Fantasy
Oryx and Crake keeps tugging at me for the wrong reasons, which is usually a good sign.
Atwood doing future collapse is hardly a surprise. The bit I’m more interested in is whether the friendship angle gives it some actual bite, or whether it’s just another elegant doom machine with biotech attached. Dystopias can get a bit smug about their own bleakness. If this one has real emotional weight underneath, that’s the part worth showing up for.
Atwood doing future collapse is hardly a surprise. The bit I’m more interested in is whether the friendship angle gives it some actual bite, or whether it’s just another elegant doom machine with biotech attached. Dystopias can get a bit smug about their own bleakness. If this one has real emotional weight underneath, that’s the part worth showing up for.
I’m only about 13% in, but the thing that’s sticking so far is how much the book seems to care about atmosphere without rushing to explain itself. That can be a strength, though it also means the emotional angle has to earn its place. If the friendship is just a structural device, I’ll lose interest quickly. If it actually changes how the collapse feels, that’s the better book.