"Books? You want books?! Ha! We've got books on hairy otters, on onions and on mars! All the fungus you could care for, plus, three triple zillion stars. We've got books on flossing teeth, plus three books on tossing sheep. If we spent our lives just counting books, we'd never get to sleep!" -Leopold the Librarian ("The Great Wishy Woz")
I like the idea of reading about a world that's supposed to be perfect, but isn't. And the two books I've read (the top two on the list below), I have really enjoyed. There were a couple parts of 1984 I skimmed due to graphic content, and I gave up on Brave New World because the graphicness from the first few chapters scared me away.
Examples: The Giver by Lois Lowry 1984 by George Orwell Brave New World by Aldous Huxley Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury Wikipedia's List of Dystopian Literature
...and The Drummer Boy by Ted Dekker, the reason I created this thread! Just published in October 2006, the book is on its way to me in the mail. I can hardly wait!
The Publisher wrote:We all love singing the Christmas carol "The Little Drummer Boy." Our hearts swell as the poor boy offers his best, meager gift to the Baby in the manger, and we smile in joy as the infant Lord graciously smiles His thanks. Now Ted Dekker brings a modern twist to this beloved song of hope, acceptance, and joy. This modern fable takes place in a large city where Christmas has been banned and replaced by a holiday that celebrates prosperity. All Christmas songs are also banned.
I saw this book in a bookstore flyer but I didn't really look at it closely - that sounds really interesting! Maybe my public library has it already - I should check! Let us know what you think after you get it and read it, Itaque!
I wish I could say that I've read all those books, but I've only read The Giver and I extremely liked it. At one time, I almost read 1984, but the summer came and left with the book still in its corner. I agree in enjoying to read books of this nature where people try to make a perfect world where nothing goes wrong, but altimately you discover that it also has some errors in it.
I believe in the place where the mind and the heart unite at faith
Holly wrote:Mrs. Clause, I will, and not just to avoid the naughty list, either. By the way, I envy those who can check out Ted Dekker books at their libraries.
Well, avoiding the naughty list is also excellent motivation. I really like the public library in my area - they have a decent Christian fiction selection, since there is quite a bit of interest in the area. I have bought some Ted Dekker books, but there are too many good things to potentially buy to get them all, sadly.
I've read 1984, and seen the movie version of Fahrenheit 451. I was going to read Brave New World, but I never got around to it.
-Cowboy
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"I was placed in jail during the reign of Regis for double posting and spamming. I felt very naughty." -Danae Doyle "This is the ToO...Not Wikipedia."-COT"I had some really good replies to that, but they were too rude, so I deleted them. Nice going, CoT. You made me be nice for once." -CA "Alas, not even I could perform such a feat."-Trinny
I like the idea of dystopia. Not that I'd actually want to live in one--but I like to read about them. I read 1984--and I did skim over some parts. I read Brave New World, and that had some 'questionable parts' in it too... But both were interesting--the ideas. Very different views of dystopias. I read Fahrenheit 451 most recently. It's intriguing to think about what could happen if the world goes a certain way. I'd think a book about a dystopia by Dekker would be interesting--I'd like to find out more about it.
Arg, I was quite disappointed with The Drummer Boy...
...only because of my expectations. It was a nice quaint little story, it really was, but officially only 64 pages. I was expecting a full fledged and very developed thriller novel. That's what I get for buying online without looking at details. I don't highly recommend the book, but I don't not recommend it either. Read The Drummer Boy if the opportunity arises, but don't rush out to the library or bookstore to get it.
A friend of mine and I recently made lists of books we wanted to read (most of them classics), and all of the ones mentioned in this thread are on my list. I haven't read Ted Dekker's The Drummer Boy, but I know it's much different than his other novels...however, a full-length novel by him on the subject would be interesting...
EDIT:
Oh wow, I just finished reading The Giver and I was blown away. A friend told me it was good, but it was more thought-provoking than I had expected. Also, I read Brave New World for my Foundations of Christian Thought class a couple months ago, and it was interesting...though disturbing in places. I find Dystopian literature very intriguing, and am looking forward to getting my hands on the rest of those books.
I really like the public library in my area - they have a decent Christian fiction selection, since there is quite a bit of interest in the area. I have bought some Ted Dekker books, but there are too many good things to potentially buy to get them all, sadly. 
