By Margaret Atwood
Doubleday
Hardcover, Audio Cassette (Unabridged), Audio CD (Unabridged) and Large Print Editions

Like any genre, science fiction has certain themes that authors repeatedly explore. In the case of Oryx and Crake, that theme is the Last Man on Earth.

Despair frequently dominates such tales. That is the obvious, most direct story. In Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood rises above that to create a tale of hope in the face of that despair.

The Last Man, Snowman, takes care of a group of genetically modified people, Crakers, who are ignorant of human civilization. They have all the innocence of Adam and Eve before the fall.

Crake created them as a fresh start to civilization, or rather, as a fresh start to humanity without the burdens of civilization (i.e. war, hatred, jealousy, love, creativity, ambition, pride, etc.) Snowman doles out information about how to survive as myths revolving around instructions given by Oryx and Crake, the parents and gods of the Crakers.

Oryx and Crake Excerpt "Right," says Snowman. Is there no end to his shameless inventions? He feels like crying. "Crake made the Great Emptiness ...," say the men. "For us! For us!" say the women. It's becoming a liturgy. "Oh, good, kind Crake!" Their adulation of Crake enrages Snowman, though this adulation has been his own doing. The Crake they're praising is a fabrication, a fabrication not unmixed with spite: Crake was against the notion of God, of or gods of any kind, and would surely be disgusted by the spectacle of his own gradual deification. ©2003 Margaret Atwood Published with permission from Doubleday

As Oryx and Crake, opens, Snowman is a long way down the road of despair and insanity. He lives apart from the Crakers, not wanting to disturb the delicate balance of their primitive idyllic existence. When he is not interacting with the Crakers, Snowman reminisces about his life before the end of the world.

It is through this nostalgic window that Snowman tells the body of the story. Here he shows life in an increasingly malleable world. Pigs are bred to host spare human parts, including brain tissue. Chicken breasts are grown separate from the rest of the bird. Dogs are combined with wolves to create killing machines that appear friendly until the moment of attack. Through BlyssPluss, a pill which enhances sexual prowess, cures every sexually transmitted disease and is a perfect contraceptive, civilization engages in the ultimate orgy.

If God expelled Adam and Eve from the Garden of Eden for eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, then perhaps the only way to return to Eden is to purge knowledge and regain ignorance. In this case, ignorance is BlyssPluss.

Biblical analogies abound in Oryx and Crake. The genetically modified Crakers originally reside in a controlled environmental dome called Paradice. The Crakers have no knowledge of good or evil; they copulate freely when the females are in heat without any jealousy or love.

Snowman can be compared to any number of biblical figures, including Satan, Moses and Jesus. Oryx plays roles reminiscent of Eve, the Virgin Mary and Mary Magdalene. Crake plays the role of God and Satan in all guises. Such metaphors are inevitable and intriguing to contemplate.

In Oryx and Crake, Margaret Atwood creates a compelling, literary science fiction novel. The trinity of Oryx, Crake and Snowman form a perfectly ill-balanced triangle. Against the post-apocalyptic backdrop of genetically blended creatures surviving the final plague, this depth of the various relationships is explored through the eyes of Snowman, the lone survivor. This well-told tale is one of hope, despite (or perhaps because of) the despair of one man alone.

Bookworm's Briefing
Margaret Atwood, award-winning author of The Blind Assassin, The Handmaid's Tale, Cat's Eye and numerous other works, creates in Oryx and Crake, a world where man has wiped himself off the face of the Earth not with fusion bombs, but with a fine tuned, tailored plague. Left behind is Snowman, friend of Crake, lover of Oryx, and caretaker of a new breed of people devoid of all the aggressive tendencies that marred human existence.

As Snowman explores his memories, a future full of wonders is revealed, wonders which inevitably lead to tragedy. This well-rounded tale is one that will echo through readers minds long after the last page is turned.