This Perfect Day

By: Ira Levin

Narrated by: Kevin T. Collins

By the author of Rosemary's Baby, a horrifying journey into a future only Ira Levin could imagine.

Considered one of the great dystopian novels—alongside Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange and Aldous Huxley's Brave New World—Ira Levin's frightening glimpse into the future continues to fascinate readers even forty years after publication.

The story is set in a seemingly perfect global society. Uniformity is the defining feature; there is only one language and all ethnic groups have been eugenically merged into one race called "The Family." The world is ruled by a central computer called UniComp that has been programmed to keep every single human on the surface of the earth in check. People are continually drugged by means of regular injections so that they can never realize their potential as human beings, but will remain satisfied and cooperative. They are told where to live, when to eat, whom to marry, when to reproduce. Even the basic facts of nature are subject to UniComp's will—men do not grow facial hair, women do not develop breasts, and it only rains at night.

With a vision as frightening as any in the history of the science fiction genre, This Perfect Day is one of Ira Levin`s most haunting novels.

Not Levin's best

This story was disappointing. Levin is usually an amazing writer, but this time not so much. Also, the reader uses a simple, child-like voice throughout the novel, so it's tiresome to listen to. If you wish to rrad Ira Levin, try any of his 3 other novels, that are brilliant & well read.

Prescient

This belongs on the book shelf between Brave New World and Fahrenheit 451.

If only we could heed the warnings.

As a dystopia it could definitely be more dystopic

Plot-wise, it's not that bad. But as a dystopia, it could definitely be more dystopic. I don't want to go into any details now so as not to spoil anything, but this is one of those rare books that I believe should have been 50 pages shorter (not necessarily literally 50 pages, but you get what I mean). I felt that many details were nicely written and incorporated into the plot, but the general, darker, dystopic aspects of the book seem to be lacking originality. Otherwise, the book is easy and pleasant to read, at least as pleasant as dystopias go.

Perfect

Perfect Life in this SiFi book. How life shows up ...and if course there are surprises.

Wanderfal world it is

Wanderfal book.
Age-less story.
Grate narrator.
Another Sci-Fi classic added to my collection.
I will read it again in 30 years. and i wonder...