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THX 1138
Visit the future where love is the ultimate crime. Meet the nameless man who dares to pit himself against the state. Star Wars director-author George Lucas's original story of man's war for humanity in the 25th century.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
About the author
Ben Bova
654 books980 followersBen Bova was born on November 8, 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. In 1953, while attending Temple University, he married Rosa Cucinotta, they had a son and a daughter. He would later divorce Rosa in 1974. In that same year he married Barbara Berson Rose.
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
Bova was an avid fencer and organized Avco Everett's fencing club. He was an environmentalist, but rejected Luddism.
Bova was a technical writer for Project Vanguard and later for Avco Everett in the 1960s when they did research in lasers and fluid dynamics. It was there that he met Arthur R. Kantrowitz later of the Foresight Institute.
In 1971 he became editor of Analog Science Fiction after John W. Campbell's death. After leaving Analog, he went on to edit Omni during 1978-1982.
In 1974 he wrote the screenplay for an episode of the children's science fiction television series Land of the Lost entitled "The Search".
Bova was the science advisor for the failed television series The Starlost, leaving in disgust after the airing of the first episode. His novel The Starcrossed was loosely based on his experiences and featured a thinly veiled characterization of his friend and colleague Harlan Ellison. He dedicated the novel to "Cordwainer Bird", the pen name Harlan Ellison uses when he does not want to be associated with a television or film project.
Bova was the President Emeritus of the National Space Society and a past President of Science-fiction and Fantasy Writers of America (SFWA).
Bova went back to school in the 1980s, earning an M.A. in communications in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1996.
Bova has drawn on these meetings and experiences to create fact and fiction writings rich with references to spaceflight, lasers, artificial hearts, nanotechnology, environmentalism, fencing and martial arts, photography and artists.
Bova was the author of over a hundred and fifteen books, non-fiction as well as science fiction. In 2000, he was the Author Guest of Honor at the 58th World Science Fiction Convention (Chicon 2000).
Hollywood has started to take an interest in Bova's works once again, in addition to his wealth of knowledge about science and what the future may look like. In 2007, he was hired as a consultant by both Stuber/Parent Productions to provide insight into what the world is to look like in the near future for their upcoming film "Repossession Mambo" (released as "Repo Men") starring Jude Law and Forest Whitaker and by Silver Pictures in which he provided consulting services on the feature adaptation of Richard Morgan's "Altered Carbon".
http://us.macmillan.com/author/benbova
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
June 20, 2017
Once upon a time, a skinny little film school geek from California made a little film that became a huge hit. You may have heard of it.
George Lucas was an unbelievably young man when he made “Star Wars”. He was 33, the same age (supposedly) that Christ was when he was crucified. (If you’re getting the sense that I’m making a totally inappropriate comparison between Lucas and the Son of God, it’s because I am.)
But years before that, Lucas entered the filmic world with a film that did not garner the financial or critical acclaim of “Star Wars”, although it was a film that was well-received among the science fiction community and has subsequently become a cult classic.
“THX 1138” was Lucas’s directorial debut. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and starring powerhouse actors Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence, “THX 1138” was a visually compelling film and a far more cerebral entry in the sci-fi genre than “Star Wars” ever pretended to be (which it didn't).
Unlike “Star Wars”, which had as its inspirations the pulp novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and B-movie serials like “Flash Gordon”, “THX 1138” was based more on the dystopian literature of the 1930s and ‘40s: most notably Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and George Orwell’s “1984”.
Science fiction author Ben Bova wrote the novelization in 1971. At only 206 pages, the book doesn’t add much to the film. There are a few minor scenes that Bova adds to the story that were not in the movie, but other than that, it’s basically the screenplay in novel form, which, of course, a novelization is supposed to be.
The plot: In the distant future, humanity has moved underground as a response to the massive amounts of pollution and environmental damage caused by rampant overpopulation. Now, humans live and work like robots in vast subterranean cities, emotions and behavior controlled at all times via mandatory drugs which suppress sexual urges. Sexual behavior of any kind is strictly prohibited, and having a child “naturally” is a crime punishable by death.
