The Children of Men

By: P. D. James

Narrated by: David Case

The year is 2021. No child has been born for twenty-five years. The human race faces extinction.

Under the despotic rule of Xan Lyppiat, the Warden of England, the old are despairing and the young cruel. Theo Faren, a cousin of the Warden, lives a solitary life in this ominous atmosphere. That is, until a chance encounter with a young woman leads him into contact with a group of dissenters. Suddenly his life is changed irrevocably as he faces agonising choices which could affect the future of mankind.

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Critic reviews

“Extraordinary . . . daring . . . frightening in its implications.”
—The New York Times

“She writes like an angel. Every character is closely drawn. Her atmosphere is unerringly, chillingly convincing. And she manages all this without for a moment slowing down the drive and tension of an exciting mystery.”
—The Times (UK)

Interesting

This novel is written well with strong, evocative imagery throughout. It is slow-moving for the first half, only very gradually picking up speed and intensity in the latter half. It's conclusion is rather anticlimactic in some ways leaving a little too much to the imagination. An epilogue could have eased that problem. However, it raises numerous questions of an excellent and deep quality. It asks questions of the meaning of life and of mankind as a whole. It also levels some appropriately scathing critiques of contemporary society. In all, while I would not say my life was necessarily very deeply impacted by reading this book, it was definitely worth the time and effort, for the uniquely introspective and meditative opportunities it affords the reader.

Riveting

Incredible story. I listened to the whole thing in 2 days. I'm so glad I came across this gem!

hits the spot for my distopia cravings

well, for someone who is just a pleasure reader and doesn't know much about writing I enjoyed this book a lot. probably doesn't mean a lot to such a famous author, but she's famous for a reason. Also, I know books are generally better then movies, but the movie changed the end. does that make it the same story?

Many fewer explosions than the movie

I enjoyed the movie twice over a decade, and now I plan to watch it a third time. The plot of the book is rather different, though it shares some premises, elements, characters and episodes. Overall well written and very enjoyable. Some of the decisions made by the characters are inexplicable but move the story along quickly. The plot is much more believable than Girl with All the Gifts, and it is more relevant to the pandemic and emerging fascism themes of 2022-23. More character development and less violence. Very British.

Don’t watch the movie!

I loved the story line with all the twists and turns. Theo, a 50 year old bore, transforms into a courageous and carting man.
The movie sucked. A complete hack of a wonderful story