http://www.d-holliday.com/tmore/utopia.htm- Read it here
Utopia is a pun, translating into Ancient Greek as something
like “A good place that is no place”, that’s pretty much what the book is, a traveller’s account of a fictional perfect society, existing undiscovered on an island out in the middle of nowhere. He lectures More about the place’s laws, values and economic policy, explaining the roles that each play in the workings of an ideal state.
Unfortunately, it’s not a step by step manual for bringing about the same perfection in the real world, though that might not matter so much if you’re not a multi-billionaire business mogul or the ruler of a large country, (although if you are I demand that you staple a microfilm of the book on the inside of your eyelid… please…Mr President. Sir) the ideas are good, but often seem a little vague, or contradictory to human nature. Bear in mind that More was writing both the State’s actions and the people’s reactions to them, he could have had people riding round on chariots throwing dung at farmers and only shown them rejoicing at the “Free Fertiliser Initiative”. Keep an open mind, there
really is some good stuff in there, but don’t go starting any cults until you’ve thought long and hard about how you’d look with all your hair shaved off. Being receptive to what people have to say doesn’t mean you have to be plasticine, listen and give everyone a fair hearing, but never let the predominant voice in your head to be any other’s than your own, you’ll save yourself an awful lot of regret that way.
It’s definitely worth reading, bound to get you thinking, even if nothing else. I personally enjoyed it, but I really couldn’t tell you why, it’s written very dryly, without a great deal of jokes and no continuous story. There’s a definite risk you might find it boring, if this seems to be the case I recommend you try the Silver Age Miracleman comics instead, after Neil Gaiman took over from Alan Moore. The ideal society they present is far more colourful, and presented by storytellers rather than thinkers, hell, even if you love
Utopia you still ought to read them sometime, everyone should at least once before they die.
And many more times, in an ideal world.