Oryx and Crake

By: Margaret Atwood

Narrated by: Campbell Scott

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

A stunning and provocative new novel by the internationally celebrated author of The Blind Assassin, winner of the Booker Prize

Margaret Atwood’s new novel is so utterly compelling, so prescient, so relevant, so terrifyingly-all-too-likely-to-be-true, that listeners may find their view of the world forever changed after listening to it.

This is Margaret Atwood at the absolute peak of her powers. For listeners of Oryx and Crake, nothing will ever look the same again.

The narrator of Atwood's riveting novel calls himself Snowman. When the story opens, he is sleeping in a tree, wearing an old bedsheet, mourning the loss of his beloved Oryx and his best friend Crake, and slowly starving to death. He searches for supplies in a wasteland where insects proliferate and pigoons and wolvogs ravage the pleeblands, where ordinary people once lived, and the Compounds that sheltered the extraordinary. As he tries to piece together what has taken place, the narrative shifts to decades earlier. How did everything fall apart so quickly? Why is he left with nothing but his haunting memories? Alone except for the green-eyed Children of Crake, who think of him as a kind of monster, he explores the answers to these questions in the double journey he takes - into his own past, and back to Crake's high-tech bubble-dome, where the Paradice Project unfolded and the world came to grief.

With breathtaking command of her shocking material, and with her customary sharp wit and dark humour, Atwood projects us into an outlandish yet wholly believable realm populated by characters who will continue to inhabit our dreams long after the last chapter. This is Margaret Atwood at the absolute peak of her powers.

©2002 O.W. Toad, Ltd. (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Ingenious and disturbing.… A landmark work of speculative fiction, comparable to A Clockwork Orange, Brave New World.… Atwood has surpassed herself.”
–Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Oryx and Crake can hold its own against any of the 20th century’s most potent dystopias – Brave New World, 1984, The Space Merchants – with regard to both dramatic impact and fertility of invention.…Oryx and Crake showcases a nightmare version of the present era of globalization on a globe coming apart at its ecological seams.… It is a scathing (because bang-on) portrait of the way we live now.…Majestic.…” –Washington Post

“Atwood’s new masterpiece.…Extraordinary.… [Atwood pulls] back the curtain on her terrible vision with such tantalizing precision, its fearsome implications don’t fully reveal themselves until the final pages.… A darkly comic work of speculative fiction.” –W Magazine (U.S.)

Blue Mountain Community College Book Club Pick

I loved it because even though this hit close to home with the virus it was a wonderful eye open book.

A fascinating /complex author.

I was enthralled by the creativity of this book. Well written and complex, it is a testimony to the author's depth of knowledge.

Loved It

I loved this book. The narrator is maybe insane, maybe going insane, maybe has always been insane. You learn about the fall of man through his twisted lens and the performance was riveting. I am partial to techno-geek speak so I enjoyed all the references to gene splicing and new breeds of animals. I found Jimmy fascinating in this book, much less so in the rest of the trilogy. I'm a sucker for an apocalypse story and one especially that explains key points, but allows the reader to exist in the reality without overly explaining everything. Would highly recommend this book to anyone that enjoys good fiction, gritty realism, and has a strong interest in futuristic tales.

As usual, an unbelievably intriguing plot!

It was definitely not a disappointment! As usual, Atwood's plot organization and development are as intriguing as they can get (at least in my humble opinion). I truly envy her talent in this aspect since not everyone has such a great sense of space and time and is capable of presenting just the right pieces of information at just the right points in the book. I can't wait to get to the second book of the trilogy!

Loved It!

The voice of this story is incredible, and the exposition was masterful. Can't wait to consume the next book in the series!

Yes, but be prepared.

At once depressing and yet there is so much visual imagery and so many lessons to be heeded in this one.

Excellent story

So intriguing. Can't wait to try the others in the series! Amazing her insight into the pandemic.

Good Writing But...

The narrator follows the tone of the book precisely. The writing style is excellent, impeccable at times. I am impressed with Atwood's ability to narrate the thoughts of male characters in such a believable way, especially when spelling out their sexual proclivities. Her talents on this avenue are undeniable, though the reader should not get the wrong idea - this novel is not "pornographic." Sexual allusions are frequent but fleeting.

The content is a bit flat at times. There are few characters but of these only one of them, the protagonist "Snow Man," is somewhat multi-dimensional. Everyone else is the same way all the time.

There are a ton of biblical and religious allusions, which is okay except they are used in precisely one way: depicting such content in the most primitive and deplorable way imaginable. This sort of relentless axe-grinding has a sort of eighteenth-century Enlightenment feel to it, like Voltaire has risen from the grave. Sometimes you wonder if you're reading a post-apocalyptic narrative or the author's anti-religion manifesto, and in some places it's quite odd because such sentiments do not contribute to the larger story in an organic way.

For fans already accustomed to Atwood's body of work this novel will likely be interesting enough to keep them on course to the sequel. But for those who are not already sold on Atwood, I can't say with confidence that this first installment will claim their allegiance. It's a coin toss.

Enjoyable even if it was depressing at times

Margaret Atwood is clearly a very impressive author and her renowned reputation is deserved. The sci-fi aspects of this book seemed both tangible yet still far and fun. The relationships and characters grew throughout multiple simultaneous timelines and were fun to learn about and contemplate. The overall story and was occasionally depressing and once or twice disturbing, yet visceral and felt like a true reflection of life and culture. I usually only listen to non-fiction, so this was a different kind of book to me, but it made me appreciate what I've been missing out on in the realm of fiction.

Fill Up My Daylight Savings

I'm totally addicted to "Oryx and Crake". I immediately bought the second book after the first hour of listening. I always thought that Margaret Atwood is a brilliant writer. Her writing style really tickles my fanny with science fiction because her words are dark and gloomy. I've been searching for a new series to get into for the summer. "The MaddAddam Trilogy" might be the answer to fill up my daylight savings.