Ray Bradbury

Farhenheit 451

This book, in my mind, most closely resembles George Orwell's 1984. I would say 1984 is a bit broader in scope and more revolutionary (and, sorry Mr. Bradbury, I would recommend you read it first, then come back to this one). Fahrenheit 451 really has a fairly direct and simple goal - to show us an alternate US where the right to freedom of press isn't quite so ingrained. A fireman is a slightly different person - Guy Montag is paid to set fires, not put them out. But Guy is not just an arbitrary arsonist; his job is to set fires at farhenheit 451, the temperature at which paper burns. You see where this is headed? Bradbury's story is the sort which will be reread for generations, because the moral is always relevant. However, that doesn't, to my thinking, make it great. If you want great, read 1984.