I had seen the movie as a young teen, loved it (maybe too much; it wasn't long after seeing it that I began getting thrown out of school for fighting and the like), and bought the book. I remember enjoying it as well, although I'm sure some of its finer philosophical points were lost on me. I remember there was a glossary in the book for some of the words such as "droog" and I remember being surprised that the characters in the Burgess version were so young-- Alex is 15 in the story, and Malcolm McDowell was in his late 20's when he played the character in Kubrick's movie. I believe Burgess disavowed the movie as being too sensational and exploitative.

A very deep, complex read with equally challenging characters. The central theme of the whole book is that without free will and choice, man loses his humanity, thus society becomes very deterministic in nature, which is what the clockwork orange symbolizes. Free will is what's needed to maintain our humanity and individuality. What Burgess sets out to analyze through the character Alex is the utilitarian notion of the harm principle, which as set forth by John Stuart Mill states that any action is permissible so long as it doesn't harm anyone else. It is clear that Alex's immoral acts against others is harmful to society at large, so the big question becomes is it better to permit a negative form of free will, since goodness is authentic only if it's chosen and not imposed upon by authority. Throughout the entire book, there is a tendency to criticize authority and socialism as well. Imposing discipline won't change man's environment. Just as man is capable of great good, so is he capable of doing great harm. Such evil cannot be rationalized away. Alex says that he likes doing evil simply because it feels good. That's why centralization of authority, from fascism to communism has led to so much great evil. Burgess really focuses in on the role of state propaganda and mind control, which makes the public complacent of a government's actions. In the case of mass society, the indoctrination is much more passive; with Alex, they are forcing him to believe in something which he doesn't believe in. The goons who are trying to make Alex into a good citizen are actually no better than Alex and his friends. Through original sin, the evil act itself chose us, not the other way around, therefore the world is a bad place, and temptation will always be a problem. The conclusion: man can over time reduce the effects of this highly deterministic original sin by choosing goodness over evil.

i loved this book. I admit that the Nadsat language is difficult to get used to but every word is explained in some form, and after the first few chapters, reading it and understanding what is being said becomes a non-issue. I think that there are even editions now with a Nadsat glossary in the back. Burgess successfully creates a world that is fascinating, scary and possible all at the same time. I like the way that alex is portrayed: we hate him at the beginning and pity him in the end. I liked his character a lot, despite the ultra violence. This book is all about choices and the role of free will in society. This book, i think, has been tainted by the film that has become a cult success. Although Kubrick did a good job, the book is by far superior!

A chilling and nasty morality tale, with exquisite use of language. Probably Burgess' best work.

Great book.

The movie is great, but the book puts Kubrick to shame. Make sure to read a copy with all seven original chapters.

Clockwork Orange is one of the best pieces of literature ever written in the 20th century.

The thought and originality put into this psycological thriller is as amazing as the material is shocking.