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Genesis

by Bernard Beckett (Goodreads Author)

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 4,185 ratings · 985 reviews

Anax thinks she knows history. Her grueling all-day Examination has just begun, and if she passes, she’ll be admitted into the Academy—the elite governing institution of her utopian society. But Anax is about to discover that for all her learning, the history she’s been taught isn’t the whole story. And the Academy isn’t what she believes it to be. In this brilliant novel...more

Hardcover, 150 pages

Published April 20th 2009 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (first published December 31st 2005)

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May 19, 2011 Stephen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: audiobook, ya, science-fiction, 2006-2010, darker-than-you-think, world-in-the-shitter

5.0 stars. Okay folks, this is a must read alert. I was expecting this to be decent but I was blown away by how excellent it turned out to be. Focused, powerful and imaginative. This one is a keeper.

As many others have said (but it is certainly worth repeating) this should not be considered a YA novel. Yes, the protagonist is a teenage girl, but that is the only YA connection to this story. This has much more in common with 1984 than Harry Potter.

This is a superbly realized and eerily believable dystopian SF story that deals with some important issues. The book also has a very original framing narrative device. The main character, Anax (short for Anaximander), is undergoing a final exam of sorts that will take place over a 5 hour period. The entire story takes place within these 5 hours and through her examination, the story of the history of the world, the creation of the dystopian society (of course they don’t see it that way) and how the society is presently constituted.

The novel is only 150 pages long which tracks the 5 hour length of the exam. I listened to the audio version and it was almost exactly 5 hours long and kept pace with the time in the novel (i.e., 30 minutes in the story was pretty much 30 minutes of the audio book). I thought this was clever as was using an “exam” as the narrative format it provides a great vehicle to describe the world. Suddenly any exposition and background information becomes simply part of the oral exam. Again, very well done.

One of the fundamental themes explored in the novel is fear and the effect that it can have on breaking down a society (sound familiar). The exploration of this issue is intelligent, and credible way and I was very impressed with how deftly it was portrayed by the author. The language is very readable but also incredibly thought-provoking.

For example, in addition to the excerpt I quoted above, here is a passage where Anax is responding to a question about the causes for our world’s decline which led to the formation of the “Republic” of the story:

Superstition is the need to view the world in terms of simple cause and effect. As I have already said, religious fundamentalism was on the rise, but that is not the type of superstition I am referring to. The superstition that held sway at the time was a belief in simple causes.

Even the plainest of events is tied down by a thick tangle of permutation and possibility, but the human mind struggles with such complexity. In times of trouble, when the belief in simple gods breaks down, a cult of conspiracy arises. So it was back then. Unable to attribute misfortune to chance, unable to accept their ultimate insignificance within the greater scheme, the people looked for monsters in their midst.

The more the media peddled fear, the more the people lost the ability to believe in one another. For every new ill that befell them, the media created an explanation, and the explanation always had a face and a name. The people came to fear even their closest neighbors. At the level of the individual, the community, and the nation, people sought signs of others’ ill intentions; and everywhere they looked, they found them, for this is what looking does.

This was the true challenge the people of this time faced. The challenge of trusting one another. And they fell short…

Uh….does anyone else think that people could be making very similar statements about the times we live in 100 years from now? Personally, I thought this was a brilliant depiction of the extremes that fear can lead people.

This has earned a spot among my very favorite dystopian stories. It is an extraordinary novel full of important ideas and also a stark commentary on where we are now. HIGHEST POSSIBLE RECOMMENDATION!!!
(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Lyndsey rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Dystopian lovers, Those who just don't quite have the attention span for 1984, yet.

Shelves: i-recommend, reviewed-2010, reviewed-5-stars, about-dystopia-or-utopia, novellas, favorites, experience, pov-alternating, genre-science-fiction, worldbuilding-whimsy

Kindle edition is on sale for about $5 HERE!!

This is what I call an "experience" book.

