Brave New WorldBrave New World
Score Classic
What it's about
In the World State, six hundred years in the future, babies are grown in bottles and conditioned for their place in society, from the brilliant Alphas to the dull Epsilons. Everyone is happy, thanks to casual sex, endless entertainment and a drug called soma. Bernard Marx feels out of place. When he brings back a young man raised on a 'savage reservation', the World State meets someone it can't condition.
Why it's worth reading
It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels, was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is on Le Monde's list of the books of the century. Its vision of a world controlled by pleasure feels more relevant every year.
You'll love it if you liked
1984
A Clockwork Orange
The Handmaid’s TaleGood to know
It's short. The portrayal of the reservation's Native people is dated and stereotyped.
By the numbers
- Readers41 out of 100 · counts 42%
- Critics80 out of 100 · counts 34% (its stronger lane)
- Bestseller64 out of 100 · counts 14%
- Buzz0 out of 100 · counts 10%
Critics and Bestseller are two ways to earn a place: a book's stronger one counts more. Buzz rewards recent bestseller weeks and prizes, so older books start at zero. The parts combine into the Must-Read Score, shown on a scale where the best book we found scores 99 and the last book to make the ranking scores 50.
Where it ranks
- #55 of the 313 science fiction books we rank
- #194 of the 762 classics we rank
- #612 of the 2,816 books we rank
Why it made the list
Reads as
Thought-provoking, Dark, Adventurous
More by Aldous Huxley
If you like this, read next
Ender's Game
Dune
The Lord of the Rings
Hyperion
The Dispossessed
FoundationExplore the best-of lists
All 36 best-of lists →
Quick answers
Is Brave New World worth reading?
Yes. It's on the Modern Library list of the best novels, was voted onto the BBC's Big Read and is on Le Monde's list of the books of the century. It ranks #612 of the 2,816 books in our ranking, with a Must-Read Score of 77.0 (the best book we found scores 99).
What is Brave New World about?
In the World State, six hundred years in the future, babies are grown in bottles and conditioned for their place in society, from the brilliant Alphas to the dull Epsilons. Everyone is happy, thanks to casual sex, endless entertainment and a drug called soma. Bernard Marx feels out of place. When he brings back a young man raised on a 'savage reservation', the World State meets someone it can't condition.
How long does it take to read Brave New World?
About 8 hours (332 pages), or about 2 weeks at 30 minutes a day.
What should I read after Brave New World?
If you liked it, try 1984 by George Orwell, A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess or The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood.