Fahrenheit 451 - Book Review

Ray Bradbury’s imaginative prowess shines through in a unique, provocative way in this masterpiece. Fahrenheit 451 is a dystopian novel written by Ray Bradbury in 1953. In this literary tour de force, Ray Bradbury eloquently narrates a dystopian world set sometime in the near future where books have been rendered obsolete, illegal and dangerous. In this world where books are forbidden, firemen start fires rather than putting them out, burning the few remaining books that people view as dangerous. The story revolves around the protagonist, Guy Montag, a fireman who is constantly battling his own demons. Over the years, Montag’s inquisitiveness made him keep a stash of books, just in case. After seeing a woman burn herself with her own books in devotion to them, Montag begins to question everything he ever believed in. Intrigued as to the contents of the books, Montag begins to read and gets intoxicated with books and the very thing he swore to destroy becomes the thing he’s willing to risk his life to save. 

Bradbury’s excellent word choice, descriptive language and sensory language transported me into the world, but this book isn’t for the light-hearted. There are strong themes in this book, notably violence and arson. Plot holes are scattered throughout the book, but will slowly start to patch themselves up as the book progresses. Personally, I loved every moment of reading this book and never wanted to put it down. Anyone who loves a good, science-fiction thriller will enjoy reading this book.