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.)

Finally, I liked an Atwood book

Like many Canadians, I was "forced" to read Margaret Atwood books in high school. Sorry to say but I found her work boring, long-winded and depressing. It is also fair to say, Ms. Atwood does not like happy endings either.

I am thrilled to report Oryx and Crake is merely "depressing". The author succeeded in creating a realistic and rich image of the future gone bad. Depressing? Yes - as it should be.

Several reviewers have noted that the "flashbacks" in this book were distracting. I found them facinating. My challenge thoughout was to answer (as early as I could): "how did things get this way?".

Other have complained that the ending was weak. Perhaps it could have been more complete. But maybe the book ended on the first page. The future of the protagonistic "Snowman" may be less important than his legacy that will realized through his adopted "children".

I give the book 4/5 because of all the Atwood books I was forced to read 20 years ago. One mark off for past pain and suffering :-)

The Subject Stays With You

I love Margaret Atwood as an author and was looking forward to reading another one of her books, even though the book title seemed a little odd. Also, the subject matter seemed a bit of a departure, but then I remembered The Handmaids Tale -- a fictional account of the future – and it is one of my very favorite books by Margaret Atwood

When I finished with Oryx and Crake, I was going to give it 4 stars, even though I loved it. However, it's been about 4 weeks since I finished and I STILL think of it's contents and portrayal of the future – news stories I hear and read, speeches from officials, CEO’s, etc., all make me think about this book! I think about How This Could Really Happen and, in fact, it seems we are on our way already -- and that it's not a far fetched concept at all. I think it’s an important book to read and it’s enjoyable to boot. Anytime one thinks about a book or movie long after it’s over, it deserves the higher mark!

Awe-Inspiring; Groundbreaking; Almost Peerless

Hopefully this review will make up for my rather negative review of Atwood's "The Handmaid's Tale" which I know many love, but I found lacking a bit. (I'm sorry!) I won't repeat that review's discussion about which elements I think are necessary to create great dystopian/utopian tales, but I will say that this book surpasses most of my beloved books in this (my favorite) genre exponentially. It adds a new factor to the oft pondered conundrum as to whether or not a perfect utopian society could flourish or even survive long considering the oft dystopian-ish behavior/nature of homo sapien sapiens and/or if the good in people can long survive dystopian type tyrants/governmental systems. Can splicing in and out selective genes, behavior patterns, sexually based actions and consequences, etc. create a utopian people who can survive in a spliced/un-spliced world? However, this is only one of many awe-inspiring concepts to consider as Atwood deftly builds and unveils the mind-bending world of Oryx and Crake and the complex characters, corporate powers; the humming, shattered yet effervescent environment, the multi-level societal structures and situations, the resulting decision conundrums and so on. She draws you in and you can go there, live among the characters, loving some hating others...ponder and wonder accept or try to reject the consequences of actions. I've read this over five times now and it just gets better. Be sure to read this before "The Year of the Flood" which takes place in the same world at the same time but from other fascinating viewpoints and treats the reader with some awesome revelations, my favorite characters ever almost, all the while adding new ways and things to ponder.

An interesting read

Well first of all I have to say that I didn't like the story. I realize it was intended as a cautionary tale but it went so overboard that I couldn't buy into it. It was morbid, depressing, and filled with shallow self centered dullards (even the brilliant characters). Snowman wallowed in misery, Jimmy was corrupted by an amoral humantiy, Crake had the ascerbic self hating wit but lacked the underlying intelligence that I'd expect in the character, and Oryx had the personality consistancy of pudding... an invertebrate with boobs. The Crakers were interesting but undeveloped, window dressing, a plot device.

The father figures in the early portion of the tale were one dimensional boors, the only character with a spark of something more was Jimmy's mother. The vast majority of the men in the story were evil caricatures that enabled Jimmy to exhibit unrealistic and hypocritical righteous indignation, although some were allowed redeeming values (oh joy). The women were mostly boring diversions assisting Jimmy on his fall from whatever grace he started with.

I felt no sympathy for anyone in the entire book, no empathy, no attachment. I didn't care that the whole world was wiped out... who'd want to live in such a place, not I certainly.

Having said all that... I have to say that I recommend the book. Atwoods narrative is skilled and refreshingly novel for Sci-Fi. Her imagery isn't broad but grounds the reader in the 'here and now' of her characters, an excellent sense of presence. The plot is simple but that's not the focus of the story. The character development doesn't really illuminate subconscious motives but provides a glimpse at the rationalizations that her characters use to justify self-destructive (and just plain destructive) behaviors.

It's not a book that I'd read twice but I think it's worth a read for the things it does well. Overall I enjoyed listening to the book... ironic as that may sound after the above lambasting.

Great Story, Poor Reader

The title of this review pretty much says it all. I listen to a lot of science fiction audio books. I have heard a range of readers and I need to say that the person reading this book is flat and boring. He doesn't seem to know how to make the story alive or real.

I'd recommend buying the book and reading it instead.

Amazing story.

What an imagination Margaret Atwood has! Oryx and Crake is so surprisingly different from Handmaid's Tale - one my favorite books -but an equally original vision of the dystopian future. Though the cause of the apocalypse is something we all will recognize, it doesn't detract from the dread. From the top of the tree where Snowman (Jimmy) awakes to his cautious first steps back to the ruins of his former world, I was "with" him on that journey. I worried about his foot as if it was mine. (That's all I need say about that.) It's a masterful unfolding of the horror, ingeniously told through a mix of memories and straight narration of events. Personally , I think the telling could have done without Snowman's random lapses into profanity, but it didn't bother me too much. I did appreciate the twangs of humor in Oryx and Crake. I laughed aloud at several scenes, and equal credit here must be given to the narrator. All in all, a marvelous ride, and I am definitely excited about moving on to the rest of this series.

Characters lacking

The author's command and use of language is remarkable, and the world created in this book is fascinating. The reader has a deep, soothing voice, and eloquently expresses the pauses along with the passages. The premise of the novel (truly a cautionary tale) is well presented and developed.

The problem (in my opinion) is the characters. As a whole they lack depth. They never developed into true humans with morals, empathy, and insight-- even though they are in the middle of a truly apocalyptic event.

The story presented many opportunities for deep character development-- but they remained one-dimensional, trapped forever in an adolescent narcissistic funk.

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.