Orwell's Revenge
Peter Huber's book takes an unusual form. It is partly a counter novel that rewrites George Orwell's 1984, imagining a version where the telescreen and networked technology break the grip of Big Brother instead of strengthening it. Huber argues that Orwell misjudged how communication technology would work, contending that decentralized networks tend to favor individuals and undercut centralized control. The book blends a fictional retelling with essays drawing on Huber's reading of Orwell's own writing, some of it processed by early computer analysis. Written in the mid 1990s as the internet was emerging, it is an optimistic answer to dystopian fears about surveillance and media. Readers encounter both a reimagined story and a sustained argument about why the future Orwell feared might not arrive.
What you might want to know about Orwell's Revenge
The questions readers send us most often, answered without spoilers.
Peter Huber rewrites and rebuts George Orwell's 1984, arguing that information technology empowers individuals rather than tyrants.
It is both. Huber alternates a fictional rewrite of 1984 with essays arguing against Orwell's view of technology.
Huber claims that information networks tend to empower individuals and weaken centralized control, the opposite of Orwell's fear in 1984.
Orwell's Revenge was written by Peter Huber, published in 1994 by Free Press.
Orwell's Revenge is 374 pages in standard print editions, though page counts vary slightly between hardcover, paperback, and large-print formats.
At an average reading pace of about 250 words per minute, Orwell's Revenge takes most readers 6 to 8 hours to finish.
Orwell's Revenge is available in hardcover, paperback, ebook, and audiobook formats from Amazon, Bookshop.org, ThriftBooks, and most major bookstores.