[.ca] Oryx and Crake: A Novel (ISBN 0770429351)

Amazon.ca:
In a science fiction novel that is more Swift than Heinlein, more cautionary tale than "fictional science" (no flying cars here), Margaret Atwood depicts a near-future world that turns from the merely horrible to the horrific, from a fool's paradise to a bio-wasteland. Snowman (a man once known as Jimmy) sleeps in a tree and just might be the only human left on our devastated planet. He is not entirely alone, however, as he considers himself the shepherd of a group of experimental, human-like creatures called the Children of Crake. As he scavenges and tends to his insect bites, Snowman recalls in flashbacks how the world fell apart. While the story begins with a rather ponderous set-up of what has become a clichéd landscape of the human endgame, littered with smashed computers and abandoned buildings, it takes on life when Snowman recalls his boyhood meeting with his best friend Crake: "Crake had a thing about him even then. . . . He generated awe . . . in his dark laconic clothing." A dangerous genius, Crake is the book's most intriguing character. Crake and Jimmy live with all the other smart, rich people in the Compounds, gated company towns owned by biotech corporations. (Ordinary folks are kept outside the gates in the chaotic "pleeblands.") Meanwhile, beautiful Oryx, raised as a child prostitute in Southeast Asia, finds her way to the West and meets Crake and Jimmy, setting up an inevitable love triangle. Eventually Crake's experiments in bioengineering cause humanity's shockingly quick demise (with uncanny echoes of SARS, ebola, and mad cow disease), leaving Snowman to try to pick up the pieces. There are a few speed bumps along the way, including some clunky dialogue and heavy-handed symbols such as Snowman's broken watch, but once the bleak narrative gets moving, as Snowman sets out in search of the laboratory that seeded the world's destruction, it clips along at a good pace, with a healthy dose of wry humour. --Mark Frutkin

Clumsy:
If the purpose of this book is to serve as a warning against genetic engineering, or anything else, for that matter, it has failed. It has failed, I think, because it spreads itself too thinly. It was in the setting that Orwell and Huxley took a concept and projected it onto the world, guiding the reader through a scaled-up version of its many interesting, and often frightening, implications. The plots and characters were all subordinate to the worlds they were in. Atwood, perhaps in a bid to overhaul the process, confuses and muddles it. In setting up her dystopia she uses far too many references to current-day artifacts (CDs, DVDs, etc...). If she's gambling to coax a 'this could really happen!' reaction from her reader, she falls rather short. The gap between the world she describes and the one in which she writes is materially far too wide for these concessions to bridge (are we really still going to be using DVDs when we exhaust all mineral resources on earth?). I realize that pouncing on logical flaws in science fiction is unfair but, in my defense, she continually refuses to suspend my disbelief by mentioning all these familiar products. She clearly went to a great deal of effort to imbue the story with a certain scientific legitimacy, but she seems to have missed the point that no matter how hard she tries, constructing a convincing sci-fi future requires one or more leaps of faith, which are paradoxically easier to make the longer they are. If the science made sense, it wouldn't be science fiction. I also found it very difficult to empathize with the Jimmy/Snowman character, who reminded me more of a middle-aged woman's view of what a funny, jaded, angst-ridden young man than any reality. He wasn't funny and his angst and jaded views were neither original nor interesting. He became another confusing element in a novel that seems to struggle to have a point. There were some high points, of course. Crake's mysterious focus and monolithic ambition made for fascinating speculation and when the shrouds his private thoughts and high intellect were dispersed, it did make a perverse sense in the end. Crake offered an element of consistency to the novel and the interaction between him, Jimmy and Oryx was riveting and wonderfully revealing of all three. Does this book tell us to put a stop to genetic engineering? To acknowledge child pornography as a symptom of societal decline? Or as a vehicle for developing utilitarian virtue? Are the Crakers designed to prove the inevitability of god-of-the-gaps deism and hierarchical society? Possibly, but Atwood misses the chance to develop any of these themes fully. She had a fantastic opening to do something interesting with the Crakers' development and instead slammed it shut with a jarring ending. Throughout the book I never failed to shake the sense that it was clumsily conceived and unfocused in its execution. I just didn't buy into it. Perhaps Marg was on autopilot writing this one.

Twisted:
For years I have heard what a wonderful writer Margaret Atwood is. The hype, the awards, the media attention, all-raving about this `marvellous' author. I thought, given the glowing reviews I had read, and the fact the storyline sounded appealing, I'd pick up a copy of Oryx and Crake. I wish I hadn't. While Ms. Atwood may be touted as a world-class writer, I beg to differ. Being able to write endless crass filth and garbage, peppered with foul language does not make for a good read. Uncomfortable yes, good no. I stopped my voyage into these repulsive pages short, and decided to use the book in the only manner that seemed fit. To date this has been the most expensive piece of kindling I have ever purchased. I can most assuredly say that I will not make this mistake again. To say you can write, then produce something that is full of disgusting visuals and inappropriate language is a slap in the face of all genuine authors. Unfortunately this is the type of swill that many people enjoy, and no wonder, since this tripe is flaunted as acceptable and the norm. To me the only thing this book accomplished was the destruction of numerous innocent trees to fuel the minds of the twisted. Save your money and time.

Still struggling to finish it:
While I am not quite through this one, I'm reviewing it on the merit of its difficulty to enjoy. I'm not sure what Atwood was thinking, but she explores characters which aren't even overdone in the genre, but just altogether boring, unfortunately. While some of Oryx's background is interesting, I never quite understand why Snowman is so into her. Unless, maybe, she's completely gorgeous and he's hard up for a girl to hang around with. I like Crake, but not enough to ever turn the page and find out what's happening. Which strikes a peculiar note: Nothing is happening. This is more an experiment in world building for Atwood, and for anyone who's read any or watched any sci-fi before, it's an attempt that falls far short of any mark she may have been trying to present us with. It's a dreary post-apocalyptic world. And while I loved the play with the Children, these genetic run-offs, kids running around a mutant world, and how Snowman's efforts to communicate with them often ended up in humorous frustration, it's just not enough. Sorry Atwood, stay out of sci-fi.

OK for Atwood:
I found the book ok, for an Atwood novel. The pages were turned, but the mind wandered. Some will love, others will hate and the world will keep on turning. Actually, I listened to this one on tape at first and found it too difficult to follow...getting the book helped a lot. :-)

An amazing book you must read!:
Who ever didn't give this book good reviews, didn't get this book. Anyone who has intelligence will like this book because it makes one think deeply about religion, relationships, human behavior, etc. Give it a chance.