This Perfect Day

By Ira Levin,

Book cover of This Perfect Day

Book description

'Marvellously entertaining. A cross between Brave New World and Doctor Who' Look Magazine

Considered one of the great dystopian thrillers - alongside A Clockwork Orange and Brave New World- Ira Levin's terrifying glimpse into the future continues to fascinate readers even forty years after publication.

Set in a seemingly perfect…

Shepherd is reader supported. When you buy books, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Why read it?

2 authors picked This Perfect Day as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

The news is full of stories about chilling developments in artificial intelligence.

And you don’t have to venture into the fantasy world of killer robots to be terrified. Already, “chatbots” are blurring the lines between human and machine intelligence.

It’s gotten to the point that you can’t trust what you see or read online—because it may have been created by some AI designed to cheat or scare you into doing something you really don’t want to do.

Ira Levin’s novel, published in 1970, shows us a world ruled by artificial intelligence. It’s dystopia in the truest sense—and it’s likely to…

Ira Levin wrote 7 novels; I wish he’d written more. He was that very rare bird: a literary writer who wrote for readers, and not for himself. He’s all story, never showmanship—his beautiful flourishes are stunning because they’re so rare.  

This Perfect Day is one of his novels that hasn’t been turned into a film (the only other one is Son of Rosemary, his sequel to Rosemary’s Baby). This is a head-scratcher to me just because it’s easily his most cinematic novel—in the sense of lending itself to stunning visuals. It’s very much in the same school…

Want books like This Perfect Day?

Our community of 10,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like This Perfect Day.

Browse books like This Perfect Day

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in dystopian, the afterlife, and artificial intelligence?

10,000+ authors have recommended their favorite books and what they love about them. Browse their picks for the best books about dystopian, the afterlife, and artificial intelligence.

Dystopian Explore 545 books about dystopian
The Afterlife Explore 91 books about the afterlife
Artificial Intelligence Explore 283 books about artificial intelligence