Oryx and Crake

Rating:
Summary: I loved this book
Review: I absolutely loved this book. I finished reading it within five days. I was browsing the local target one day and happened upon this book. I thought it was frightening and full of imagery that haunted me for days. I highly recommend this book to anyone who likes a futuristic novel but based in horrifying reality. The timeline she follows kept me reading and asking questions. A must read!!

Rating:
Summary: Dr. Strangelove Dabbles in DNA
Review: In the heyday of the cold war the scary plots revolved around nuclear holocaust. Cheesy movies had zombies staggering out of radioactive clouds--better movies had nutcases dropping atomic bombs. Oryx and Crake is merely an updated version of the scare story drawing its premise from the development of the biological sciences rather than atomic weaponry. It is very well written and a fast read, but is so clearly an attempt to ride the hysteria that accompanies scientific progress that this reviewer was disappointed.

Although the author skillfully hooks the reader and moves the plot along nicely, it is difficult to suspend disbelief. In an era of shrinking employee benefits and increased governmental oversight of something as innocuous as stem cells it is ludicrous to imagine the wholesale creation of dangerous animal hybrids let alone tampered humans; never mind the all-encompassing complexes of pharmaceutical corporations.

If you like to slow down in order to see what is happening at accident scenes, this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Needs a more balanced perspective
Review: The book succeeded in being well-written and suspenseful, and Atwood does a brilliant job at creating a seemingly plausible reality. But, I kept wishing Atwood had done a little bit more research. For a story that centers around scientific advances in genetic engineering, it is strange that she didn't bother getting her facts straight. She writes entire paragraphs that seem to be a jumble of biotech buzzwords "spliced" together to result in meaninglessness. And, I have to agree with other readers who pointed out the lack of character development, and further comment on its irony: If the ultimate fear of these biotech advances is the loss of what makes humans wonderful and unique, it is quite ironic to see Atwood create characters that are unlikable and stereotyped. This book reveals itself to be primarily a vehicle to express her fears over the effects of genetic engineering on humanity, but it would have been more effective a warning if she made the humans in her book worth saving. The book deals with some timely and interesting current issues, but unfortunately, she seems to take the generic and pervasive "science is evil" stance, which is not useful or realistic, and doesn't give readers a chance to look at the issues from both sides, which is crucial if biotechnology and humanity are to co-exist happily. Society has such a love-hate relationship with science - everyone wants a cure for cancer and a better flu shot, but they denounce the practices that make these things possible. The last thing we need, in this time when we are so dependent on and fearful of science, is more evil scientist characters making the public believe conspiracy theories and doomsday scenarios. What we need is knowledge, rationalism, and sensibility, and in these areas Atwood fails to deliver.

Rating:
Summary: A True Classic
Review: Oryx and Crake is the story of Jimmy "Snowman", one of the few human survivors of a catastrophe caused by a man made plague caused by gene splicing technology, which leaves him alone except from a group of genetically engineered human survivors that don't truly understand what happened.

While Jimmy deals with simple tasks, like finding food and shelter and exploring the ruins left by the previous cataclysm, he starts to have flashbacks that tell the reader the background story of what really went wrong.This is were the book really shines. It gives the reader a future were science factions are the dominant force and were knowledge and technological advances are more important than human safety. Although the story is sad and tragic, you will want to keep reading in order to find out what went wrong and what uncertain future awaits Jimmy.