A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess

Genre: Classic Dystopian Thriller
Rating: 5 Soda Caps

I actually have a shirt for this one! I love the psychological depth of this book with its unique language, realistic depiction of Alex, and the almost comical way the government and it's psychologist puppets step in. The over all theme is a particular favorite of mine, being somewhere along the lines of "it's better to be a monster than to not be yourself" but with a touch of "there's no rest for the wicked".

Nadsat for some reason is one of my favorite languages. There's this humor behind almost every slang word that makes my day. A language that highlights select words like friends, mouth, face, sex, violence, etc... The repetition puts emphasis on the intricacy of the connection between the boys and the fact that it's not a full language (therfore just slang) gives it that gang quality. If Alex was actually as big as Jesus like he feels, maybe it could be a full language. Yet, alas, his power is all in his head.

That ego is another part that drew me in. Alex truly believes that he's king amongst his "drugess" like a hipster would, thinking he's leagues more intelligent and cultured them. He sees himself above them and he sees himself above the law too, leaving him as the definition of a narcissistic sociopath. Still, Alex is portrayed as a victim to a corrupt system.

The totalitarianism of the mental institution features behavioral conditioning like a small scale Brave New World. Though it is exaggerated it highlights the very real fact that our reformation institutions are flawed, as is our government. It doesn't take a genius to see that the American (and many others) government has an obscene amount of corruption.

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: 4 Soda Caps

I'm not sure where to start with this book. I decided to read it for an obvious reason -- it's a classic. I must admit though, I was not dissatisfied. Malcom's Theory was one of my favorite bits of the book. I rather enjoyed the speculation of the unknown impending doom. "If something can go wrong. It will." attitude is also a sinful pleasure of mine. That dark, sarcastic, slightly sadistic nature makes the edges of my smile curl until it's more crooked than a crook.

The only reasons this book doesn't get a 5 star rating is because  (1) Timmy's sister is almost unbearably obnoxious and (2) Crichton doesn't go into detail about the generation gap though he has every opportunity to do so. The fact that my generation will know computers better than his, and the next will be born with an I pad in their hands is the kind of topic one shouldn't pass up. Malcom might have even had some negative feedback to fuel the fire. Alas, that's only a pipe dream for another dimension I suppose.

I was quite fond of all the foreshadowing and the archetypes displayed in this novel. Grant being the protector and Timmy being the hero, they were most definitely my favorites. Ellie is a close third for being a strong minded, work oriented woman. Hammond was by far my least favorite. His Trump-like mentality was cringe worthy. His incessant need to rake in dough and inspire violence in children made my skin crawl.

All in all, I haven't read a book this thought provoking since A Clockwork Orange. I'm hoping to read the 2nd book by June but I can't promise anything. I'm waiting for a friend to finish it before I can borrow it.