Oryx and Crake

This book is light on hope, but if you’re on the hunt for cli-fi dystopias, Oryx and Crake is a must-read.

The novel’s protagonist, Snowman (previously known as Jimmy), finds himself alone (sort of) after a global societal collapse. His story unfolds on either side of this collapse as he searches for answers about what has happened to the world and why.

This book brings together runaway climate change, an apocalyptic pandemic, uncontrolled genetic engineering, mass extinction, and more, dealing with nostalgia for what’s been lost and reckoning with each person’s individual culpability for that loss. And yet it somehow… show more.

This is a fabulously wild ride into a dystopian world that carries all of humanity’s worst habits to their logical conclusions.

Atwood uses science, specifically unrestricted and unregulated genetic engineering, to demonstrate how a technology that was developed with a noble goal (in this case, creating pigs that can grow human organs for transplant) can spiral out of control.

There is a lot more to this twisted tale but I’d rather not spoil it, the slow reveal of what has carried the protagonist from bad to worse is what makes him a sympathetic character, who despite all his flaws we… show more.

Many dystopian novels portray future events that are unlikely at best.

For example, what are the chances that a super-volcano will erupt out of Yellowstone National Park and destroy much of North America? Not high. But one thing is certain.

Climate change is upon us, and most of us will see unwelcome changes to the world around us in our lifetimes. We already do. Margaret Atwood’s award-winning novel, Oryx and Crake, shows us what may well be some of the consequences.

But it’s not climate change porn. It’s a brilliant novel that weaves together several themes into an engaging… show more.

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood—and the MaddAddam trilogy it kicks off—is the distillation of a century of dystopian science fiction incorporating the strongest elements from Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, and even a hint of Atwood’s own The Handmaid's Tale. The world Atwood conjures in Oryx and Crake is so vivid, sharp, and intoxicating that it has transformed how I think about science fiction. Out of the fiction books I've read in the last twenty years, Oryx and Crake has had the most profound effect on me and I couldn't recommend it more highly:… show more.

The world-building in this book is excellent, the future terrifying, and the writing spot on.

An interesting take on the near future. Dystopian for most, utopian for the lucky few. Apocalyptic for all ... eventually. Atwood is a master at back story and character development. Disturbing genetic experimentation is the star of this novel, and this is how I like my apocalypse: Human. Relatable stories. Real people facing real danger, real emotions, real scenarios in an all too possible end.

Oryx and Crake is a literary marvel. The narrative bounces back and forth between pre-apocalypse and post-apocalypse events with our main character, Jimmy. In flashbacks, he and his childhood friend, Crake, watch graphic videos about surgery, executions, and child pornography. One of the porn videos features a girl, Oryx, who becomes entangled in a love triangle with Jimmy and Crake. Because of the violence in these videos, Crake studies bioengineering and genetics to make humanity gentle and peaceful, but it all dissolves from there. Equal parts disturbing and insightful, Atwood paints a gritty picture with superb characters and arcs.

Despite the author’s reluctance to label her work as science fiction, her novel deals with genetic manipulation and is set in the aftermath of a bioengineered plague. It is a future where apparently no genetically unmodified humans, or animals, remain except for the protagonist. During the starving protagonist’s perilous journey to an abandoned scientific compound in search of food, the reader learns through a series of flashbacks how the world was brought to its current state. 

It is, at heart, a grim tale, holding out little hope for the future of humanity. Yet, as you’d expect if you’ve read any… show more.

One of the darkest portrayals of what can happen when science is divorced from all ethics, Margaret Atwood’s 2003 novel, Oryx and Crake shows just how much damage once mad scientist can do. Crake is a genius by every measure, excelling in math, science, and engineering but he has a troubled soul.