Humans are assigned roommates, solely for companionship. THX 1138 is a factory worker who spends his evenings taking his drugs and masturbating, the only allowable form of sexual expression. His roommate is a female named LUH 3417. She has secretly been going off her meds, and has secretly been changing THX’s meds, as well, weening him off of them.
Once his mind is clear (after some withdrawal pains and major confusion), THX begins to see things in a new light. He also begins to find LUH sexually attractive. Inevitably, they get it on. Unfortunately, the State has cameras in everyone’s homes, including the bedrooms.
Before long, the android policemen are after them both. THX manages to escape capture, with the help of an older man named SEN 5241 and a hologram named SRT 5752, both fugitives from the law also.
During his time as a fugitive, THX learns that LUH has been executed by the state. He also learns that, before she was destroyed, LUH gave birth to his child: a little girl, who, because she is the product of a sexcrime, is a ward of the state and will most likely be used as slave labor or worse. He attempts to rescue his child before escaping to topside, a place that everyone has been told is a radioactive wasteland filled with monstrous mutant humans. Aware that the State has lied to everyone about so many things, he highly doubts the stories about topside.
The book (and the movie) is essentially a chase film. While its Huxleyan/Orwellian commentary about totalitarianism is interesting, the book’s ideas are eventually subsumed by a rather silly action-suspense plot.
Regardless of this, “THX 1138” is entertaining and thought-provoking, dealing with socio-political themes that Lucas only hints at in “Star Wars”, the focus of which was solely entertainment. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course...
George Lucas was an unbelievably young man when he made “Star Wars”. He was 33, the same age (supposedly) that Christ was when he was crucified. (If you’re getting the sense that I’m making a totally inappropriate comparison between Lucas and the Son of God, it’s because I am.)
But years before that, Lucas entered the filmic world with a film that did not garner the financial or critical acclaim of “Star Wars”, although it was a film that was well-received among the science fiction community and has subsequently become a cult classic.
“THX 1138” was Lucas’s directorial debut. Produced by Francis Ford Coppola and starring powerhouse actors Robert Duvall and Donald Pleasence, “THX 1138” was a visually compelling film and a far more cerebral entry in the sci-fi genre than “Star Wars” ever pretended to be (which it didn't).
Unlike “Star Wars”, which had as its inspirations the pulp novels of Edgar Rice Burroughs and B-movie serials like “Flash Gordon”, “THX 1138” was based more on the dystopian literature of the 1930s and ‘40s: most notably Aldous Huxley’s “Brave New World” and George Orwell’s “1984”.
Science fiction author Ben Bova wrote the novelization in 1971. At only 206 pages, the book doesn’t add much to the film. There are a few minor scenes that Bova adds to the story that were not in the movie, but other than that, it’s basically the screenplay in novel form, which, of course, a novelization is supposed to be.
The plot: In the distant future, humanity has moved underground as a response to the massive amounts of pollution and environmental damage caused by rampant overpopulation. Now, humans live and work like robots in vast subterranean cities, emotions and behavior controlled at all times via mandatory drugs which suppress sexual urges. Sexual behavior of any kind is strictly prohibited, and having a child “naturally” is a crime punishable by death.
Humans are assigned roommates, solely for companionship. THX 1138 is a factory worker who spends his evenings taking his drugs and masturbating, the only allowable form of sexual expression. His roommate is a female named LUH 3417. She has secretly been going off her meds, and has secretly been changing THX’s meds, as well, weening him off of them.
Once his mind is clear (after some withdrawal pains and major confusion), THX begins to see things in a new light. He also begins to find LUH sexually attractive. Inevitably, they get it on. Unfortunately, the State has cameras in everyone’s homes, including the bedrooms.
Before long, the android policemen are after them both. THX manages to escape capture, with the help of an older man named SEN 5241 and a hologram named SRT 5752, both fugitives from the law also.
