Year of the Flood and Oryx and Crake

[Naberius]

I am curious to know if Ms. Atwood, when she wrote Oryx and Crake, anticipated writing The Year of the Flood. I read an interesting critical essay by Earl Ingersoll in Extrapolation (Summer, 2004) which indicated that "Recently in the publicizing of her novel Oryx and Crake, Atwood has emphasized that the novel functions as a "book end" to The Handmaid's Tale. Her encouragement of readers to connect these two examples of what she likes to term "speculative fiction" seems to provide a kind of carte blanche to read Oryx and Crake not only in connection with The Handmaid's Tale but in the context of her other ventures into SF, most notably in the novel-within-a-novel of The Blind Assassin."

I have read The Handmaid's Tale several times over, and then re-visited The Blind Assassin after reading this essay. However, I did wonder if The Year of the Flood was something in the author's mind when she was writing Oryx and Crake. (and sorry for the long question here).

[Karine]

I love the interplay between the Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood. Oryx and Crake left me speculating who were the people Jimmy was about to meet and how that interaction would go. I was very excited that Year of the Flood answered those questions. I am wondering why you chose to advance the story by only 15 minutes or so.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Also I read an interview that she will write a third novel following the MaddAdam character. Exciting!

[Lori]

And I need to know if Jimmy lives! :D

Yes, I'd love to see where this brave new world takes us.

[Deborah]

Wouldn't it be awesome to have a continuation of the story!!? I, too, would love to know what happens to our characters as well as the planet. Not that I wouldn't be happy just to have anything written by Atwood in my hands...or Kindle.

[Ryandake]

so whassup with oryx? she intrigues me.

i mean, you named the book half after her, and both crake and snowman are obsessed with her, but she never has much to say for herself--she just responds to snowman. for me she remains a woman of mystery.

why did you choose not to flesh her out more?

love your work. would buy your grocery lists in hardback.

[Don Skotch]

Jenny wrote: "Also I read an interview that she will write a third novel following the MaddAdam character. Exciting!"

Would you have a link for this?

[Lori]

I did read there's going to be a third, but not about the MaddAdam character. And sheesh, who is that again? For some reason, my memory is all confused and I thought Crake was MaddAdam! But no, he was in the upper echelon of the game, right?

[Bill]

MaddAdam was Zeb -- Ren's quasi-stepfather and all-around can-do guy for the Gardeners. If there'll be a 3rd book about his exploits as MaddAdam, I wonder how much of a page out of Edward Abbey it might be: his exploits sounded an awful lot like George Hayduke's!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Don Skotch wrote: "Jenny wrote: "Also I read an interview that she will write a third novel following the MaddAdam character. Exciting!"

Would you have a link for this?"

Sure thing - Atwood on Science, Fiction and 'The Flood'