Rating: 
Summary: Bad Philosophy, atrociously written
Review: One of my personal definitions of "literature" is: Writing that makes you THINK.So by that definition, I guess I'd have to say Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand is indeed "Literature". What it made me think, throughout the book was: "This [is bad]." It just doesn't ring true. Not a single page of it. (and there are WAY too many pages!) I would call it poorly written, as opposed to unreadable. The characters are one dimensional, shallow, and utterly predictable. The "bad" world Ms. Rand contrives to advance her two-bit philosophy could never happen in the first place. So when her heroic "masters of the universe" struggle so mightily against this bogus fabrication, they're just tilting at windmills, while Dagny tramps from one superhero's bedroom to the next, providing a small, but unredeeming measure of salacious relief. This book reminded me of two others: 1) Bonfire of the Vanities, by Tom Wolfe, which is also about a master of the universe, and 2) The Prince, by Machiavelli. What Rand is telling us is that we ought to admire, (and emulate) these arrogant, ruthless, backstabbing automaton bastards. Yeah, I guess the world needs more Kenneth Lay's and Andrew Fastow's. =No Thanks.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book by a great writer
Review: It's not a coincidence that this book has been a consistent seller for decades. Rand was a great writer and this is an amazing book. It does have one major flaw, which I will discuss in a minute, but it is hardly worth mentioning taken in the context of the breathtaking scope of this book. Rand was able to project her entire philosophy in a work of fiction. She didn't tell you what her philosophy was in this book(with some regrettable exceptions). She created a fictional world designed to show you her philosophy. This alone is amazing. Most writers have trouble convincingly making even one good point using fiction as their medium. Nearly every word in this book is working to support the theme(her philosophy),and despite what some people say, this book is not "wordy". It is a long book though, and some editing may have improved it. There are some places where Rand must have felt that showing you her philosophy wasn't enough and decided to step into the role of one of her characters and start preaching. For example, John Galt's speech. I read this speech separately from the novel in a different book and thought it was a great piece of writing, but in the novel it is a horrible interruption. Not only that, it was completely unnecessary. It was very clear early in the book what Rand was driving at, and anyone not convinced by the time John Galt starts speaking will only be infuriated by the length and tone of the speech. She should have kept her fiction and non-fiction writing separate. Having said that, this is still the most impressive work of fiction I have ever read. Buy the book or get it from the library and give it a try. You will know within the first 100 pages whether you are going to like it or not and can proceed accordingly.
Rating:
Summary: Propaganda for One
Review: If while reading Ayn Rand's words you suddenly scream and throw the book across the room, don't worry, you are not alone. For a person that abhors mediocrity, Ayn Rand certainly has done a good job of making a mediocre book.
In Atlas Shrugged, the characters appear as two dimensional at best and as afterthoughts at worst. The prose will have you screaming in your sleep (If I never again see the words: "...this was the only tribute he/she/they could offer" I will die a happy man). The plot will have you rolling with laughter. And the contradictions will cause your brain to explode.
From beginning to end the book feels "rigged" to get just the outcome that Ayn Rand wants, not because it is the logical outcome of the events, but because she desperately wants it to be. Since, through the text, one can infer that Rand cares nothing for the opinions of others, we can only suppose that she is doing this to further her own self-delusion.
The philosophy, while an interesting counter argument to socialism, would have been better served being presented in a straightforward manner instead of the intellectual masturbation that Atlas Shrugged becomes.
The books only saving grace comes in the form of Hank Rearden. His is the only three dimensional character in the book, and hence the only story that is believable or inspiring in the least. Had Rand focused more on this character instead of Dagny, she would have had all of the elements to create a classic. As it stands, however, all that she has created is a lot of sound and fury signifying nothing.