During his time as a fugitive, THX learns that LUH has been executed by the state. He also learns that, before she was destroyed, LUH gave birth to his child: a little girl, who, because she is the product of a sexcrime, is a ward of the state and will most likely be used as slave labor or worse. He attempts to rescue his child before escaping to topside, a place that everyone has been told is a radioactive wasteland filled with monstrous mutant humans. Aware that the State has lied to everyone about so many things, he highly doubts the stories about topside.
The book (and the movie) is essentially a chase film. While its Huxleyan/Orwellian commentary about totalitarianism is interesting, the book’s ideas are eventually subsumed by a rather silly action-suspense plot.
Regardless of this, “THX 1138” is entertaining and thought-provoking, dealing with socio-political themes that Lucas only hints at in “Star Wars”, the focus of which was solely entertainment. Not that that’s a bad thing, of course...
November 5, 2014
This was my handy to go book, nice and thin to fit in a pocket or bag, it went with me on a couple of camping trips. This is a novelization of the movie, which I haven't seen yet, though I have it downloaded and ready to go.
This was very reminiscent of older dystopian books such as Brave New World or Logan's Run. It's not very subtle. Look at the dystopia! Look how awful it is and how clueless the people are! I know Ben Bova is a much higher caliber writer than this, so I assume he was either not captivated by the material or under some restrictions to keep it written to the lowest common denominator. There was one creepy scene towards the end that was well written and that glimpse of what the novel could have been was more telling than the pages of spoon fed "horror."
This was very reminiscent of older dystopian books such as Brave New World or Logan's Run. It's not very subtle. Look at the dystopia! Look how awful it is and how clueless the people are! I know Ben Bova is a much higher caliber writer than this, so I assume he was either not captivated by the material or under some restrictions to keep it written to the lowest common denominator. There was one creepy scene towards the end that was well written and that glimpse of what the novel could have been was more telling than the pages of spoon fed "horror."
February 22, 2013
I found this to be a bit of a poor man's "1984" or "handmaids tale". I did get attached to the main characters but all the others were blurry and seemed to act randomly. the ending is tear inducingly unsatisfying. overall, over rated but readable.
September 6, 2010
I read this books many, many years ago, what an amazing story. It has stayed with me all these years.
September 12, 2017
A great read, even knowing it was based on the movie of the same name and hardly budging from the source. Chilling vision of the future.
October 21, 2018
I first experienced THX 1138 long ago on VHS tape. Poor sound quality and no subtitles made the movie hard to understand at times, but it intrigued me. I have never forgotten the horror and struggle of THX’s dystopian nightmare, so when I came across the novelization of the screenplay decades later, I quickly bought a copy. Now I could finally understand the mysterious dialogue.
Ben Bova did a good job bringing the story to life in book form. All the elements in the movie were there, and I was able to follow the story better. My only problem with this novel is that the ending is not quite like the movie. The movie leaves you hanging and wanting to know more, but the novel leaves out the final exit and the sunset/sunrise; it really leaves you hanging. I was dissatisfied. It probably won’t happen, but a sequel would be awesome.
Things to watch out for: There are sexual and adult themes present. I don’t think it is very explicit or completely unnecessary. The sexual content isn’t there to sell the book but is there to show just how twisted THX’s world has become. It’s not for kids.
Ben Bova did a good job bringing the story to life in book form. All the elements in the movie were there, and I was able to follow the story better. My only problem with this novel is that the ending is not quite like the movie. The movie leaves you hanging and wanting to know more, but the novel leaves out the final exit and the sunset/sunrise; it really leaves you hanging. I was dissatisfied. It probably won’t happen, but a sequel would be awesome.
Things to watch out for: There are sexual and adult themes present. I don’t think it is very explicit or completely unnecessary. The sexual content isn’t there to sell the book but is there to show just how twisted THX’s world has become. It’s not for kids.
August 1, 2020
I hesitate to call this book unoriginal, since it was published in 1971, but if you take out the futuristic elements (robots, technological police state, etc.) this story is mainly Adam and Eve. If Adam escaped to a new world.
