Dog Reward is looming as the title, but not set in stone.

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