When I was reading The Fountainhead, I got the impression it took place in an alternate reality of sorts. A world where architects are more popular and renown, like celebrities. Where the public has a strong opinion about architecture/buildings/etc. Where building architecture is a very important trade. Also, artistic expression (or lack thereof) seems to be a strong issue. The public seem like herd animals, siding with the old system. I like it much better than Atlas Shrugged, which was too long and filled with stupid ideas. Howard Roark fascinated me, especially watching how Gail Wynand transforms under his influence.
Both The Fountainhead and Atlas Shrugged take place in alternate realities, as far as I'm concerned. I actually like them both as stories (though I haven't read either in over twenty years), but they aren't set on this Earth and they don't involve human characters. In Ayn Rand's universe, the characters are all robots who are programmed to serve her philosophy. I don't want to get political, so that's all I'm going to say.
I actually agree with you on the robots part. This is why I felt the characters in The Fountainhead were a tad more interesting. It's like she went full retard in Atlas Shrugged. At least Howard Roark had problems and struggles, Jonh Gault was just some kind of perfect Adam character, with perfect DNA, representing the perfect ideals. It was silly.
Of the two I do think The Fountainhead is the better novel. It just seems more grounded. I tried to read Altas Shrugged once and found it a real sludge. Her shorter Dystopian novel Anthem as well was just sort of dull. I would say that it seems all of Ayn Rand's writings take place in some strange other world. I have some respect for her collection of essays The Virtue of Selfishness, it really helped me learn about Objectivist ethics. But I do have my problems with it.
