• Anthem

  • By: Ayn Rand
  • Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
  • Length: 1 hr and 44 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (42 ratings)

Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Anthem  By  cover art

Anthem

By: Ayn Rand
Narrated by: Kevin Kollins
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $6.95

Buy for $6.95

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

Anthem is a dystopian fiction novella by Ayn Rand, written in 1937 and first published in 1938 in the United Kingdom.

The story takes place at an unspecified future date when mankind has entered another Dark Age. Technological advancement is now carefully planned and the concept of individuality has been eliminated. A young man known as Equality 7-2521 rebels by doing secret scientific research. When his activity is discovered, he flees into the wilderness with the girl he loves. Together they plan to establish a new society based on rediscovered individualism.

Public Domain (P)2018 Combray Media

What listeners say about Anthem

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    12
  • 3 Stars
    3
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    24
  • 4 Stars
    7
  • 3 Stars
    4
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    1
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    22
  • 4 Stars
    11
  • 3 Stars
    2
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    1

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A writer well before her time.

This is a easy intro to this Authors much longer and heavier works.

It is a harbinger For all the ugly Dictatorships to follow in the 20th and 21st
century,with all the pain and suffering it brought to those countries and
the world.It is a great way to have a glimpse into a controversial writer
who starts heated debates among intellectuals of all political persuasions.

The narrator does a good job in creating the right mood for this work.



This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Certainly piqued my interest in Rand...

I was surprised at how much I liked Anthem. This was my first time reading Ayn Rand and I actually wasn't ever planning on reading any Rand, but the opportunity presented itself on audiobook boom and I figured, why not? This is a satisfying short story and an easy intro to the author's body of work. The narrator is excellent...very talented. He brings the character to life and captures the inherent oddness of the story with a believably blunted affect, where applicable. Anthem has certainly piqued my interest in Rand.Thank you to the author, the narrator, and audiobook boom for the complimentary copy of the book in exchange for this fair and unbiased review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent novella for those that loved 1984.

Compelling yet compact, a good read for a quiet afternoon. If you like dystopian novels, this one is a must read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

I Enjoyed It

If you want a quick book to introduce you to Ayn Rand then this would be the one. When I listened to this the movies 1984 and Metropolis came to my mind. I enjoy Ms. Rand's writings but they are not for everyone. Kevin Kollins did an excellent job narrating this work. He kept a bit faster pace than most books are read at but it was easy to keep up with him. I would recommend this to my friends with similar tastes.

I was given this free review copy audio book at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Great Story with Great Narration

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review. This review is for the audio copy of Anthem by Ayn Rand and narrated by Kevin Kollins. . I asked for this book because I like Ayn Rand’s writing and philosophy. This is a relatively short story written by a legend of an author therefore not much else needs to be said about the story. The narrator did a fabulous job of bringing this story to life within my head. I had read the book years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It was pure pleasure to be able to listen to it. I highly recommend Ayn Rand (of course...) and narrator Kevin Kollins.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

The "I" over the "We"

It's hard not to compare Anthem to 1984. Anthem could be considered the unofficial and unintentional sequel. Written both by people with similar Soviet backgrounds and written with similar purposes in mind. The good thing Rand does is build up the background quick as that's what makes the story the most interesting. There isn't really a need to build much of a character since the whole point in for everyone to be character-less. Anthem follows a lot of Rand's other motifs with the society at large wanting for collectivist control. Here, that system has won. And in similar Randian fashion, the individual that resides in the spirit of man attempts to break free. As far as a complete philosophy being built up, you'll have to read her other novels to get that. Rand's attempt is to show what would happen if the ideology of communism developed a Utopian society - even when civilization is destroyed by it to rule over men by man is deeply set. Anthem does what it sets out to do - to promote the need for the "I" rather than the "we". Final Grade - B+

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Living without Individuality

I'm not a fan of Ayn Rand's beliefs, but she does certainly know how to write interesting stories (even if Atlas Shrugged needs a sharp editor with even sharper scissors). 'Anthem' is a short story that shows her ability to write interesting stories, characters and settings.

'Anthem' is set is a dystopia future where there is no individuality, there is no 'I', people do exactly what they are told for work, think what they are told to think, live how they are told to live, etc. Everyone has numbers, not names. It is told in a first person POV, but with the main character (Equality 7-2521) referring to himself as 'we' for by his number, never by 'I'. But slowly Equality 7-2521 is discovering his own thoughts and ideas, and love.

Narration by Kevin Kollins is good. He is faster paced than most (which is likely why this version has a short running time than other version of the book) but is easy to follow along with and easy to listen to.

I was voluntarily provided this free review copy audiobook by the author, narrator, or publisher.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

enjoyable

I did enjoy this one very much.
the book was well written and interesting as well . the narrator did a good job
I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

An Overlooked Classic

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This is an overlooked classic, Ayn Rand writing is nowadays overlooked.
A dystopian tale of the future, written 80 years ago it's ideas are still used by authors writing dystopian fiction today.
A good piece of narration by Kevin Kollins, easy to listen to. Under 2 hours.
A good introduction to Ayn Rand's work.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

Anthem

Overall I really liked this book, it was short and had a lot of great commentary on a dystopian future.
There isn't much to really say about this book as it is really straightforward and you can see where it is going. This is a great example of the journey being better than the destination.

This book was given to me for free at my request for my voluntary and unbiased review.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!