It was probably past time this reader got around to the granddaddy of all dystopians. While it was not on my particular high school's mandatory reading list, it's impossible to escape the cultural references to this warning in novel form. 
 The Gist: 
 The 1949 Orwellian vision of the not-so-distant future is dismal, to say the least. The world has been divided into three superstates, which vacillate back and forth in a perpetual deadlock of war, convenient alliances, and isolationism. The story happens to take place in 'Oceania' (made up largely of the more westernized countries) and centered specifically on 'Airstrip One' (which had at one time been the British Isles.) 
 Told in third-person limited, our protagonist is a deary, malcontented, and nearly middle-aged man named Winston. Winston works for the Department of Records, specializing in the revising of history in whatever way it suits the tyrannical, all-seeing government. The government, referred to simply as the 'Party' and ominously represented by 'Big Brother,' keeps its stranglehold on the populace via the extensive use of surveillance, torture, and brainwashing. Winston secretly loathes the Party and is restless to do something about the fact...but at the same time, he is reasonably fearful for his life and free will---however severely limited both of those may be. But when he starts a workplace affair with a fellow dissenter, he sets in motion a fate from which there is no turning back. 
 Review Thoughts: 
 Orwell's literary style has a certain gritty charm that well fits the negative utopia setting. But for this reviewer, the political concerns he dishes are a bit heavy-handed...and at some points, explained with a sort of textbook dryness that left the middle sagging like the belly of a neutered tomcat. 
 What was probably the most difficult issue was the bland, quazi-personality of the protagonist. While it could be argued that this is a natural result of the mental conditioning of the oppressed regime he lives under, the explanation doesn't particularly alleviate the base problem for the reader. Winston isn't a likeable character. Nor is his "love" interest, for that matter. Readers may find it difficult to become emotionally invested in the vagueness of Winston's existence and/or his plight. The masses of this projected society have been reduced to a narcissistic, humanity-voided labor force by their sociopathic rulers; children are little more than ravenous monsters feared by their own parents. Orwell perhaps did -too- good a job in conveying the bleak hopelessness of this world--for some readers could easily be left wondering about it: What, exactly, is worth saving? 
 To say I enjoyed this book would be like saying I enjoyed having a root canal. Was it necessary? Yes.(Culturally speaking.) Would I ever do something like that again? ...Not with any enthusiasm. 
 Please don't misunderstand. While this book isn't what could be called an easy read, it is unquestionably a significant read. (A part of its message is timelessly relevant in modern society, where the media is able to bend, alter, threaten, and control public opinion--even incite mob mentality.) One has to wonder if 1984 hasn't played some part in fending off totalitarian rule in more fragile areas of the world...if not, to some extent, in western civilization as our technological capacities have met and exceeded Orwell's advancement predictions. 
 Speaking of George Orwell's predictions...has anyone else noticed that he quite possibly prophesied the cult phenomenon that is Apple? ... "In the early twentieth century, the vision of a future society unbelievably rich, leisured, orderly and efficient--a glittering antiseptic world of glass and steel and snow-white concrete--was part of the consciousness of nearly every literate person." 
 ...I could just be a touch paranoid. Thanks for that, George. 
 Favorite quotes: 
 *"And even when they became discontented, as they sometimes did, their discontent led nowhere, because, being without general ideas, they could only focus it on petty grievances. The larger evils invariably escaped their notice." 
 *"In a way, the world-view of the Party imposed itself most successfully on people incapable of understanding it. They could be made to accept the most flagrant violations of reality, because they never fully grasped the enormity of what was demanded of them, and were not sufficiently interested in public events to notice what was happening. By lack of understanding they remained sane."