Machines with a self-consciousness in the 19th century?

"Property, marriage, the law; as the bed to the river, so rule and convention to the instinct; and woe to him who tampers with the banks while the flood is flowing." - Samuel Butler, Erewhon

Erewhon by Samuel Butler is a satiric novel with the action set in a part utopian, part dystopian society where all our conventions are turned upside down. In this society, the ill are treated as criminals and criminals are treated like recoverable. There are no machines in the world, mainly because they are considered dangerous, capable of evolving into self-sufficient and self-conscious beings.

This Xist Classics edition has been professionally formatted for e-readers with a linked table of contents. This ebook also contains a bonus book club leadership guide and discussion questions. We hope you'll share this book with your friends, neighbors and colleagues and can't wait to hear what you have to say about it.