Rating: 
Summary: Many valid points, but needs a reevaluation
Review: Ayn Rand grew up in Russia, and emigrated to the United States. Her book Atlas Shrugged (1957) sketches a Marxist Russian type state emerging in America: incompetent government politicos who plunder the work of productive people using various lofty slogans for a pretext. Orwell's 1984 depicts a similar dictatorship, but unlike Rand, Orwell was lucid enough to warn the reader: this is not just a sketch of the Soviet Union, it can happen anywhere in the West too. And by golly, it sure did. Have you heard about the Patriot Acts 1 and 2? Read of Enron, WorldCom, Tyco, Adelphia and their Washington friends? Ayn Rand's oppressive nincompoop government politicos are here with a vengeance, plundering the productive people as badly as any fictitous Wesley Mouch could. The effective U.S. tax rate with all hidden charges visible is what, 50% of the average income?. To add insult to the injury, they are plundering us in the name of free market capitalism, the credo of Rand's book. In Atlas Shrugged, Marxist ideology is depicted as the pretext to loot productive citizens. Ideology is always just a smoke screen. Looting governments emerge because ripping off taxpayers from a sheltered government position is such a lucrative and easy racket (since Babylon), that it inevitably attracts the most unscrupulous and the laziest elements of any society like a shining lamp attracts flies. Call it Darwinian governmental anti-selection. Even in John Galt's utopian commune of super-thinkers, if they had a civil office post, who would apply for it, the brightest and the busiest of all, or the least bright and hence the most idle? In 1100 pages, Ayn Rand depicted us a government running out of control like a broken car. Next, she suggested that if we switch the little logo on the hood from a sickle and hammer to a dollar sign, the deep engine problems will cease. Well, I think the problem is elsewhere. And it didn't take 1100 pages to point it out where, either. I spent two days reading the book (enjoyed its dialogs, and a lot of the character situations) and a third day reading people's reflections about it on Amazon. Without reading the wisdom of the vox populi online, it would not have been a full experience. I hope my review and occassional thoughts will add to the enjoyment of others as much as their posts added to mine.
Rating: 
Summary: Pretty Good
Review: Good book; a little long, but very interesting. This gives you a better idea of her philosophy than her straight theory books. Beware of the radio speech near the third quarter though, that drags.
Rating:
Summary: Good Novel, Problematic Philosophy
Review: Atlas Shrugged is a great story. It is filled with admirable characters, dastardly villains, good vs. evil, and everything that makes a good fantasy. And that's precisely the problem with it. If Ayn Rand was attempting to write a politico-philosophical novel in a similiar vein to Huxley or Orwell, she failed miserably. If her goal was to write a piece of absolutist propaganda, she succeeded- which contradicted the entire idea she was trying to express! Rand defeats libertarianism by turning it into an absolutist ideology based on iron-shod moral axioms and a single-minded devotion to endless material acquisition as the singular most important goal in life. Rather than recognizing the plethora of different personalities and ideologies that make up our civilization, she plasters them into a black vs. white mold of absolute evil vs. absolute good, 1 vs. 0, death vs. life. She commits reductio ad absurdum- by taking any ideology out to it's most rediculous end, including her own, you can turn it into a sham. She insists that those who would criticize her moral opinions are morally unworthy to do so, and, in several places in the book, suggests that her opponents, whether they are labeled "collectivists", "mystics", "thugs", or "relativists", deserve to die. In my mind, I continually compared Atlas Shrugged to a much better novel in a similiar vein- Orwell's "1984". However, Orwell's work was much more realistic, and Orwell understood that any ideology, taken to an extreme, is dangerous and absurd, be it capitalism or communism. None of his political understanding is seen in Rand's sophmoric philosophy, which sees the vast majority of humans as nothing more than sheep- similiar to the totalitarian ideologies that she despises. Atlas Shrugged, while an enjoyable read, leaves quite a bit to be desired- which probably explains why most modern libertarians have left Rand behind. Her tradition is not that of the founding fathers, nor is it that of the people of the future.
Rating: 
Summary: Why did Ms. Rand "Shrug" Off the Editors?
Review: I read Atlas Shrugged after THOROUGHLY enjoying The Fountainhead. I find Ayn Rand's philosophies engaging; however, I was disappointed in this book for several reasons: 1. This book clearly needs editing -- themes were repetitious and the book is unnecessarily lengthy
2. Characters were one-dimensional -- either good or evil
3. Scenarios were somewhat unrealistic -- almost too fantastic to believe In short, there are some insightful lessons to be learned from Atlas Shrugged. My recommendation is to skip this book and go straight to The Fountainhead.
Rating:
Summary: Atlas Shrugged because he was bored
Review: Cool story, but too slow. It's hard to start and hard to finish, though I do like the story. Very fitting to read during these trying times of the world today.
Rating:
Summary: A Literary Monument
Review: Atlas Shrugged will most powerfully move you if you aren't afraid of being alive.
Rating:
Summary: The Simple Review
Review: I'm not going to write a thesis sorta review like some others have. I'll just throw it out strait. Damn good book. If your like me, and like meat with your meals, instead of lettuce, this is a book for you. Damn... I started writing, but got all smartie pants. Anyways read the damn book. Given 5 stars from the kid/stoner/drunk over in the corner.
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