High-Opp

By: Frank Herbert

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 6 hrs and 20 mins

Publisher's summary

Published posthumously, this dystopian novel was written between Frank Herbert's classics The Dragon in the Sea and Dune.

EMASI! Each Man a Separate Individual! That is the rallying cry of the Seps, the resistance force engaged in a class war against the upper tiers of a society driven entirely by opinion polls. Those who score high, the High-Opps, are given plush apartments, comfortable jobs, every possible convenience. But those who happen to be low-opped live crowded in warrens, facing harsh lives and brutal conditions.

Daniel Movius, ex-senior liaitor, rides high in the opinion polls - until he loses everything, brushed aside by a very powerful man. Low-opped and abandoned, Movius finds himself fighting for survival in the city's underworld. There, the opinion of the masses is clear: It is time for a revolution against the corrupt superprivileged - and every revolution needs a leader.

©2012 Herbert Properties, LLC (P)2015 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

Entertaining beginning to end

Scott Brick is one of my favorite narrators and I’ve been a Dune fan since I picked up the first book. Seeing High-Opp appear on the included list and it being just over six hours long, it was a perfect way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

Not Horrible

It didn't have very much depth in comparison to other books by Herbert, but I was entertained. I probably won't relisten to it, though.

Such a fantastic idea for a story, but fell short

I was so excited when I heard the premise, kind of like bourne identity or total recall but cyberpunk themed, but the execution just wasn't there. It was repetitive and slow.

Good throughout last paragraph was awesome

Frank Herbert’s amazing philosophy and story pacing done very well….
Maybe not a Dune level book but quite good for a stand alone novel/novella.

a book for our times.

It started out a bit slow but then, I realized that this is a book about the modern progressive moments out come. What the future of a one world Government could look like. It's not pretty but the people over came it. Then gave it away again. Human nature can be predictable..

Good Pacing, Great Ending

I really enjoy Frank Herbert's novels. This one didn't disappoint at all. The story was engaging and somewhat interesting. The characters weren't necessarily bad but lacked a bit of depth. I did enjoy the ending the most. Not a fan of the narrator, unfortunately.

A Nice Venture From The World of Dune

If there were sequels or prequels made to expand the world/characters of this work I wouldn't go out of my way for them but I enjoyed this nonetheless. It was nice to experience F. Herberts creative mind outside the Dune universe and he didn't disappoint. His ability to weave political nuances throughout his works has few peers. This story has nice pacing but has moments where it seems rushed which is the reason for the 4 star review. This work feels like a mixture of 1984 and Midas World but but stands strongly on its own. Short but worth the credit.

Deep State? Inevitable.

Somewhat dated, in that paper documents and fax machines are key technology, but this was written shortly after 1955. Good story, good performance. It's not "Dune", but still a good ride with some interesting exploration of philosophical concepts about the cyclical nature of society/civilization.

Rage against the machine

Frank Herbert's High-Opp although published posthumously in 2012, was written sometime in the decade between 1955 and 1965. In this futuristic dystopian world, the evolution of computerized polling methodologies has led to opinion polls (the 'Opp' part) to replace elections. This has created a caste system where 'high-opp' individuals (connected with high-opp activities) live as elites, while the low-opps struggle to survive. The main character, Dan has been low-opp'd after a rising star career. This leads him not only to the Sep (short for separatists) movement / resistance as well as other high-opp individuals each fighting to retain their positions and control. He also learns that the polling system has become compromised and that he was specifically low-opp'd so the 'coordinator' could move in on his girl. As a result, he takes over the ragtag band of separatists and reorganizes them to an effective insurgency.

Herbert was prescient for that era (early 60's) in recognizing the evolving sophisticated polling methodology to drive societal preferences by asking questions in specific ways. He also forecasted the growing degree of inequality as a driver for social resentment. Lastly, the developed check and balances in the dispersed governmental structures serve to not only create conflicts among the various bureaus, but also allows for gaming the system to take advantage of the lack of information flow.

The narration is well done with excellent character distinction. Pacing is smooth making for a quick listen.

Prelude to Dosadi

It is said this tale was used for The Dosadi Experiment and it truly shows. Still Herbert in every respect.