Synopsis

Books are forbidden and Firemen start fires to destroy the books in this dystopian novel.

History

First publication: Ballantine Books, October 1953

Expanded from the short story “The Fireman.” Filmed by Francois Truffaut in 1966.

1954 RetroHugo winner for best novel.

Review

Book lovers will both love and loath this distopian as they witness a man struggle with the question of why books are so harmful and why he must burn them. As he navigates to find out the truth behind the state of the world he lives in, readers encounter a facinating worldview where knowledge is too powerful of a threat, and those who keep the knowledge alive must remain in hiding.