Atlas Shrugged

By: Ayn Rand

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 62 hrs and 56 mins

Publisher's summary

Peopled by larger-than-life heroes and villains, charged with towering questions of good and evil, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand’s magnum opus: a philosophical revolution told in the form of an action thriller—nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read.

Atlas Shrugged is the "second most influential book for Americans today" after the Bible, according to a joint survey of five thousand people conducted by the Library of Congress and the Book of the Month Club in 1991.

In a scrap heap within an abandoned factory, the greatest invention in history lies dormant and unused. By what fatal error of judgment has its value gone unrecognized, its brilliant inventor punished rather than rewarded for his efforts?

This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world—and did. In defense of those greatest of human qualities that have made civilization possible, he sets out to show what would happen to the world if all the heroes of innovation and industry went on strike. Is he a destroyer or a liberator? Why does he have to fight his battle not against his enemies but against those who need him most? Why does he fight his hardest battle against the woman he loves? The answers will be revealed once you discover the reason behind the baffling events that wreak havoc on the lives of the amazing men and women in this remarkable book.

Tremendous in scope and breathtaking in its suspense, Atlas Shrugged is Ayn Rand's magnum opus, which launched an ideology and a movement. With the publication of this work in 1957, Rand gained an instant following and became a phenomenon. Atlas Shrugged emerged as a premier moral apologia for capitalism, a defense that had an electrifying effect on millions of readers (and now listeners) who had never heard capitalism defended in other than technical terms.

©1985 Eugene Winick, Paul Gitlin and Leonard Peikoff (P)2008 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Scott Brick

Could not have gotten thru this book without the voice of Scott. Have wanted to read it for years. So glad I finally got the chance to listen.

Hurt version decidedly superior

While I appreciate many of Scott Brick's audiobooks, he misses the emotional impetus behind the characters and Ayn's incredible grasp of satire. Many of her characters are archetypes, and Hurt just plain understands how she intended them to come across. There are some issues with the audio quality(background noise, etc). This drawback is overwhelmed by the brilliance of his acting. He really brings the book to live. Brick on the otherhand comes across flat, misses the characters emotional states and motivations, and turns a great story less so. I have both versions, but if you only purchase one yourself, select the Hurt version. You will not regret it

Well worth your credits

This great narrator who is excellent with dialogue makes this a really enjoyable way to revisit a high school classic. Very relevant to today, considering it's a novel about the country's movers and shakers trying to save America from greedy political insiders who make their money off the original thinkers and inventors. Fabulous love stories also thrown in. Unabridged version is long, but it's the type of novel you can put down for a while and go back to without getting lost.

Atlas Shrugged a clasic

One of the top 10 books everyone should read in their life time.

Looks like its coming true

This book is very long and I think it could have been shorter. I thought it was slow, but could not stop listening. It's scary that some of the things in it are coming true today. This is a conservative book, showing what could happen when progressives go wild.

Five Stars

One of the most important books ever written.

flat out amazed

I was flat out amazed by this book. When I downloaded it, I noticed it is 8 Files long!!! But give it thirty minutes and you'll agree Ayn Rand can go the distance. This was my first attempt with this offer and I was IMPRESSED greatly with her writing and characters. I read (listened to) this after Anna Karenina and this one is much better. Much, much better. It had everything for me, expert writing, great plot, great characters, and meaning. Narration was SUPERB!!!!!

Spectacular

Ayn Rand does an exquisite job of conveying her objectivist philosophy in a wonderfully entertaining novel. A must read for anyone with a mind!

Complex and Unique

This is a complex story with many side trails but one great theme. Big government. This will broaden your views on both sides and is very much like reading the headlines today. A Great read/listen. Well done by Blackstone Audio.

Listening is better than reading

The book is long - the descriptive passages are detailed to the 10th power. You can close your eyes and see the images - however, I know much more about railroads than I ever wanted to know.

The real story is NOT lost which is why this is a great book and the writer a bit of a prophet.

It gives you a glimps into the mind of true believers of many stripes. The power hungry,the ruthless and the victims of those archtypes.

The narrator is a bit heavy handed with his resonance and influctions - sort of critiques with his voice.

All in all, a good 'listen'