The woman who awakens THX 1138 (which, c'mon, those are ridiculous "names" that don't really work: this society is all about efficiency; it is most inefficient for everyone to say xxxx, prefix AAA)... anyway, LUH 3417 has to die for her sins while THX escapes to a new world. Also, there is no mention of ethnicity of this world until the introduction of THX's stooge, SRT 5555, who is black. And again, c'mon the writer couldn't even bother to give him different numbers. Poor character is set up to be disposable.
SO, long review short-er, the woman and the black man die and the (implied) white dude lives.
Another reviewer called this book 'a poor man's 1984,' but major elements of this book follows Brave New World: drugs to keep the masses compliant, babies grown in jars, a separate world considered uninhabitable.
So, yeah, I'll say this book IS unoriginal.
The woman who awakens THX 1138 (which, c'mon, those are ridiculous "names" that don't really work: this society is all about efficiency; it is most inefficient for everyone to say xxxx, prefix AAA)... anyway, LUH 3417 has to die for her sins while THX escapes to a new world. Also, there is no mention of ethnicity of this world until the introduction of THX's stooge, SRT 5555, who is black. And again, c'mon the writer couldn't even bother to give him different numbers. Poor character is set up to be disposable.
SO, long review short-er, the woman and the black man die and the (implied) white dude lives.
Another reviewer called this book 'a poor man's 1984,' but major elements of this book follows Brave New World: drugs to keep the masses compliant, babies grown in jars, a separate world considered uninhabitable.
So, yeah, I'll say this book IS unoriginal.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 1, 2024
In un mondo sotterraneo che rassomiglia a un enorme formicaio umano, la vita è controllata in tutte le sue manifestazioni, fino alle nascite e ai rapporti sessuali (assolutamente banditi a fini procreativi). Tutto è freddo e sterile, come la procreazione in vitro, e quando qualcuno esce dai binari, o viene distrutto o viene consumato (cioè ucciso, ma i suoi organi interni vengono estratti). THX è un ribelle, che a poco a poco mette in discussione tutto quel mondo di formiche che vivono sotto terra per paura delle radiazioni letali della superficie. È un viaggio disperato dal centro della Terra fino alla superficie, una fuga da morte certa verso morte certa.
Belle intuizioni, ma personaggi poco caratterizzati all'interno di una trama che si sviluppa rapidamente e in poche pagine.
Belle intuizioni, ma personaggi poco caratterizzati all'interno di una trama che si sviluppa rapidamente e in poche pagine.
September 28, 2018
Three stars for nostalgia more than anything else. I suspect that if I read this today, it'd get at most two. However, when I was 12-13, I remember reading my battered copy many times.
December 8, 2022
Shocking and a Masterpiece
January 10, 2016
The robot was trailing him. Looking over his shoulder, THX could see that now both robots were hobbling after him. One of them was limping noticeably and clanking with a grating, grinding noise; the other missing an arm. But both of them doggedly pursued him like some inevitable fate.
"We only want to help you. You have nothing to be afraid of. Please come back. We won't harm you."
This novelization based from the script of THX 1138 adds some flesh to the film and some back story that were hinted at but not explored. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it is very much in the camp of the golden age of science fiction that had its heyday back in the 1970s.
Taking its cues from 1984 and a Brave New World, it is a dystopia future where people are numbers, unquestioning, drugged and conditioned to serve a technology and a world they barely comprehend. Similar to 1984 there is doublespeak. Robots and controllers promise happiness while delivering the exact opposite. Sex is a crime and sedative drug taking mandatory.
Out of this comes hope, first in the shape of a sex-born woman, LUH 3417, who opens the eyes and the conscience of THX 1138. THX takes up the mantel of a freedom fighter when he falls in love with LUH and decides he wants to escape with LUH regardless of the consequences, if only to be free for a little while. Upon discovering LUH was destroyed by the authorities it became a simple matter of escaping the underground world to the "superstructure" because the alternative was death regardless. I liked the fact that we do not know if the superstructure is radioactive and if THX survived.
Although the story is not original, I loved the style and imagination. THX most likely has had a lot of influences on other popular media such as Bladerunner and the video game franchise Half Life.
