Bij een groep jongens, door oorlogsomstandigheden op een tropisch eiland aangespoeld, vormt zich een nieuw groepsbesef, dat door de in deze omgaving opgewekte primitieve horde-instincten tot huiveringwekkende gevolgen leidt. Oorspr. uitg. : 1954. This is William Golding's classic tale about a group of English schoolboys who are plane-wrecked on a deserted island. At first, the stranded boys cooperate, attempting to gather food, make shelters, and maintain signal fires. Overseeing their efforts are Ralph, "the boy with fair hair" and Piggy, Ralph's chubby, wisdom-dispensing sidekick whose thick spectacles come in handy for lighting fires. Although Ralph tries to impose order and delegate responsibility, there are many in their number who would rather swim, play, or hunt the island's wild pig population. Soon Ralph's rules are being ignored or challenged outright. His fiercest antagonist is Jack, the readheaded leader of the pig hunters, who manages to lure away many of the boys to join his band of painted savages. The situation deteriorates as the trappings of civilization continue to fall away, until Ralph discovers that instead of being hunters, he and Piggy have become the hunted. This gripping novel explores the boundary between human reason and animal instinct, all on the brutal playing field of adolescent competition.