As a huge fan of this era of nihilist sci-fi I don't know how I'd never even heard of this book.

I loved everything about it, and am so glad it's getting reprinted for a new generation, like me, to be blown away by.

“Perhaps the finest science-fiction novel ever written.”
– Ursula le Guin

“We” is a classic dystopian novel written in the Soviet Union in 1921. It was the forerunner of Orwell's “1984” and Huxley's “Brave New World”. As Margaret Atwood notes in her introduction, the novel can be seen as a blueprint for the totalitarian regimes that would arise in the 20th century.

In ‘One State all live for the collective good and individual freedom does not exist. The novel is written in diary form by state mathematician D-503, an unreliable narrator, who, though a gifted engineer, is a conventional creature and constantly horrified by his own atavistic impulses. He is building the Integral, a spaceship which will see the beginning of the conquest of other planets, when he falls in love (this is a crime, of course) with I-330 who is a member of an underground resistance movement (‘the Mephi’) and succeeds for a while in leading him into rebellion. The Mephi is dedicated to bringing down not only One State, but The Green Wall which has been erected to keep One State’s citizens from the outside world.

When rebellion erupts it appears the enemies of ‘The Benefactor’ are numerous, and these people indulge, when their curtains are down, in such vices as smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol. D-503 is saved from the consequences of his folly. The authorities announce that they have discovered the cause of the recent disorders, a disease called imagination. D-503 undergoes ‘The Great Operation’, after which it is easy for him to do what he has known all along that he ought to do – that is, betray his confederates to the Secret Police.

This book was suppressed for decades in Soviet Russia (from the 1920s to 1988) and remains a resounding cry for individual freedom, yet is also a powerful, exciting and vivid work of science fiction.

A huge thank you to @NetGalley and @PenguineRandomCa for the e-galley.

Thought I’d pick this up after finishing 1Q84 and of course being a fan of 1984, I knew this novel was a source of inspiration. Not sparking joy at this time of my life, but expert writing and storytelling!

I enjoyed this translation very much, which is important because translation can make or break Russian literature for English readers. I found it to be fluid and easy to read through, allowing me to enjoy the story. I will pick up a finished copy.

Delighted to include this title in Hidden Gems, the re-discovered and re-issued themed list of my holiday gift books guides for Zoomer magazine. It appeared in the Books section in December. (The listicle is online at related link.)

This is an exceptional early work of Russian literature, and is very clearly the influence for 1984. The new translation is clear and precise, showing an admirable control over language, and this edition includes George Orwell's review of the book along with an essay from Ursula K. Le Guin, who believed this novel was the ur-text for early science fiction. It is a must-read for anyone interested in scifi or dystopian literature.

The foundation and inspiration for so many classic and contemporary dystopian novels, We is definitely an important piece of literary work. The foresight of the author, the single-mindedness of the society he envisioned, and the knowledge of what was to follow in our history is unnerving. The foreword by Margaret Atwood is perfect.
Thank you to the publisher and to NetGalley for an advance copy of the reprint to review. All opinions are my own.