Lord of the Flies: with an introduction by Stephen King Paperback – 4 Aug 2011

Amazon Review

Lord of the Flies , William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island, is just as chilling and relevant today as when it was first published in 1954. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair," and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the redheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted: "He forgot his words, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet." Golding's gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition. --Jennifer Hubert --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

"Lord of the Flies, a grim parable that holds out precious little hope for humanity...is the most influential novel among U.S. undergraduates since Salinger's The Catcher in the Rye... The British schoolboys in Lord of the Flies are a few years younger than Salinger's Holden Caulfield--they are six to twelve--but are not self-pitying innocents in a world made miserable by adults. They create their own world, their own misery..."

""Lord of the Flies" is one of my favorite books. That was a big influence on me as a teenager, I still read it every couple of years."
--Suzanne Collins, author of "The Hunger Games"
"As exciting, relevant, and thought-provoking now as it was when Golding published it in 1954."
--"Stephen King"
"The most influential novel...since Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye.""
--Time
"This brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return (in a few weeks) to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality. "Lord of the Flies" does. It must also be superbly written. It is."
--The New York Times Book Review
"Sparely and elegantly written..."Lord of the Flies" is a grim anti-pastoral in which adults are disguised as children who replicate the worst of their elders' heritage of ignorance, violence, and warfare."
--Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books

""Lord of the Flies"is one of my favorite books. That was a big influence on me as a teenager, I still read it every couple of years."
Suzanne Collins, author of"The Hunger Games"
"As exciting, relevant, and thought-provoking now as it was when Golding published it in 1954."
"Stephen King"
"The most influential novel...since Salinger's"Catcher in the Rye.""
Time
"This brilliant work is a frightening parody on man's return (in a few weeks) to that state of darkness from which it took him thousands of years to emerge. Fully to succeed, a fantasy must approach very close to reality."Lord of the Flies"does. It must also be superbly written. It is."
The New York Times Book Review
"Sparely and elegantly written..."Lord of the Flies"is a grim anti-pastoral in which adults are disguised as children who replicate the worst of their elders' heritage of ignorance, violence, and warfare."
Joyce Carol Oates, New York Review of Books" --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.