You may not find yourself inside the world like in an "escapism" story, instead you feel as if your viewing it from the outside. It's intent is to help you reflect upon and experience your own life, not necessarily that of the characters. Another more well-known example of this type of book would be 1984.

You breath on your own instead of with the characters. You are able to see the story more objectively, with...more

86 likes · like · see review

Oct 01, 2012 Nataliya rated it 4 of 5 stars

Recommended to Nataliya by: Jim

Shelves: 2012-reads, catie-knows-best

I was getting smug thinking I figured out where this book was taking me. And then last few pages came, and I all I was able to say was, "Heh. Ummm. Okay. Well, then. Heh." I know, my eloquence is astounding.

"The only thing binding individuals together is ideas. Ideas mutate, and spread; they change their hosts as much as their hosts change them."

Normally I don't care much for spoilers. I can even pompously say that it's the journey I care about, not the destination. (Believe it or not, in the p...more I was getting smug thinking I figured out where this book was taking me. And then last few pages came, and I all I was able to say was, "Heh. Ummm. Okay. Well, then. Heh." I know, my eloquence is astounding.

"The only thing binding individuals together is ideas. Ideas mutate, and spread; they change their hosts as much as their hosts change them."

Normally I don't care much for spoilers. I can even pompously say that it's the journey I care about, not the destination. (Believe it or not, in the past I used to read the last page of the book before I started it from the beginning. I stopped doing that after I read the last page of "Dark Tower" - you King fans know what I mean!). But I heeded Jim's advice to go into this one completely unspoiled - and man, am I glad I did that! I guessed about half of the ending; but it's the OTHER un-guessed part that gutted me.

"Art was right. In the end, living is defined by dying. Bookended by oblivion, we are caught in the vice of terror, squeezed to bursting by the approaching end. Fear is ever-present, waiting to be called to the surface.
Change brought fear, and fear brought destruction."

But I can tell you this much about the plot without being spoiler-y in any way. It is set in the future where an aspiring young scholar Anax, in her attempt to join the legendary Academy, presents her research on Adam Forde, an important historical figure in this world. Oh, and there also is Art - that is, Artificial Intelligence.

This book is told in quite an unconventional fashion. Its structure reminded me a bit of the books I've read for my Classics courses in college. Written as mostly a dialogue, an exposition about the events in which Adam was involved, it made me think of works such as Plato's Symposium (oh hey there, Plato! *waves*) - where tell, not show was how things were done. This particular structure, this tone set this story apart from others I've read recently, and give it a very distinct feel.

And with that distinct feel and voice, this book proceeded to delve into philosophical matters, reminding me a bit of the college slightly-wine-fueled discussions about meaning of life and humanity and what it means to be alive, and all of that stuff that seems profound and frequently is, and is insanely difficult to voice in a coherent way (*). But apparently this was not an issue for this book - maybe because it took away the wine-fueled part ;)

(*) Yes, in college I managed to hang out with the people with whom I could actually and seriously have these conversations. My college friends were amazing, I must say. UC Berkeley rocks (insert a mandatory "Go Bears!" here!) And they would have appreciated this book verily muchly.

"Unable to attribute misfortune to chance, unable to accept their ultimate insignificance within the greater scheme, the people looked for monsters in their midst.

The more the media peddled fear, the more the people lost the ability to believe in one another. For every new ill that befell them, the media created an explanation, and the explanation always had a face and a name. The people came to fear even their closest neighbors. At the level of the individual, the community, and the nation, people sought signs of others' ill intentions; and everywhere they looked, they found them. for this is what looking does.

That was the true challenge the people of this time faced. The challenge of trusting one another. And they fell short of this challenge."

All I can really say is that I anticipated a very different turn of events. I was expecting quite a bit more moralistic conclusion, and was almost ready to be semi-disappointed by it, based on where I thought it was heading. And then I got blindsided. In a good way. And it made me think. Really use those thinking muscles. I could almost hear those rusty brain wheels and cogs squeaking - what are we, humans, really about? What makes us any different from machines? What makes us unique? Is there anything that makes us unique? Are we just full of prejudice when we want it to be so?

