Lord of the Flies

By William Golding

NOW A NETFLIX SERIES

William Golding’s profound tale of stranded youth, survival, and the shadowy depths of human nature, with an afterword by Lois Lowry

Lord of the Flies is one of my favorite books. I still read it every couple of years.”—Suzanne Collins, author of The Hunger Games trilogy

At the dawn of the next World War, a plane crash strands a group of schoolboys on a remote island. There are no grownups. No rules. Freedom is celebrated. But when strange, distant noises and visions of a beast begin to haunt the boys, their fragile order unravels, and all hopes of rescue fade.

Since 1954, William Golding’s Lord of the Flies has shaped our understanding of human nature—the latent darkness within, and the destructive or creative capacity of collective will. This edition also includes Suggestions for Further Exploration by Jennifer Buehler to contextualize Golding’s classic as one of the most timeless and socially relevant texts in the last century of literature.

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Published Dec 16, 2003

224 pages

Average rating: 7.21

854 RATINGS

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What Bookclubbers are saying about this book

✨ Summarized by Bookclubs AI

Readers say *Lord of the Flies* is a powerful, thought-provoking classic exploring human nature, society, and fear, with rich symbolism and complex ch...

Cresta McGowan
Dec 25, 2025
10/10 stars
This is a good dystopian novel that contemplates the true evil that exist in man; even as children. The irony of placing a person in paradise only to have them destroy it is a lesson that never ceases to be valuable. Human nature at its worst.
K Olson
Jan 14, 2025
8/10 stars
Read this to discuss with my thirteen year old son. So glad I did. It is really a commentary on man's sinful and rebellious nature. My son could not totally understand the point of the book especially because he loves fantasy where good overcomes evil.
Louise K
Aug 09, 2026
6/10 stars
I appreciate this is termed as a classic book and is one of the reasons I wanted to read it. Of its time I imagine but I personally found it a little difficult to read. It’s not a long book or I may have considered not finishing it. There are aspects of the book that make you think after you’ve finished it and I can understand why it’s used in schools and named as a classic, but it’s not one I would read again.
MadocMattox
Jul 01, 2026
7/10 stars
Better than I remember from high school. It is quite an interesting perspective and metaphor, for the human (maybe male human) condition. What are we without the rules of society?
MelCar
Jun 18, 2026
8/10 stars
A Great Classic! I listened to this with my boys. The author is the narrator, so that made it really cool!

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