Rating: 
Summary: A haunting book that keeps me thinking over and over
Review: This short book is a gem. Although the first 45 pages were somewhat slow, I couldn't put it down until I finished it. I've been thinking about this book for weeks now. This is a superb portrayal of the fragility of abstract concepts like 'decency' or 'civilization' and the flawed process by which these concepts are defined. It is very pessimistic about our ability to maintain reason and humanity during the best of times, and much more so when subjected to forceful manipulation and brainwashing. In the end, the main character finally comes to a realization that what we call 'history' or 'civilization' should not be dictated by an external parasitic power, but that these concepts should arise from peaceful human interaction with each other. The book ends before we can find out what is he going to do with his realization, but there are other books that pick up from that point. I recommend 'We The Living' by Ayn Rand and 'The Road to Serfdom' by F.A. Hayek.
Rating:
Summary: A Masterpiece
Review: From previous reviews on this page I'm convinced many readers did not read the same novel I did. As a South African I might have had priviledged access to a state of mind, but this novel soars above even such limitations. It is a masterpiece. It has haunted me with its power and subtlety for years. I first read it as a student, and have re-visited it twice since. Few books have affected me in quite the same way. Sometimes I open a chapter just to be inspired by the simplicity and elegance of the prose. Not a word wasted. To peel away the layers of meaning - civilization, barbarians, cruelty, love, impotence - seems unnecessary. I've always read it as a poem, thrilling at the powerful undertow of meaning.
Rating: 
Summary: Good storyline but too preachy
Review: Waiting for the Barbarians is a good novel, very well written, but Coetzee really tries to make a point of what "civilization" is coming to which got out of hand. It seems like he wrote the book just to tell the message and that the storyline was created in the process.
Rating: 
Summary: Realization
Review: This was a step on the unfinished road of realization that the culture I so easily accepted when I moved to this country is really the worst oppresser in history. I wish the story had been told from someone elses standpoint, because no matter how agry the narrator is at his society, he is still a part of it, with all the biases it contains and all the racism and sexism it supports.
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Summary: Rich in ideas, this novel may keep you wondering for years
Review: Set in a landscape which moves almost unnoticably from what could be the Mediterranean, to desert, to tundra, to unrecognizable terrains, this idiosyncratic book allows an unusually independent view of patterns of human behaviour. It shows how often we depend for our understanding of the world on presumptions unconsciously signified in the labels we give to different times, places and individuals' positions within society. Coetzee subverts and calls into question these labels by taking them away as soon as they are offered. Our narrator, the Magistrate, could be in any country in the world and in any time in history; these things are constantly hinted at but never confirmed. He is an official, a respected member of his society at the beginning, but as soon as the reader gets used to this idea, it is denigrated bit by bit as first we see his private, human weaknesses, his failures with relationships, and then the violent public stripping of his position as he is suddenly no longer a rather corrupt big fish in a small pond but a reviled victim of political repression himself. The openness of this narrative still leaves me wondering whether I have been indoctrinated to create my own personal 'barbarians' in my perspective of other human beings with all their mysteries, contradictions and possible interpretations. One thing is for sure, this is a very human book.
Rating:
Summary: This fine book deserves a wide readership.
Review: Coetzee's (koot'-zee) work lies outside the mainstream of English-language fiction because the author is South African. Waiting for the Barbarians never achieved prominence because it was first published during the apartheid years. Set in an unidentifiable sere wasteland, the Administrator has plenty of time to reflect upon the roots and future of Empire. The collapse of colonialism takes nothing from this insightful masterwork. Do read it.
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Summary: read this and know how not to act as a "civilized" society
Review: I was totally appalled by ignorance and ideals that make up a so called "civilized" society. This book clearly illustrates the prejudices that white society has about "barbarian" and what makes them so barbarous. Read the book and one will find that civilized and uncivilized are very closely related.
Rating:
Summary: Penetrating and relevant
Review: In a humanity so clearly divided into oppressors and oppressed The Magistrate is a question mark. For years he has served the Empire, evidently at the expense of the "Barbarians", the name given to black people. In times of peace he was not fully aware of his oppressive role, although it did lurk in the corners of his mind. When war came, initiated by the Empire, the brutalities of the empire towards the native black population became too obvious, too harsh. Since the magistrate was a sensitive human being, he was crushed by the new realities, and in many ways lost his mind. After bringing upon himself, half willingly, some of the cruelty that was mostly reserved for the natives, he began a process of slow mental healing. The book mercilessly drills on the impossible situation of a sensitive person who is a part of an oppressive system. Can one man make a change ? Can a person switch sides at will ? These questions are merely raised. The author does not pretend to suggest the answers. As in his later novel, "Disgrace", Coetzee speaks through an aging white South African, conscious of his aging body, confused by the changing times, and puzzled by black people's existence. In this he probably speaks for millions around the world, and does so without conforming any of his artistic integrity. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: A classic story
Review: Waiting for the Barbarians is a fascinating story about a magistrate working for a dysfunctional and corrupt colonial empire that borders on the outskirts of the modern world.. With deep political undertones Coetzee's tale of man against a corrupting society where rebellion and personal redemption are inevitable is what makes this story so full of enlightenment and secured its place as one of the greatest classic stories of the twentieth century. Not easy to relate to, this story nevertheless succinctly confronts the conflicts of positive and negative traits which we all have to confront to become really human in life . This conflict in our souls which are man's unavoidable dilemmas has perhaps been best exposed Coetzee and Dostoyevsky. A highly recommended book.
Also recommended are THE USURPER AND OTHER STORIES, DISCIPLES OF FORTUNE, THE UNION MOUJIK, THE IDIOT,
Rating:
Summary: A deep and thought provoking story
Review: This is one of the deepest and mind seacrhing books I have read. The author touched the soul of man in today's world where good is always in conflict with evil, starting with ourselves and the general society in which we live.It reminded me of Disciples of Fortune by janvier Tisi
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