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srs_moonlight's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
As a companion to the smashing success of Oryx and Crake, this book has a tough job. It delivers. In Year of the Flood, we see a parallel set of perspectives on the events of the original book. The role of the "other side of the coin" of Oryx and Crake is taken seriously, and this book looks at many of the same themes from a different view - the original follows the perspectives of privileged young men at the center of the collapse, whereas this book is about working class women scratching out survival on the fringes.
Many of the characters are members of "God's Gardeners", a sort of back-to-the-land hippie cult which played a minor role in the first book. Atwood works hard to give us a deep view of how life in the Gardeners is - in addition to the usual description of the tempo of life, food, sights, and smells, every chapter also begins with a hymn and homily from a church service of the Gardeners. Again, this is a foil to the setting of the first book, and it really lands. Whereas Jimmy was a person embedded in corporations which focused on exploitation of the natural world, the Gardeners focus on the cyclic nature of living ecosystems.
The way our characters are developed is a similar inversion of everything we saw in the first book. Jimmy and Crake were pampered princelings; characters like Toby and Ren are women who have been kicked down again and again, forced to live in a system of nightmare exploitation. One of the major topics of both Oryx and Crake and Year of the Flood is the violence (physical and psychological) done to sex workers; the former focuses on the life of a consumer, and the latter on the life of those whose sacrifice makes their good time possible.
I could go on and on, but you get the idea - this trick of working the same theme from the other side is used again and again, and it works every time. Year of the Flood is more or less the perfect companion story to Oryx and Crake, and if you loved that one you'll love this one.
sassysparky's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked reading a different point of view on the events that unfolded during Oryx and Crake. The gods gardeners were an interesting group and I loved all of the "foreshadowing" and references to Jimmy and Glenn, and all of the outsider, non-Corpse perspective on the science that was happening. The female characters were so interesting, especially Toby. I can't wait to see what happens in the last book.
xiibalba's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
ceocampo's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
quartzmaya's review against another edition
4.0
The sequel to Oryx and Crake is much harder to follow and feels chaotic and somewhat rushed. However, the storyline is still very inventive and gave a fresh take on the dystopia that the first book introduced. It is interesting to compare the facets of the social structure of the doomsday cult discussed in the novel and their take on the end of the world while holding the knowledge of the actual events from the first novel as well.
shybane's review against another edition
4.0
The Waterless Flood has come and only a handful of survivors remain. This story is told through the eyes of two survivors, Ren and Tobi, just as Oryx and Crake was told through the eyes of Jimmy and Glenn. On an emotional level this book fulfills, unlike Oryx and Crake. Perhaps it was Atwood's intention, after all this novel is told by women and it's companion piece is told by men.
Never-the-less, this story touches on many of today's hot button issues... genetic "tinkering", corporations have replaced the government, the state of the economy, religion and even arts in education (although I may be stretching this one just a bit). As you read, it gives one pause about the state of the world today. Margaret Atwood does not call this work "science fiction," but rather "speculative fiction." She's taking the current state and speculating on what this may lead to? (of course, isn't that exactly, for the most part, what science fiction is... was Author C Clarke not a science fiction writer?). Can our current path lead us to the world? Possibly?
It's an amazing piece of fiction. The story, though set in the time after the catastrophic events of the waterless flood, this plague, that has nearly wiped out the human race take place, is neatly told in flashback. The world we live, according to Atwood, is not becoming a better place. Corporations, who have their own military, have taken the place of government. Science and mathematics are the prized avenues to knowledge - the arts are frowned upon. Religion has been ultimately erased with the exception those living on the fringe. Our food, our hair, our bodies have become genetically engineered.
Oddly enough, in my mind, the God's Gardeners, with there interpretation of the bible are seemingly the most sane. This is a much different tact than Atwood took in The Handmaid's Tale (one of my top five favorite books of all time), where God's word in the scripture is taken at point value. I wonder, with age, does she see religion differently?
The story ends on a (sort of) cliff hanger. Will Ms. Atwood continue this piece? I've heard tale of a MadAddam trilogy. Does it continue? I certainly hope so, because the book was nearly perfect.
Never-the-less, this story touches on many of today's hot button issues... genetic "tinkering", corporations have replaced the government, the state of the economy, religion and even arts in education (although I may be stretching this one just a bit). As you read, it gives one pause about the state of the world today. Margaret Atwood does not call this work "science fiction," but rather "speculative fiction." She's taking the current state and speculating on what this may lead to? (of course, isn't that exactly, for the most part, what science fiction is... was Author C Clarke not a science fiction writer?). Can our current path lead us to the world? Possibly?
It's an amazing piece of fiction. The story, though set in the time after the catastrophic events of the waterless flood, this plague, that has nearly wiped out the human race take place, is neatly told in flashback. The world we live, according to Atwood, is not becoming a better place. Corporations, who have their own military, have taken the place of government. Science and mathematics are the prized avenues to knowledge - the arts are frowned upon. Religion has been ultimately erased with the exception those living on the fringe. Our food, our hair, our bodies have become genetically engineered.
Oddly enough, in my mind, the God's Gardeners, with there interpretation of the bible are seemingly the most sane. This is a much different tact than Atwood took in The Handmaid's Tale (one of my top five favorite books of all time), where God's word in the scripture is taken at point value. I wonder, with age, does she see religion differently?
The story ends on a (sort of) cliff hanger. Will Ms. Atwood continue this piece? I've heard tale of a MadAddam trilogy. Does it continue? I certainly hope so, because the book was nearly perfect.
moonibean's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
leemac027's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Margaret Atwood is a master of the dystopian.
The Year of the Flood is a near future that is not all that far-fetched - who knows how close we really are to a global disaster that could dramatically change the world order. What works so well in this book is how Atwood depicts human behaviour - the alliances, the politics, greed, power, the need to mold the planet to our own liking and not necessarily for the benefit of others nor the planet.
How many people survived the Waterless Flood? Who is to be trusted? How to evade the CorpsSeCorps (a secret police force corrupted by the corporate powers that own them)?
Another fascinating work that will take a reader into a future, some of which we can already recognise in our lives today.
The Year of the Flood is a near future that is not all that far-fetched - who knows how close we really are to a global disaster that could dramatically change the world order. What works so well in this book is how Atwood depicts human behaviour - the alliances, the politics, greed, power, the need to mold the planet to our own liking and not necessarily for the benefit of others nor the planet.
How many people survived the Waterless Flood? Who is to be trusted? How to evade the CorpsSeCorps (a secret police force corrupted by the corporate powers that own them)?
Another fascinating work that will take a reader into a future, some of which we can already recognise in our lives today.
chelseaknits's review against another edition
4.0
If you have been feeling a little too optimistic lately, or in need of some intense mixed feelings, this is the novel for you.
francescacalin's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0