"People did as they were told because they were working together, focused on a common threat, a shared enemy. But time passes. Fear becomes a memory. Terror becomes routine; it loses its grip."

In its short 150 pages this book manages to touch on the issues of freedom, fear and unity in a society. It manages to explore consciousness and self-awareness. It touches on the questions of trust and betrayal. It addresses how we view and portray history, and how it may serve as a tool or a weapon. It explores the idea of Idea and its contagiousness. It shows that, as we often suspect, things are not what they seem to be. It shows us that there are consequences for that. And it has just the right amount of philosophy to be perfectly challenging and interesting.

"I can't comment on the minds of others. But I can say I believe it suits our purpose to make Adam the noble fool. This is always the problem with building heroes. To keep them pure, we must build them stupid. The world is built on compromise and uncertainty, and such a place is too complex for heroes to flourish."

In a way this book reminded me - in spirit - of another book featuring AI that I've read this year - Valente's Silently and Very Fast. Now don't misunderstand me - these two books are different like night and day, but they share a common motif on intelligence and thinking and being alive, and take such different and yet equally thought-provoking approaches to it that it'd be very interesting to read them back-to-back. To those who haven't read either one of these, I'd recommend that.

All this said, I'm very impressed by this book. I wish I could say more, but it's hard if I want to keep this review spoiler-free, and I fully intend to keep my promise on that. So I will just give it 4.5 stars and a heartfelt recommendation.

"Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear, by superstition."

----
And here is the link for the excellent review by Jim. Thanks, Jim, for bringing my attention to this one. And thanks, Catie, for sending this book to me. I owe both of you, guys!(less)

65 likes · like · see review

Jun 23, 2012 Jim rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone who thinks they will like it, based on trusted reviews

Recommended to Jim by: Multiple Goodreaders

Shelves: favorites, dystopia, kindle-books, neuroscience-cognition-behavior, science-fiction, strong-smart-female-protagonist

June 23, 2012

I strongly recommend Mel's beautiful and moving review of this book. We both loved it, and tried really hard to explain why without spoiling the story.

There are many other exceptional reviews from friends and others, and I would never have known about it without their guidance. My thanks to all.

June 19, 2012
(Pre-review) - Thanks so much to all who supported and commented on this (now slightly edited) lead-in! My full review follows this section.

I absolutely loved it. Plopped it stra...more

41 likes · like · see review

Feb 13, 2012 Meg ♥ rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Meg ♥ by: Jency

Shelves: e-books, z-2012-reads, favs, cover-lover

Well, this must be my lucky week. Reading two 5-star books one after another is not something that often happens to me. Of course, I love reading 5-star books, but the problem I have is reviewing them, because I always feel like what I say is not going to do the fantastic books justice.

Genesis was recommended to me about a week ago from a friend on Goodreads. I actually had never even heard of it until then. Usually when a friend recommends a book it takes me a few months to get to it. My friend...more

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May 02, 2011 Steph Sinclair rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, 2011-reads, i-loved-it, i-need-to-buy-this-book, original-and-creative, made-me-think, i-didn-t-see-that-coming, young-adult, 2011-favs

I don't even know how to begin reviewing this book. I fear that anything I describe about the book has the potential to ruin it for anyone reading this reviews. And to do that would be a huge disservice to this book. Because believe me when I say it was truly remarkable.

There are three things I believe I am safe to say. (1) The main character's name is Anax. (2) The book is basically her interview with a panel for acceptance into The Academy. (3) It is a dystopian type book. (4) It's not a long...more

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Oct 25, 2012 Jonathan rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Jonathan by: Stephen

Shelves: science-fiction, children-s-literature, thriller, dystopian

What on Earth did I just read? Was that a speech or a novel? Was that a YA book or one written for adults? Was the character... Well no I can't give that away for prospective readers. This is a book that has to be read without anything spoiling the plot (I will still provide a non-spoiling summary). What I will say is that if you've read Planet of the Apes before then read this. This novel is something of a YA version of that with a bit of a twist.

