Anthem

By: Ayn Rand

Narrated by: Kevin Kollins

Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom.

The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. A young man known as Equality 7-2521 rebels by doing secret scientific research. When his activity is discovered, he flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism.

Public Domain (P)2018 Combray Media

A classic dystopian work by Ayn Rand

Having read other classic works by Ayn Rand, I was not surprised by the theme of this work given her atheist perspective. This is a short story set in a world where there is uniformity, everyone is the same, they are told what to think, where to work, live, and ultimately die. Although this may lead one to think the author is stepping outside of her objectivism philosophy, in the end it is still the "I" that prevails in an Orwellian setting.

Two positives; it was a short listen and the narrator, Kevin Kollins, did an excellent job with a clear and steady pace. The monotone approach he used was just perfect for the subject matter.

I would recommend this work, not for ones enjoyment, but rather to get a different perspective on a world based upon only self-centered hope. That and whether or not one likes Rand's philosophies, she does have a way with words. A review copy of this audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in return for this unbiased review. If you found this review helpful, please take a moment to click yes below.

I Enjoyed It

If you want a quick book to introduce you to Ayn Rand then this would be the one. When I listened to this the movies 1984 and Metropolis came to my mind. I enjoy Ms. Rand's writings but they are not for everyone. Kevin Kollins did an excellent job narrating this work. He kept a bit faster pace than most books are read at but it was easy to keep up with him. I would recommend this to my friends with similar tastes.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Excellent novella for those that loved 1984.

Compelling yet compact, a good read for a quiet afternoon. If you like dystopian novels, this one is a must read.

Great Story with Great Narration

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is for the audio copy of Anthem by Ayn Rand and narrated by Kevin Kollins. . I asked for this book because I like Ayn Rand’s writing and philosophy. This is a relatively short story written by a legend of an author therefore not much else needs to be said about the story. The narrator did a fabulous job of bringing this story to life within my head. I had read the book years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was pure pleasure to be able to listen to it. I highly recommend Ayn Rand (of course...) and narrator Kevin Kollins.

The "I" over the "We"

It's hard not to compare Anthem to 1984. Anthem could be considered the unofficial and unintentional sequel. Written both by people with similar Soviet backgrounds and written with similar purposes in mind. The good thing Rand does is build up the background quick as that's what makes the story the most interesting. There isn't really a need to build much of a character since the whole point in for everyone to be character-less. Anthem follows a lot of Rand's other motifs with the society at large wanting for collectivist control. Here, that system has won. And in similar Randian fashion, the individual that resides in the spirit of man attempts to break free. As far as a complete philosophy being built up, you'll have to read her other novels to get that. Rand's attempt is to show what would happen if the ideology of communism developed a Utopian society - even when civilization is destroyed by it to rule over men by man is deeply set. Anthem does what it sets out to do - to promote the need for the "I" rather than the "we". Final Grade - B+