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Loading... Oryx and Crake (2003)by Margaret Atwood
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Whomever payed attention to the last 3 years and ever had the change to read Oryx and Crake will certainly notice the familiarity between Atwood's sharp depiction of a pre- and post-apolitical world and the world of today. Going back to a naive 2005 when I first read this book, I imagine if Atwood's dystopia lies in the realm of prophecy, analytical prediction or just a pure and vivid fantastic fiction. One thing is for sure, the naive fascination and deep admiration for her work that I felt as a first time reader remains untouched despite the sight of a future that looks each day more like fiction. Sometida a los estragos de una terrible plaga; la humanidad afronta una azarosa huida hacia adelante. En esta primera entrega de la trilogía de MADDADDAM ?que se completa con El año del Diluvio y Maddaddam?; Margaret Atwood nos invita a adentrarnos en un futuro tan verosímil como inquietante. Conocido como Jimmy antes de que el planeta se viese asolado por una serie de desastres naturales; Hombre de las Nieves llora la pérdida de Crake; su mejor amigo; y de la esquiva Oryx; de quien ambos estaban enamorados; mientras lucha por sobrevivir en soledad sobre la faz de la Tierra. A merced de los elementos; acechado por los recuerdos y sin más compañía que la de los Hijos de Crake; esos seres de ojos verdes que lo consideran una especie de profeta; Hombre de las Nieves se pregunta cómo ha podido cambiar todo en tan poco tiempo y emprende un doble viaje hacia su pasado y hacia la burbuja de alta tecnología creada por Crake; el lugar donde empezó todo. La crítica ha dicho... «Un retrato feroz de la globalización y de un mundo que se desgarra por sus costuras ecológicas
Oryx and Crake is a piece of dystopian fiction written from the point of Snowman (known as Jimmy in his former life) – the last human left on Earth. At least, he believes he’s the last human left on Earth until the end of the book. I found the parts of the book describing Snowman’s journey to Paradice (the dome in the compound where Crake did his work) to be a lot less interesting than his recollections of his previous life as Jimmy. I loved reading about how Jimmy and Crake met, the little signs that Crake gave off as to what he might be planning and the direction his thoughts might take in the future (though Jimmy didn’t recognize these until it was too late), etc. Crake is really the star of the show in this book in my mind – Jimmy simply acts as a vessel for us to learn about a character who is dead and who therefore cannot teach us about himself. Snowman’s adventures in real time seem almost pointless to me. Why not dedicate the whole book to Jimmy’s friendship with Crake, with just a bit of general explanation as to what’s going on now? I think the present would have been much more interesting if the Crakers were explored more than Jimmy’s struggle to survive and come to grips with what Crake had done. On the whole, however, I thought it was a great book. Set sometime in the future, this post-apocalyptic novel takes scientific research in the hands of madmen to its logical and frightening conclusion. Inspiring readers to pay more attention to the world around them, Atwood offers cautionary notes about the environment, bioengineering, the sacrifice of civil liberties, and the possible loss of those human values which make life more than just a physical experience. As the novel opens, some catastrophe has occurred, effectively wiping out human life. Only one lonely survivor and a handful of genetically altered humanoids remain, and they are slowly starving as they try to adjust to their changed circumstances. In Margaret Atwood's first attempt at writing a novel, the main character was an ant swept downriver on a raft. She abandoned that book after the opening scene and became caught up in other activities, which she has described as ''sissy stuff like knitting and dresses and stuffed bunnies.'' That certainly does not sound like Ms. Atwood, who is known for the boldness of her fiction. Of course she was only 7 at the time. Margaret Atwood has always taken a jaundiced view of human nature. Back when her mordant observations about marriage and other relations between the sexes had her marked down as a feminist, she took pains to fire off several novels in a row featuring weak, manipulative, dishonest and outright bad women, partly to prove that her skepticism was distributed fairly. She has always been of the opinion that people are a mixed bag of the occasionally decent and the frequently mendacious and that there's not much anyone can do to change that fact. Genetic tinkering. Rampant profiteering. A deadly virus that sweeps the globe. Are these last Tuesday's headlines or our future? In Margaret Atwood's novel Oryx and Crake, the answer is both. For Atwood, our future is the catastrophic sum of our oversights. It's a depressing view, saved only by Atwood's biting, black humor and absorbing storytelling. Is contained inHas as a student's study guideAwardsDistinctionsNotable Lists
Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. In search of answers, Snowman embarks on a journey--with the help of the green-eyed Children of Crake--through the lush wilderness that was so recently a great city, until powerful corporations took mankind on an uncontrolled genetic engineering ride. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining. No library descriptions found. |
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Google Books — Loading... GenresMelvil Decimal System (DDC)813.54Literature English (North America) American fiction 20th Century 1945-1999LC ClassificationRatingAverage:
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I'm glad I read this novel, but I won't be tempted to pursue the trilogy. ( )