Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) in Beyond Reality

May 22, 2018 Tomislav rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction, 5-stars, read-2-times, sff-2018-read-all-the-books, utopian-dystopian-great-course

Second reading – 19 June 2022 - *****. I re-read this first novel of Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy because it is covered in Lecture 20 “Margaret Atwood and Environmental Dystopia” from Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature, a Great Courses series by Pamela Bedore. Because I have previously read the entire trilogy, and have a sense of where it is going, I now see this novel’s role as one of developing the events that lead from dystopic elements of own world to a future post-apocal Second reading – 19 June 2022 - *****. I re-read this first novel of Margaret Atwood’s MaddAddam Trilogy because it is covered in Lecture 20 “Margaret Atwood and Environmental Dystopia” from Great Utopian and Dystopian Works of Literature, a Great Courses series by Pamela Bedore. Because I have previously read the entire trilogy, and have a sense of where it is going, I now see this novel’s role as one of developing the events that lead from dystopic elements of own world to a future post-apocalyptic setting.

It is told entirely through the eyes of Snowman, a wrecked human being who has accepted reluctant responsibility for a tribe of genetically engineering post-human Crakers. While the present time of the story does not cover a very long span, during which he leaves the Crakers on a quest to obtain some supplies, most of the narrative takes place in Snowman’s memories. He remembers his own childhood as Jimmy, son of a bioengineer father and his neurotic mother, living within a gated corporate community. He remembers his best friend, Crake, a brilliant mind, who moves swiftly into his own career in corporate bioengineering, while Jimmy languishes in mediocrity. He remembers Oryx, a one-time child pornography actress, with whom Jimmy and Crake became obsessed, and eventually meet in real life. The world they live in, told through Snowman’s memories, is a dystopic extrapolation of the consequences of genetic engineering for a profit motive. The creatures invented are horrific species mixtures such as pigoons and wolvogs, that reminded me of H. G. Wells The Island of Dr. Moreau.

The ending - (view spoiler) The next two novels take place in that world.

There are deliberate references to Christian mythology, such as the emergence of Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden to the real world. Improvised for the sake of his own convenience, Snowman’s explanations to the innocent and naïve Crakers evolve into an amusing unintentional theology, with which he must cope. I appreciated this novel more on this re-read than my original read, although I still think total opposition to genetic engineering is too simple a position to take. It can be used for good or evil, the challenge will be to understand side-effects, and to develop the legal, social and ethical ability to distinguish between applications.

First reading – 22 May 2018 - ****. I read Margaret Atwood’s post-apocalyptic science fiction novel Oryx and Crake in kindle ebook format. It is the first of the “MaddAddam Trilogy”, followed by The Year of the Flood, and MaddAddam. The only prior novel of Atwood’s that I have read was The Handmaid's Tale, which I rated highly.

It is the story of perhaps the sole human survivor of a near-future apocalypse. There are two story lines. In the “present”, Snowman survives as best he can in a strange but still recognizable world, while tending to a small band of post-human Crakers. Meanwhile, retrospectively, Snowman remembers his experiences through the time of the disaster as Jimmy, the low achieving best friend of the brilliant Crake, and erstwhile lover of the beautiful and victimized Oryx. Throughout almost all of the novel, the story is either seen from the perspective of Snowman/Jimmy, or told through his inner monologue. I suspect it was a challenge for Atwood to get that far inside a male mind, but she pulls it off with only a few false notes – really more a matter of emphasis than misconception. Readers who are dependent on a female voice will definitely be disappointed.

A huge part of the plot tension is involved with unraveling just what has happened to Jimmy, Crake, and Oryx that has resulted in Snowman’s world. That near future they lived in was a dystopia, with extensive genetic engineering, climate change, social isolation between technology workers and the rest of humanity, and base dehumanization resulting from the struggle for attention in a highly connected society. It is unsettling how all of the specific advances from our own time that she describes have economic justification and ethical apologetics. And so many technological advances that we are already familiar with, have had unintended consequences, that this disaster could be realistic. But the precise mechanism of the disaster would be a spoiler, so I’ll leave it there.

The Ending. (view spoiler) ...more

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May 24, 2011 Maggie K rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

This was an excellent book, the writing almost flawless. But disturbing, very disturbing. I'd been feeling guilty about not having read more Atwood, but now I remember why! Atwood has a knack for zeroing in a seemingly minor human flaw, and working it out to it's most most horrifying finale. ...more

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Jan 10, 2013 Candace rated it really liked it

Shelves: science-fiction, dystopian, post-apocalyptic

Atwood analyzes the nature of human nature in Oryx and Crake. What do we want as humans? What do we need? Who makes those decisions? Once we start changing the nature of things, when do they change from natural to not natural?

As the book opens, Snowman is the only known human living with a group of "others" that "aren't fully human." These "others" are the Crakers, named after Crake, Snowman's childhood best friend. Crake genetically engineered the Crakers in a way that he believed would be more Atwood analyzes the nature of human nature in Oryx and Crake. What do we want as humans? What do we need? Who makes those decisions? Once we start changing the nature of things, when do they change from natural to not natural?

As the book opens, Snowman is the only known human living with a group of "others" that "aren't fully human." These "others" are the Crakers, named after Crake, Snowman's childhood best friend. Crake genetically engineered the Crakers in a way that he believed would be more practical for the world as it had become. Snowman functions as a prophet and mythmaker for the Crakers as he answers their questions and looks after them on a daily basis.

The story then shifts to Snowman's life as a child and the two threads continue to alternate as the reader waits for answers. How is Snowman the only human left alive? What is the relationship between Snowman, Crake, and Oryx?

Atwood is amazing at giving you more information, and yet leaving the analytical reader with more questions. She touches on themes of genetic engineering, child harvesting, over-reaching corporations, the growing acceptance/tolerance of violence and pornography, underage sex, sex trafficking, environmental catastrophe, gene splicing, friendship, family and love. And more!

Atwood fully describes Snowman's world; she gives detailed descriptions of games that were played to the reality shows people watched on the computer. She describes food and animals. (Nothing like our food or animals anymore. Again, when does it become not real or true?) She also described the characters well. However, this is where I had a little trouble with the book. I could not identify with any of the characters. I could not bring myself to care about any of them. I wanted to care for Snowman, but Atwood's writing made him seem so detached from anything. If he didn't care about anything, why should I care about him? Was this a genuine reflection from Atwood of how people would feel in a dystopian world? A very depraved world. (I told you, always questions.)

I was always thinking, always asking questions. There is so much in this book to think about. Yet the book is not a difficult read.

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Nov 10, 2011 Katy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Hmmm. This is an interesting book. There are parts that I am embarrassed to say that I read it -- too much emphasis on sex and porn and drugs. But it is an interesting take on what it happening in the world today -- just on a bigger and badder scale. An apocalyptic novel in which we (humans) destroy ourselves -- not an unusual topic -- but a bit different on the how and the result. I am not sure that I really "got" all that was happening in the book, I felt the drug stupor of Snowman our narrato ...more

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