Oryx and Crake (The Maddaddam Trilogy, #1)

by Margaret Atwood

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

Once upon a time humanity didn't need be afraid. The race was thriving. Then came the sickness, then came the compounds. Finally came JUVE. Now it's just Snowman, but he has the whole story. Maybe the children of Crake can take over the planet. Certainly humans never will again.

Oryx and Crake begins Jimmy's memories of the man who called himself Crake - an intellectual genius without much of a moral compass. All the compounds wanted him, to use his intelligence to make themselves money, even if the things that he was willing to do did not take such care for human life. Human are flawed, after all.

Oryx and Crake is scary. Scary, but good. The book is written in the same cadence as The Handmaid's Tale, so popular, but how many people have delved into Margaret Atwood's other work? She's the Queen of Dystopia. Atwood finds the heartbeat of human fear and plays upon it - loss of trust, loss of freedom, loss of future. This book is no exception. It starts slowly, but builds into a careful crescendo that hooks the reader in completely.

Jimmy is an unlikable protagonist in a strange, changed world. But the story he has to tell is incredible. This one requires a little patience, but is definitely worth reading.