The book is light, running in at only 160 pages, and it could have benefited with more descriptions, and characters developments. If you wanted to know more about the THX universe you will find it here, but the book does not delve any deeper than the film. This is a shame because Ben Bova could have really expanded this world and brought us some more plot points and narrative the film does not do. It seems Bova was tasked to bringing the script in novel form, and no more.
A great story, it just needed expanding upon.
"We only want to help you. You have nothing to be afraid of. Please come back. We won't harm you."
This novelization based from the script of THX 1138 adds some flesh to the film and some back story that were hinted at but not explored. I thoroughly enjoyed it because it is very much in the camp of the golden age of science fiction that had its heyday back in the 1970s.
Taking its cues from 1984 and a Brave New World, it is a dystopia future where people are numbers, unquestioning, drugged and conditioned to serve a technology and a world they barely comprehend. Similar to 1984 there is doublespeak. Robots and controllers promise happiness while delivering the exact opposite. Sex is a crime and sedative drug taking mandatory.
Out of this comes hope, first in the shape of a sex-born woman, LUH 3417, who opens the eyes and the conscience of THX 1138. THX takes up the mantel of a freedom fighter when he falls in love with LUH and decides he wants to escape with LUH regardless of the consequences, if only to be free for a little while. Upon discovering LUH was destroyed by the authorities it became a simple matter of escaping the underground world to the "superstructure" because the alternative was death regardless. I liked the fact that we do not know if the superstructure is radioactive and if THX survived.
Although the story is not original, I loved the style and imagination. THX most likely has had a lot of influences on other popular media such as Bladerunner and the video game franchise Half Life.
The book is light, running in at only 160 pages, and it could have benefited with more descriptions, and characters developments. If you wanted to know more about the THX universe you will find it here, but the book does not delve any deeper than the film. This is a shame because Ben Bova could have really expanded this world and brought us some more plot points and narrative the film does not do. It seems Bova was tasked to bringing the script in novel form, and no more.
A great story, it just needed expanding upon.
December 11, 2010
What an extremely disappointing ending to such an intriguing, captivating story. The storyline to this seemed to just "stop" at the end. The story's plot is an excellent exploration of a society living off of pills and generic food-like items. A structured society with rigid rules of employment, social interaction, and a ban on sexual activity, among other things. The characters do not have names, but rather three letter designators and a numeric suffix. People are seemingly programmed to handle life as near automatons, with real robotic figures handling disciplinary and enforcement positions. The ending, however, leaves one completely flat. Not at all an ending with some sense of closure, but it left me feeling flat - like the story had impacted against a brick wall and exploded into nothingness. Mr. Bova is an excellent writer, and this particular short story seems to be based on a George Lucas screenplay. It may be that Lucas had the movie end in such a low, depressing moment - where there are more questions than answers. This might be great for a movie, but it sure sucks for a book.
August 25, 2023
Kürzlich las ich, dass Ben Bova gestorben ist. Um seiner zu gedenken, schnappte ich mir dieses schmale Büchlein aus dem Regal. Das scheußliche Cover von Eddie Jones der Bastei-Lübbe-Ausgabe macht allerdings nicht gerade an. Der englische Titel THX-1138 lässt aber aufhorchen. Das ist doch der Name des Debut-Filmes eines gewissen George Lucas. Es handelt sich aber nicht um die Vorlage für den Film sondern im Gegenteil ein "Buch zum Film".
Es geht um einen Unterdrückungs- und Überwachungsstaat, der in einer unterirdischen Anlage angesiedelt ist. Draussen ist (angeblich?) alles noch radioaktiv verseucht.
Das Buch ist quasi eine Mischung aus "1984" und "Schöne neue Welt". Die Protagonisten, die zu Abtrünnigen werden, weil sie die Liebe entdecken und ihre Pillen nicht mehr nehmen, haben von Anfang an keine Chance. Bevor sie selber richtig wissen, was sie wollen, werden sie schon überwacht und stehen auf der Abschussliste.
Das ganze ist etwas deprimierend und macht nicht allzu viel Spass zu lesen. Ein Grund weiterzulesen war die Frage, wie es ausgeht. Leider gibt es dann noch ein offenes Ende.
