Oryx and Crake (maybe I should start reading?)

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So, when I originally created this site back in '96, the running gag was that I was this barely-literate drunken goon. Well, two out of three ain't bad, right? Turns out, I can read. Although, truth be told, several years ago I decided to only read books that had won the Hugo or Nebula. But, of course, each of these books would send me on a side journey to read all the works of each of these authors. In some cases that took me something like a year just to read the author's collected works (Thanks a bunch Ursula K. Le Guin). Well, it sure seems like I should be reading some post-apocalyptic books, right? I mean, I know the site isn't called postapocalypticbookmania.com but we can still randomly talk about books, right?

Anyway, I think the first book I'm going to read on my quest for apocalypse-related books is probably going to be Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood. I don't know a ton about her or her books, but it seems like every time I'm googling for apocalypse-related material, she pops up. So, there has to be something there, right?

From the synopsis and reviews, the apocalypse sounds like it was by plague (which I think is the most likely kind we'll get these days). The book follows the life of Jimmy (aka Snowman) before and after the apocalypse and it sounds like there are some pretty creepy moments. Something about green-eyed "Children of Crake" and whatnot. Anyway, can anyone recommend this book? Because I'm just about done with "Blue Mars" and I need something new.

Oryx and Crake (Hardcover)

12 Comments

Tags: Apocalypse Books, margaret atwood, oryx and crake

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There are 12 Comments to "Oryx and Crake (maybe I should start reading?)"

Tim says:

November 13, 2009 at 1:10 pm

You should also read “A Canticle for Leibowitz.” Pretty solid post-apocalyptic book.
Drunken Goon says:

November 13, 2009 at 1:44 pm

You know what, since it’s won the Hugo, I’ve actually read that one. What a great book that is! I think I read another post-apocalyptic book by that same author, but the name escapes me at the moment. (surprise, surprise, right?)
Tim the Second says:

November 13, 2009 at 5:24 pm

That book was pretty righteous. Done mostly in flashbacks. A good’un.
Angela says:

November 14, 2009 at 12:28 pm

One of my all-time favorite post-apocalyptic books is “Dies the Fire” by S.M. Stirling, actually the first in a pretty fun series…and I recently came across the following list here which includes some others I haven’t read yet. http://www.sfsignal.com/archives/2009/11/mind-meld-speculative-fiction-books-that-should-be-assigned-in-school/
Angela´s last blog ..The Great Shattering
Drunken Goon says:

November 14, 2009 at 3:25 pm

Man, I should have talked about books sooner! I’ll look for Dies the Fire next. Thanks everyone!
Tim the Second says:

November 17, 2009 at 7:40 pm

dude … dies the fire is a gigantic obligation. It’s in the second series now. and also the ‘island in the sea of time’ series. as one drunken goon to another — it’s a large task to take on. but worth it.
Tim the Second´s last blog ..The Stand at the half way point …
Dillon says:

January 5, 2010 at 10:34 am

I think Oryx and Crake is one book of a series where the lives tie into one another. Also read Atwood’s novel, “The Year of the Flood” if you haven’t yet. It’s very good. Jimmy’s life ties into it as well. I’m starting Oryx and Crake now. I hope it was good?
mel says:

January 20, 2010 at 1:22 pm

okay…i’m reading this post rather late….the other book you should read by margaret atwood is ‘the handmaid’s tale’…keep in mind when it was written…great book. i reread it every five or six years.
you should also read Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse. PLEASE ignore the cheesy cover. Everyone I’ve lent the book to…and this includes non-sci fi nerds … reads it in record time.
i have the short story collection you mention later, too. It’s not too good. I’m a demanding reader and if there’s dialogue, it has to be good, she said. (yeah, not like that). there are maybe two stories in the collection that are decent and the rest i found boring, completely unrealistic or just poorly written. I recommend Go Go Girls and then The Handmaid’s Tale. though be warned…the handmaid’s tale is very subtle and only truly frightening in exactly how you can see that future actually happening.
Drunken Goon says:

January 20, 2010 at 1:26 pm

Thanks Mel! I just started The Algebraist (sp?) so I’ll check out those two books next.
partikal5 says:

January 31, 2010 at 9:26 am

Also check the 1969 (an apt year [if ever there was one] for post-apocalyptic work) ‘Heroes and Villains’ by Angela Carter.
Drunken Goon says:

January 31, 2010 at 9:45 am

‘Heroes and Villains’ is sounding really familiar. I’m thinking that I have a copy of it somewhere. I’ll check it out, though. Thanks much!
partikal5 says:

March 13, 2010 at 2:13 pm

Check Chester Himes’s Plan B , too – an out-of-hand massacre of the US white population by the disgruntled black population. Putting all accusations of racism aside, I couldn’t help think of the 1972 Conquest of the Planet of the Apes when reading this; a movie where slaves stage an uprising against their white oppressors.
partikal5´s last blog ..Get Up…