Island

It is a fitting tribute to the great thinker that his last novel was his best and it gave him a lasting legacy to honor, as I see it, his long lived hope of a better world by presenting the human condition in all of it's fine and/or hideous attributes and motivations.A good summation of the overall picture that Huxley is painting in Island, is right on the back cover of the book although to make it more accurate, I`ve added the missing words in the bracket: "A mirror in which modern man can see all that is rotten [and good] in his society and himself... Should be read and reread." (Saturday Review of Literature)To emphasize the various personalities, the main characters are either protracted, conniving greedy bums or thinking, sensitive intellects; the rest are on the fence and waiting to see which way the wind blows and when presented with contrasting, colliding circumstances, which emotions will pull them in which ultimate, life altering direction?I have read this book a few times now and it is always thought provoking and engaging. Huxley's prose are flowing and captivating, leaving one with a sense of longing for an undisturbed version of Huxley's Island to move to with it's beautiful, conscious inhabitants and their intriguing, life enhancing, experimental social structure lived in a harmonious, loving and literate by choice social setting.Unfortunately, they are under siege by forces beyond their control- we think, for had Huxley lived, he might have followed this book with a sequel that ultimately had the "Islanders" triumph over their greedy, evil opposites. As it stands, we're left with an apparent sense of impending doom for the island paradise- an attempt to "civilize" it with a new, materialistic society based on competition and greed. Gee, sounds like the real world!Those who love a well crafted, moving story line will appreciate Island just for the intrigue and flow of a good novel, regardless of the socio-psychological ramifications involved.A note of interest on alternative, experimental communities is that B.F. Skinner's block-buster book, "Walden II" was possibly, as many people believe, the inspiration for Huxley`s Island and there are many parallels in their respective story lines. Dialogue in Island mentions alternative communities such as Oneida. The famous "Twin Oaks Community" was designed around Skinner's fictional Walden II utopian farm.

This will be the last book I finish in 2017, and it’s a doozy.Set on the fictional Polynesian island named Pala, this is a kind of bookend to Huxley’s classic futuristic masterpiece, Brave New World (1932), and was Huxley’s final novel. On Pala life is peaceful and happy, with scientific and technological advancements blended with a way of living that is heavily influenced by Eastern philosophy and branches of Buddhism. Peace and harmony, a tropical utopia.Not the typical novel, there isn’t an obvious direct conflict or much physical action. It is more a philosophical journey for the main character, Will Farnaby, a journalist on a secret mission to secure a contract for oil drilling on Pala. Will wants nothing more than to get the contract and a large personal financial bonus for himself. The closest neighboring island, Rendang-Lobo, is ruled by Colonel Dipa, a military dictator who is hellbent on modernizing his kingdom, and threatens Pala’s peaceful way of life. Will arrives after being washed ashore after a shipwreck, shortly before Pala’s new ruler will be assuming control. The young heir to the throne, Murugan, is a spoiled young fool, completely under his devious mother’s thumb - and Murugan is envious of Rendang-Lobo’s new modernization and its embracing of ideas from the outside world; he wants to see Pala mimic Colonel Dipa’s economic and social goals.That’s the overall thrust of the plot, but there’s so much underneath: how can societies exist with consumerism and greed? What responsibility do society’s members have to each other? And ideas about ecology, overpopulation and mysticism are a central part of Will Farnaby's growth as a character. There is a lot here, and after reading this, Aldous Huxley instantly became a favorite author for me.While this novel will probably never get the recognition of Brave New World, I was completely bowled over after reading it. I really favor this novel over Brave New World - no mean feat because that book is superb and I’ve loved it for years - but the ideas in Island were quite profound and will have me thinking for a long while. And it is amazing that it was published in 1962. Will Humans ever learn? I doubt it. Excellent book, highest recommendation.

Great read, deep, makes the reader ponder how great such a country would be yet how vulnerable it would be as those who covet it will destroy it to have it.