We

A Novel

De: Yevgeny Zamyatin

Narrado por: Louise Brealey, Margaret Atwood, Toby Jones

The chilling dystopian novel that influenced George Orwell while he was writing 1984, with a new introduction by Margaret Atwood and an essay by Ursula Le Guin

In a glass-enclosed city of perfectly straight lines, ruled over by an all-powerful “Benefactor,” the citizens of the totalitarian society of OneState are regulated by spies and secret police; wear identical clothing; and are distinguished only by a number assigned to them at birth. That is, until D-503, a mathematician who dreams in numbers, makes a discovery: he has an individual soul. He can feel things. He can fall in love. And, in doing so, he begins to dangerously veer from the norms of his society, becoming embroiled in a plot to destroy OneState and liberate the city.

Set in the twenty-sixth century AD, We was the forerunner of canonical works from George Orwell and Alduous Huxley, among others. It was suppressed for more than sixty years in Russia and remains a resounding cry for individual freedom, as well as a powerful, exciting, and vivid work of science fiction that still feels relevant today. Bela Shayevich’s bold new translation breathes new life into Yevgeny Zamyatin’s seminal work and refreshes it for our current era.

Truly perfection

Read this and fell in love but one of the greatest audiobooks I’ve ever heard. A true masterpiece.

Like 1984? Read this book that inspired Orwell

Excellent rendition of a complex book, unraveling the myth of freedom in a world where machines are the epitome of perfection. Even more poignant today with the rise of AI, the raw emotions of the characters in the boom remind us that no form of goverent control can stifle the human spirt, unless you choose to let it do so.

Superior predecessor to Brave New World and 1984.

If you were made to read Brave New World by Huxley or 1984 by Orville in school you should read We. It is is many ways the superior source text for both books. While the story can be a bit disjointed, the imagery and imagination are expansive and compelling. Long live the imagination.
Listen to the commentaries from Orwell, Ursula Le Guin and the translator. The later is the best of the three but all are insightful and thought provoking.

Amazing precursor to books like Brave New World and 1984

My one critique is that the narrator doesn’t quite fit the story for me. Main character is a rather young, intelligent but mentally/philosophically burdened man in a slavic dystopian setting and the narrator comes across as a posh elderly london man. while he is an excellent narrator and a great actor, his frequent acting out of stuttering, breathiness, etc was a bit distracting to me and made it challenging to immerse myself in the already complex plot. no hate intended still 100% worth a listen!!

Great narrator

At first I was unsure if I would like the narrators accent but then I grew to prefer it.

Important literature for this time in America. As censorship increases its grip daily.

Not an easy listen

The story might be easier to keep track of if read. Y’s use of alphanumerics instead of names made it easy to get mixed up, especially when returning to the audiobook after a pause of a couple days. Tobie Jones was a good choice as the narrator.

Hidden gem

I saw this book in Mark Steyn's recommendations and I was not disappointed. Rather I was amazed as to never heard of this amazing book before. A must have!

The commentary at the end

Make sure you check out the commentary by LeGuin at the end of the book. It was the best part for me.

Impressive trailblazer from a fan of the genre!

I have read 1984 a couple times as well as Brave New World and sorry I was not aware of this original inspiration in a genre I love! Because I’m in a play adaptation of We I am here. I would have lived it anyway but this edition I find especially valuable including the additional commentary. I also enjoyed the dark humor, as Zenyatin intended!!

Definitely See the Connection to Brave New Word

Unfortunately, like that book, I liked it but about halfway through the momentum of the story just dropped and I couldn't finish it.
I'm sure I could have gotten through it for a class but not for a casual read.