Genesis is not written in the usual form of othe...more
What on Earth did I just read? Was that a speech or a novel? Was that a YA book or one written for adults? Was the character... Well no I can't give that away for prospective readers. This is a book that has to be read without anything spoiling the plot (I will still provide a non-spoiling summary). What I will say is that if you've read Planet of the Apes before then read this. This novel is something of a YA version of that with a bit of a twist.

Genesis is not written in the usual form of other YA novels. It takes the form of a discussion, or rather a kind of oral essay. The main character, Anaximander,is giving her speech on historic events that begun years ago. She is researching the 'long-dead hero' Adam Forde who defied the past republic for the way it treated potential plague carrying asylum seekers. Pretty soon her essay turns not only into a discussion of how she viewed those past events, but a discussion about the ethics of the past government and about what makes a human human. In fact it had plenty to say on a myriad of ethical and historical issues. It challenged the idea of how we view history, the suggestion was there from the beginning as to how reliable the sources and narrators were in presenting 'facts' and it also looked at the relationship between man and machine.

Do not look under this spoiler tag if you've not read the book.
(view spoiler)

Do you know those times when you read a line and you think 'how perfectly this has been written'? I have those moments when I read and if the writing is grand I note just how easily and organically everything, particularly the dialogue fits into place. This book has been written just like that: with a rather simplistic vocabulary but with everything fitting neatly into place. It feels as if this book were being made as you read and yet clearly months or perhaps years were spent sorting every word into the proper and final order.

I had never read a book by Bernard Beckett before, yet I am interested enough by this astounding book to want to read more of his work. It was a YA book that was very much adult in how philosophical it was. I encourage all people to read it whether you like sci-fi, YA books or dystopian sci-fi. This is very much an entertaining read full of philosophical ideas. Despite the novel only being 150 short pages this is a must read novel among YA fiction and fiction in general.

Further note: you know what I'm going back and changing this to a five star review. This book deserves those stars.(less)

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Jan 10, 2012 Regina rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: award-winner, dystopia, post-apocalyptic, ya, philosophy, book-club-potential

Dystopia is the new cool kid on the block of young adult genre literature. Readers of this genre are familiar with the storylines and themes: teenagers struggling to survive in a scary society that sets kids against each other for entertainment; a creepy society sets kids against each other in order to determine the characters' roles and jobs in the world; the collapse of society by disease, zombies, or natural disaster and the survival during the anarchy of the collapsed society. Genesis is not...more Dystopia is the new cool kid on the block of young adult genre literature. Readers of this genre are familiar with the storylines and themes: teenagers struggling to survive in a scary society that sets kids against each other for entertainment; a creepy society sets kids against each other in order to determine the characters' roles and jobs in the world; the collapse of society by disease, zombies, or natural disaster and the survival during the anarchy of the collapsed society. Genesis is not that, but in a way all of those.

It is a short book, only 150 pages. The story unfolds in a very unusual format. It is told through an interview of a young student who is attempting to prove herself to the society's upper crust Academy in a sort of dissertation or thesis defense. The society described and the world lived in is not our society or our world. History is the topic of the student's "interview" and through her exploration of the topic to the examiners, the reader learns about the world and the society in Genesis. We hear of the society's history, focusing on the life of one key man "Adam". His story, because it is being told by the main character, Anax, the reader "hears" Adam's story almost as we would hear a story sitting around a camp fire. The interview set-up is a difficult manner in which to deliver a fully fleshed out history. In a way it is a huge info-dump, but unlike many information dumps the telling of the history of this world is not at all painful, it is intriguing. Mr. Beckett delivers the story of "Adam", so well that I typically forget that I was not reading about Adam from his point of view.

Fans of dystopian and post-apocalyptic genre, will not be disappointed with Genesis. It has everything we love - disease, war, starvation, authoritarian governments, resistance, and a hint of passion. But, even this is not what the story is really about. Though the examination of the breakdown of a world is not what the book is about, the telling of it is done better than most dystopias. I would love to dive back into this world and read more about its evolution.

