Eric Stone
A classic closed system. In this one, the system is designed specifically to break you. Similar to Wool, the setting itself is the antagonist. Orwell builds a world where the language and the constant surveillance are just as oppressive as the dirt and the lack of resources.
When I read it in high school, I didn't consider it a heavy read. As an adult, I certainly do. In the intervening years, mentioning 1984 in regards to government has gone from tongue-in-cheek to reality. For that reason, the book hits a lot harder for me now. The weight of the institutional oppression is constant - it’s the definitive look at what happens when the rules are designed to be inescapable.
A classic closed system. In this one, the system is designed specifically to break you. Similar to Wool, the setting itself is the antagonist. Orwell builds a world where the language and the constant surveillance are just as oppressive as the dirt and the lack of resources.
When I read it in high school, I didn't consider it a heavy read. As an adult, I certainly do. In the intervening years, mentioning 1984 in regards to government has gone from tongue-in-cheek to reality. For that reason, the book hits a lot harder for me now. The weight of the institutional oppression is constant - it’s the definitive look at what happens when the rules are designed to be inescapable.