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.)

love the concept, hard to follow at first

very interesting concept of this distopian/utopian future world. The narration was very blend which made it harder to pay attention to what was happening.

Haunting

I read this book initially when it came out and it stayed with me for years. It is the kind of book that seeps into your bones. You feel you are there. You are changed as the character changes. Years later, I listed to the audible version. Equally good, I picked up on layers, details, and connections that I hadn't noticed before.

Could Not Stop Listening

What made the experience of listening to Oryx and Crake the most enjoyable?

I have always loved Margaret Atwood's style of writing and this book lived up to my expectations. The narration was easy to understand.

What other book might you compare Oryx and Crake to and why?

I read the Hand Maid's Tale by Margaret Atwood several years ago. Since they were by the same author they both had the same writing style. Both were futuristic novels where one man and group had molded their idea of the perfect future and it had gone terribly wrong.

What does Campbell Scott bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He brought the emotions and voices of the characters to life.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

I started listening to this book during my morning walk and could not stop listening until the book was finished late that night. I was totally engrossed with the book.

Any additional comments?

The main reason for buying this book was Margaret Atwood. I have already purchased two more Audible books by her and will probably buy more of her books in the future.

Intriguing story, slowly told

The novel unravels slowly. Atwood uses the novel to create a universe.
Though I am not particularly invested in any of the characters, I'm intrigued enough to see where she goes. Narration is great.

Enjoyable

It was my first book by Margaret Atwood and I enjoyed it as much as I usually enjoy science fiction. For a bigger fan of the genre the book would probably be more interesting. It has all the attributes: decent plot and well though through descriptions of the future.

The narrator is very good.

great book, difficult subject matter

Very well written book. The reveal at the end surprised me, but looking back, all the clues and foreshadowing were right there. The story deals with the sexual abuse of children, so is certainly not for everyone.

Atwood Devastates

If you love Margaret Atwood, you will like this. If you don't or have never read her, beware. This is a disturbing and difficult story for the Atwood Newbie. For those of us who follow her, it is another amazing work.

Oryx and Crake

Would you consider the audio edition of Oryx and Crake to be better than the print version?

This is a complicated question. On the one hand, Campbell Scott's narration is so utterly perfect for this story that I can't imagine not listening to it. However, Atwood's writing is so complex and filled with subtle symbolism, and her use of words almost needs to be sight-read to be fully appreciated. I would say, to fully appreciate this fantastic story, one has to read it, but for pure enjoyment, do both! Campbell Scott hit it way out of the park with this one. Standing ovation! He >is< Snowman.

What did you like best about this story?

Atwood's brilliant, dazzling prose and sardonic humor.

Have you listened to any of Campbell Scott’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes. I listened to For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemigway. His narration was very good with that story as well, but Oryx and Crake is better.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Toast.

Loved it!

I loved the story, the writing is amazing and lyrical, and the narration is wonderful. I can't wait to start book two.

This is my favorite Atwood title.

I have listened to this through three times. the story is amazing and the narration is compelling. I am really transported to this weird dire world that Margaret Atwood has set this in. I say confidently that this is my favorite book of all time.