2.5/5
Es geht um einen Unterdrückungs- und Überwachungsstaat, der in einer unterirdischen Anlage angesiedelt ist. Draussen ist (angeblich?) alles noch radioaktiv verseucht.
Das Buch ist quasi eine Mischung aus "1984" und "Schöne neue Welt". Die Protagonisten, die zu Abtrünnigen werden, weil sie die Liebe entdecken und ihre Pillen nicht mehr nehmen, haben von Anfang an keine Chance. Bevor sie selber richtig wissen, was sie wollen, werden sie schon überwacht und stehen auf der Abschussliste.
Das ganze ist etwas deprimierend und macht nicht allzu viel Spass zu lesen. Ein Grund weiterzulesen war die Frage, wie es ausgeht. Leider gibt es dann noch ein offenes Ende.
2.5/5
October 20, 2013
This is actually a pretty good book. Much better than the movie it's based on. The movie is an acquired taste, and I feel this novelization has broader appeal. It explains several things that don't seem to make sense in the film, and it doesn't drag through some scenes like the movie. This is not to put George Lucas down at all. He did some terrific things with the concept; even, I understand, getting permission to film inside newly constructed, unopened sections of LAX to give the infrastructure a futuristic look. I simply feel that Bova in his novelization makes the story clearer, more interesting, and more entertaining.
January 9, 2013
This is one of those books that's a cheat for me, since I've seen the movie it was based on several times. It's also one of those very few film novelizations that actually add to your enjoyment of the movie by explaining plot points and trivia that the movie didn't have the budget to go into in any depth. There's not much of the George Lucas everyone came to know in Star Wars in this book ... we're talking heavy dystopian fiction, not space opera fantasy. Ben Bova does an excellent job encapsulating the novel here, and it's a fast read.
June 12, 2021
I actually read this book quite some time ago, maybe 2005... I don't 100% remember the story, but I remember certain scenes, & I remember enjoying it quite a bit. It made me go out & buy the DVD, which, for whatever reason, I watched half of, got bored, & never finished. I should give the film another shot, & also re-read this book to see what I liked about it so much (& what might have changed).
(To be fair, it's more like 3.5, but I feel like showing love to a book a lot of people probably wouldn't care about.)
(To be fair, it's more like 3.5, but I feel like showing love to a book a lot of people probably wouldn't care about.)
February 20, 2010
Quick read. Negative utopia story based on a George Lucas screenplay of the same name. First printing 1971. 25th century man's quest for humanity in a society where literally "everything you think, do, and say is in the pill you took today." Smacks of the present day corporate environment in so many ways. It's a gas reading these old sci-fi novels in retrospect!
October 20, 2013
Not a bad read, provides a lot of detail that the movie didn't. Borrows heavily in places from Soylent Green, Logans Run & Westworld so it makes me wonder when the book was written.
I read it in about 3 or so hours, I'd probably read it again to so it's pretty good.
I read it in about 3 or so hours, I'd probably read it again to so it's pretty good.
April 6, 2013
A quick read, about an unhappy dystopia that sounds an awful lot like the other unhappy dystopias I've read in the past 30 years ("Brave New World," "1984," etc, etc.). Based on the film by the same name, it was okay.
January 18, 2015
If you're craving a poorly regurgitated Brave New World with a loose plot, undeveloped characters and sexual violence against women, this is the book for you! Pluses: quick read and good conversation piece (for about five minutes).
October 10, 2021
I think I read it as it had Star Wars on the cover / the movie had been on TV. It was a good read but I guess at at age I hadn’t heard of any other Dystopian novels or realised the book was created after the movie.
November 20, 2008
great alternate reality read
July 20, 2009
novelization of George Lucas' first SF film. Okay.
March 5, 2011
Grade C-
May 20, 2012
A fast paced and eclectic sci fi read.
April 15, 2013
George Lucas' first motion picture had a much more Orwellian theme to it than his later work. Though that movie was cool, the novel was much better.
September 16, 2014
A very quick read, but an interesting take on a dystopian future
Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews