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The millennium
a comedy of the year 2000
252 pages
A farcical, retro-futuristic romp through the end of the world that skewers capitalism before landing on a hopeful utopian vision.
What it feels like
Reading this early twentieth-century satire feels like watching a fast-paced, retro-futuristic stage play where the end of the world is played for both laughs and political instruction. The mood is distinctly absurdist and theatrical, plunging the reader into a glittering, exaggerated vision of extreme wealth before wiping the slate clean with a pulp-science catastrophe. As the surviving elites bumble through attempts to recreate their capitalist hierarchies in a vacuum, the tone balances wry farce with Sinclair's trademark earnest didacticism. The prose is straightforward and energetic, prioritizing ideological exploration over deep psychological realism. It will delight fans of vintage utopian fiction and political satire who enjoy seeing the flaws of modern society skewered and ultimately replaced by a hopeful, cooperative vision of the future.
- Mood
- absurdist
- theatrical
- optimistic
- retro-futuristic
- Tone
- satirical
- wry
- didactic
- farcical
- earnest
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- the absurdity of extreme wealth · societal collapse and rebirth · the search for utopia · critique of capitalism · human adaptability
- The writing
- Straightforward and theatrical, blending early pulp science fiction tropes with heavy-handed political allegory.
- The arc
- Moves from chaotic, farcical destruction to a hopeful, cooperative resolution.
- Who it's for
- Readers who enjoy vintage science fiction, political satire, and early twentieth-century utopian visions.
Content notes
- mass casualty event
- classism
About the book
"In 1907, Upton Sinclair looked forward 93 years and imagined the year 2000, when capitalism would find its zenith with the construction of The Pleasure Palace, a glittering 100-story-high structure in the middle of New York's Central Park. During the grand opening of the towering building, a scientific experiment with radiumite explodes, killing everybody throughout the world except eleven people at the Pleasure Palace.".
"These survivors struggle to rebuild their lives by creating a new capitalistic society. After that fails, along with several other efforts, they create a utopian society on the lush grounds of a grand country estate in the Pocantico Hills above the Hudson River, embodying Sinclair's life-long vision of "The Cooperative Commonwealth.""--BOOK JACKET.
Description from Open Library.
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