So what is the story really about? The author examines what is artificial intelligence; what makes a human being human? How do humans learn? How do we progress? What is thought? If you want to ignore the philosophical nature of the book and just read about the collapse of the world, then no worries you can do that with this book because the story is so darned fantastic. But if you want to think about these topics in a very light and out of the box way - well you can do that too. Here are some little tidbits of interesting thoughts from this book, none contain spoilers.

"They had embraced change uncritically, forgetting the most fundamental law of science, that change means decay."

"History has shown us the futility of the conspiracy theory. Complexity gives rise to error, and in error we grow our prejudice."

"For a society to function successfully perhaps there needs to be a level of empathy that cannot be corrupted."

"It is in conflict that our values are exposed."

"The very fear of dying ... breathes life into me."

If you have read any other reviews for this book then you probably know there is a huge WHAT THE HECK ending???!!!!! Let it happen. Let the ending surprise you. Do not get spoiled by synopses of this book. Let the author tell you his story. Every step of the way it is fascinating and a great ride.

More of my reviews at Badass Reviews (less)

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Mar 29, 2011 Jillian -always aspiring- rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anyone looking for a very worthy dystopian

Shelves: 2011-reads, exceeded-my-expectations, glad-i-gave-it-a-chance, dystopian-worlds-hells-and-cesspits, wowed-me, thought-provoking, ultimate-favorites, i-am-not-worthy, amazing-storytelling, writing-to-which-i-aspire, left-me-feeling-conflicted, stories-that-challenge-me, soared-above-and-beyond, stories-with-a-message, couldn-t-stop-reading-it, worth-every-star, novellas, wish-i-could-write-a-book-like-this, reviewed

The founders of The Republic sought to deny the individual, and in doing so they ignored a simple truth.

The only thing binding individuals is ideas. Ideas mutate, and spread; they change their hosts as much as their hosts change them.

Ideas. Thought. Choice. Meaning. Humanity claims to have a monopoly on all these things, but is that really true? What, at the core, makes any individual human? And, even if that element can be narrowed down and captured, can it be replicated? Should it be?

Such are...more

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Jul 20, 2011 Emily May rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia-utopia, ya-na, sci-fi, 2011

EDIT: Read again and loved it even more, upping my rating to 4 stars.

.......................................................................................................................
Old Review

Ok, so 3.5 stars actually. Maybe 4 but I've decided to be picky.

I was greatly torn as to my opinion on this book, it's a very confusing and weird read at times and not even remotely what I expected when I read the description.

The novel consists entirely of a 4-hour oral exam on a specialist subject of...more

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Mar 24, 2011 Tatiana rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011, dystopias-post-apocalyptic, sci-fi, ya, aus-nz

I agree with my fellow Goodreader, Genesis has no business being marketed as a YA dystopia. It should have been published by Subterranean Press or Night Shade along with Ted Chiang's and Paolo Bacigalupi's works to find its most welcoming audience.

The setting of the novel is indeed dystopian and the main character is a teen, but other than that Genesis has little to do with YA dystopian genre. It is a novel of ideas, philosophical even. Its main focus is the genesis of consciousness in AI (artif...more

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Mar 21, 2013 Amy Sturgis rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: postapocalyptic-dystopia, ya-dystopia, science-fiction-contemporary, 21st-century

This is a one-of-a-kind gem I can't recommend highly enough. Imagine an isolated island preserved from world plague by its remote location. Now imagine the inhabitants creating a community based on Plato's Republic. Whatever you expect this book will be, it will surprise you.

7 likes · like · see review

Feb 07, 2012 Trudi rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopia, young-adult, apocalyptic-types, 2012-reads, stephen-made-me-do-it, thinky-books

Which came first, the mind or the idea of the mind? Have you never wondered? They arrived together. The mind is an idea. ~Genesis

In the end, living is defined by dying~Genesis

Wow, wow and more wow! I have been swept away and truly humbled by this little book that's filled with such big ideas. The blurb on my edition calls it "sinewy" and "cerebral" and for me, that hits it just right.

