What would happen in our society if the best and the brightest stopped producing? The motor of the world would stop. Who is John Galt? He is the embodiment of objectivism, the philosophy grounded in uncompromising individual competency and productivity. Creeping socialism produces incompetent moochers and looters who use the extortion of guilt to take money and goods from men like Galt without earning them. Rand's novel follows the personal lives of Galt's heroic friends as they plan and build their secret utopia and allow the general economy to collapse on its empty socialist promises. Rand looks at her philosophy from every possible angle and interrupts the story with lengthy explanations. This style is reminiscent of Thomas Mann's Magic Mountain. The writing style is simple and direct, and the characters engage in conversations that are far from the ordinary. This is a great novel for the careful reader willing to spend time with the lengthy work and take notes on key premises. (read less)