It doesn't get better than this. Review on Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

''if you saw Atlas, the giant who holds the world on his shoulders, if you saw that he stood, blood running down his chest, his knees buckling, his arms trembling but still trying to hold the world aloft with the last of his strength, and the greater his effort the heavier the world bore down upon his shoulders -- what would you tell him to do?''

That, if you haven't already guessed, is the theme of Atlas Shrugged. This magnum opus by Ayn Rand, is probably the most complex piece of philosophical fiction ever written. (I say, probably, because I want to let other people believe that there are other contenders; in my mind there are none).

The Strike, which was the working title of the book (as revealed by AynRand's journals) is centered around a fabulous concept : all the productive members of the society -- the best of the industrialist, artists, bankers, scientists -- decide to go on a strike, against a world that lives off their productive genius, and in return turns all its ugly morality against them.

In a systematic dissection of the morality of collectivism, AynRand argues, through the most potent medium for such a purpose, fiction, the case for Individualism. The story has various sub-threads, that unite into a finale, like a brilliantly conceived and patiently developed symphony. I won't divulge too much of plot here. If you're going to decide based on what I write here, if you should read the book, forget about it. I can't do justice to it. What I'll try to do, is to convey my admiration.

Atlas Shrugged, is not just a book. It's a clinical study of the prevalent morality of altruism, and its effects. It's a defense of free-market economy, without the usual apologies. It's a treatise on human psychology - the psychology of the best and the worst. It's the first systematic exposition of AynRand's philosophy of rational self-interest. But above all, it's a culmination of AynRand's ultimate passion: the projection of the ideal human being.

Do I still hear someone saying, why is this book so long?

The reason why I rate Atlas Shrugged as one of the best fictions ever written, is not just that it has a very complex plot. More importantly, there is a very tight coupling of plot and theme, with the plot completely driven by the theme. A theme, which is unique, bold, and startling. The characterization is another strong point of the novel. It has the obviously heroic characters of Galt, Dagny, Rearden and Francisco -- something which you would expect in an AynRand novel. But it also has simple, but honest, characters like Eddie Willers, and Cheryl Taggart, which make their mark. Then there are complex characters like Dr. Robert Stadler, the sellout genius. The shades are just too many to enlist.

Let me add somewhat parenthetically -- although AynRand scorned at (and was scorned at by) the feminists, very few books in the 1950s (and indeed even today) would have a female character as strong and central as Dagny Taggart. And that character does more for the real feminist causes, than most of the post-modern feminist literature combined.

Curiously, the character that I fell in love with, is not the illusive, and almost unreal, John Galt; but, the charismatic Francisco D'Anconia. He does not have a single dull scene in the whole novel.

This, my friends, is the AynRand masterpiece. Don't get intimidated by its size, or fine print. This is one small universe, AynRand's Atlantis, that has the power to change your life completely. This is what the power of fiction is all about. This is the last word in inspirational writing.

For me, the question isn't, is Atlas Shrugged good-enough? It's, are you?