I want to start by first giving a shout out to Stephen; his unbridled enthusiasm for this book is what brought i...more

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Jun 24, 2012 Mel (who is deeply in love with Hal) rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favourites

First of all, I'd like to draw your attentions to Jim's fantastic review of this book. It's well worth a look, I assure you; especially since he has included some of the more beautiful quotes from the book (something I was too scared to do myself!). Both of us read the book at roughly the same time, and enjoyed it immensely. Now, let's move onto the actual review.

.............

This must have been the easiest five stars I’ve ever given a book. And that includes Stephen King’s works of genius, too....more

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Jul 03, 2012 David rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to David by: Jim McCasland

Shelves: science-fiction

This is a very short, easy-reading story that took me in immediately. It's extremely thought-provoking, and touches on many philosophical themes. The names of the characters (Plato, Thales, Anaximander) give clues about the philosophical themes that run through the story. But--it's difficult even to outline the story without spoiling it, so I won't even try. And--it is really best to read the book without reading any in-depth reviews--it's best to start reading it without any preconceptions. As...more

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Apr 21, 2009 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: amazon-vine, post-apocalyptic, young-adult, 2009-books-read, robots, plague, dystopia, favorites

This is the best post-apocalyptic novel I've read since The Road. I started reading it the moment it arrived in my mailbox and was not able to put it down until I'd finished it. It's an intensely cerebral and philosophical read for a young adult novel. And just when I thought I'd discovered the secret of the book, I was completely caught off-guard by the true secret.

A girl named Anax has been given the chance to take a 4-hour oral exam to interview for entrance into The Academy. The book is the...more

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Mar 16, 2012 Almeta rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: packing-heat, reviewed, shortcut, grsauthorization, winners, my-best, sigh-phi

Cleverly constructed as an oral entrance exam, the history of a destroyed world’s recovery and reshaping is presented in a student’s thesis and in answers to The Academy examiner’s questions. It reads like an adventure story, not a history lesson. Still, the biggest adventures are not about reconstruction of a destroyed world, but rather about the pursuit of what it means to be a conscious being in a world of sophisticated technology and carefully directed loyalty to the Republic.

I was really r...more

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Apr 05, 2013 James M. Madsen, M.D. rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: dystopian, fiction, philosophy, speculative-fiction, science-fiction, consciousness, young-adult

First, a couple of good reviews with which I mostly agree: http://tinyurl.com/dyysp6d and http://tinyurl.com/cdc2cco . Beckett tells a good story in an unusually spare way. The setting is academic, almost sterile, but familiar to anyone who, like the main character Anaximander, has undergone an oral examination. During the course of her four-hour exam, Anax carefully navigates the perils of thinking through, dissecting, analyzing, and interpreting what to her are historical data about the establ...more

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Jan 12, 2013 Jex rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, 2013-tower, dystopia, science-fiction, young-adult, robot, zzcolor-black

Anaximander has spent countless hours preparing for the test that may change her life. If she performs well, then she will enter the Academy, the most prestigious institution in her society. Through her examination, the story of Adam Forde unfolds showing exactly what happened to create this post-apocalyptic world that they now live in.

This book was much more than I thought it would be. In the beginning, I was put off by the setting of a test panel as I thought that the book would not have much...more

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Jun 23, 2011 Katya rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: dystopia, katya-s-mouth-runs-away-again, philosophy, 2011

This is one of those books that I can never make my mind up for. Do I like it or do I not? Does it deserve three stars or four? And in the end, does it even matter?

I finished this book one or two years ago, so the little details are a little foggy, but from the lasting impressions I got from it, I would say that it definitely sent me into the Zone for a while. No, I didn't have any great epiphanies about the meaning of Life (that topic is on permanent hiatus) or our Society (we'll be shaken off...more This is one of those books that I can never make my mind up for. Do I like it or do I not? Does it deserve three stars or four? And in the end, does it even matter?

I finished this book one or two years ago, so the little details are a little foggy, but from the lasting impressions I got from it, I would say that it definitely sent me into the Zone for a while. No, I didn't have any great epiphanies about the meaning of Life (that topic is on permanent hiatus) or our Society (we'll be shaken off like a bag of fleas, so why bother wondering), but it did make me feel for the heroine and the ending left me extremely saddned. But on that later...

The book acquires the form of a "dialogue", where the heroine, Annax, gives a sort of oral exam on a historical figure which plays an important part in the dystopian world. Her statements are supported with carefully choreographed video simulations and her own interpretations of the events. As boring as that sounds, Bernard Beckett manages to capture the attention of the reader until the last moments.

Since I was never good at philosophy, I will not discuss the nitty-gritty of the existential issues raised in the book. It's quite obvious that Bernard Beckett went for a novel that carried enough philosophical context to be considered "elite", while the post-apocalyptic setting was meant to appeal to the sci-fi loving crowd. The thing is, I kept getting the feeling that this book could have been a great prequel to a sci-fi saga. It carried enough weight to set in motion a chain of events, if it was allowed to, and the questions raised in it could have served as great motivation for many interesting (and not so interesting) characters.

The fact that the book stands on its own... is kinda disappointing, and I admit that perhaps I was not able to understand the purpose - to muse on the meaning of Life and Man, I suppose, but it does not change the fact that it managed to touch me emotionally and it still does, after all this time.

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23.06.2011 - I first read this book in 2009, and back then I didn't understand it. Surprised? I wasn't. At the time, I lived thinking that I was too narrow-minded and naive to understand the higher concepts of life, a belief that was only confirmed by the Super Smart clique in my class. Now, two years, 200 books and a buttload of new experiences later, I have come to discover that doubting my intellectual capacity was yet another attempt at teenage drama turned melodrama on my part. The fact that no-one witnessed that drama is moot, because it meant all the world to me.

This is somehow relevant to the book, but only if you've read it. ;)(less)

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Dec 10, 2009 Nely rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library

Anaximander, with the help of a tutor, has been studying in order to take the four-hour exam she must pass in order to become a member of The Academy. This book is mostly a transcript to her oral exam before a three judge panel.

I found Mr. Beckett's writing style unique as the whole story is told mostly through Anax's interview with The Academy elders and through several flashbacks. Through this interview we learn what has become of the world after wars and a deadly plague have ravaged the plane...more

2 likes · like · see review

Nov 04, 2012 Jennifer Wardrip rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: trt-posted-reviews

Reviewed by Karin Librarian for TeensReadToo.com

Anax wants to become a member of The Academy. In order to be admitted, she must endure a four-hour interview in front of a three member panel. Anax has been working with a tutor in order to prepare herself.

It is through this interview that the reader learns the history of the world after a devastating plague killed most of the people on the planet. Safe behind the Great Sea Fence, her people keep their island safe by shooting any plane or boat that...more

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Oct 01, 2012 Andrea rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: library-requests, sci-fi

DO NOT READ ANY REVIEWS BEFORE STARTING THIS LITTLE GEM. And certainly don't look at the last page.
All I will say is that I'm so, so proud that a Kiwi author produced this exploration of what it means to be human.

http://www.hmhbooks.com/books/genesis/

3 likes · like · see review

Feb 02, 2012 Meghan Doidge rated it 4 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

2 likes · like · see review

Dec 23, 2011 Sparrow rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Erica

Recommended to Sparrow by: Flannery

Shelves: remember-that-conceptual-spoiler, utopia-dystopia, reviewed

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

10 likes · like · see review

Apr 24, 2011 TheDuchess rated it 5 of 5 stars

SOS PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME! ITS NOT HEALTHY, I HAVE BEEN READING CRAP. BUT THEN I FOUND THIS BOOK.

Dystopia lovers this is a must. Its told strangely but it is awesome. Just wish they didnt charge me the price of a novel since this is a novella though.

Going to read this very slowly because I dont want to finish it.

3 likes · like · see review

May 02, 2010 oliviasbooks rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: young-adult-fiction, scifi-dystopian-apocalyptic, swapped-or-given-away, read-2010, needs-to-be-polished

I can't breathe. Reading "Genesis" has been an absolutely shocking experience. It is a good book, designed to make its reader think, wonder and freeze. I only distribute four and five stars, when I thoroughly enjoyed reading a book. "Genesis" did not entertain me at all, but it fulfilled its purpose.

2 likes · like · see review

Jan 15, 2013 Mith rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction, post-apocalyptic, absolutely-spiffing

This, then, is dystopia.

A short, but compelling story that will make you think and question the world you've come to know and trust. Actually, no, let me correct myself. It is not so much a story as a subtle revelation of the fragile existence of mankind which throws a harsh light on just how much we think we know and how much we actually do, on how everything we think or say or do has consequences but how largely ignorant we remain of that fact, and how we still fear that which is unknown and t...more

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Feb 07, 2009 Alissa rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, mystery

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

4 likes · like · see review

Dec 07, 2012 Laureen rated it 4 of 5 stars

In Genesis we learn about the society's history as told through budding historian Anax's eyes as she completes a four hour oral exam. But as Anax continues on in her exam she learns that what she thinks she knows isn't the whole story.

This is labelled as a Young Adult novel, but for all that it's a very short novel at only 150 pages, I don't think I would have considered it to be intended for teenagers. Anax is a teenage girl, of course, but the subject matter of the novel is not what I would ex...more

1 like · like · see review

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Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
DOES THIS BOOK ACTUALLY HAVE ANYTHING TO DO WITH THE BIBLE?!	4	52	May 11, 2013 10:46am
YA Golden Book Hunt: Genesis: 4/17	19	3	Apr 19, 2013 01:44pm
Young Adult Book ...: Final Thoughts on Genesis	24	55	Mar 30, 2013 05:11pm
Young Adult Book ...: Artifical Intelligence	9	27	Mar 24, 2013 09:23am
Young Adult Book ...: Initial Thoughts on Genesis	18	48	Mar 24, 2013 09:23am
Young Adult Book ...: What is it to be human?	2	18	Mar 03, 2013 10:38pm

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About Bernard Beckett

Bernard Beckett, born in 1967, is a high school teacher based in Wellington, New Zealand, where he teaches drama, mathematics, and English. Genesis was written while he was in a Royal Society genetics research fellowship investigating DNA mutations. The book has already received international acclaim, including two literary prizes in Beckett's native New Zealand. Rights to Genesis have been sold i...more

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Trivia About Génesis

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Quotes from Genesis

“Human spirit is the ability to face the uncertainty of the future with curiosity and optimism. It is the belief that problems can be solved, differences resolved. It is a type of confidence. And it is fragile. It can be blackened by fear, and superstition. By the year 2050, when the conflict began, the world had fallen upon fearful, superstitious times.” — 75 people liked it

“I am not a machine. For what can a machine know of the smell of wet grass in the morning, or the sound of a crying baby? I am the feeling of the warm sun against my skin; I am the sensation of a cool wave breaking over me. I am the places I have never seen, yet imagine when my eyes are closed. I am the taste of another's breath, the color of her hair.
You mock me for the shortness of my life span, but it is this very fear of dying which breathes life into me. I am the thinker who thinks of thought. I am curiosity, I am reason, I am love, and I am hatred. I am indifference. I am the son of a father, who in turn was a father’s son. I am the reason my mother laughed and the reason my mother cried. I am wonder and I am wondrous. Yes, the world may push your buttons as it passes through your circuitry. But the world does not pass through me. It lingers. I am in it and it is in me. I am the means by which the universe has come to know itself. I am the thing no machine can ever make. I am meaning.” — 61 people liked it

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