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ljc51014's review against another edition
5.0
5 stars just for the seamless and fascinating bio-science fiction and the green gardeners anti-tech cult. Lots of laughs in the portrayal of the green cult and their dogma, double speak and sometimes realistic well meaning theories. In the end though human nature at its best and worst and the worst is pretty bad.
andyecahill's review against another edition
4.0
Atwood decides to start the 2nd story in the Madd Addam series off with, essentially, new characters. This decision lead me to have a similar issue as with the 1st book - it’s a slow slow start. But as we start to orient ourselves and as the two books begin to connect my interest was certainly peaked leading me to absorb the 2nd half.
While I wasn’t sure about the choice in the beginning Year of the Flood fills in so much of the world in this potential new future. Ultimately it is absolutely spectacular and I cannot wait to finish the trilogy off.
While I wasn’t sure about the choice in the beginning Year of the Flood fills in so much of the world in this potential new future. Ultimately it is absolutely spectacular and I cannot wait to finish the trilogy off.
otherbeth's review against another edition
4.0
Full disclosure: I read Oryx & Crake so long ago, I don't feel like I can comment on how this book follows that one. I love Margaret Atwood, and don't believe she can write a bad book. I listened to this as an audiobook, which changes the experience. Disclosures over. I was fascinated by the world in this book, wasn't bothered by the jumping around from Tobi's to Ren's viewpoints (and, since I was listening, am not sure how these names were spelled, so sorry if I got it wrong). I didn't like the readers, though, especially Ren's. Was she supposed to sound like an utter idiot? And the singing, oh, I couldn't fast-forward fast enough. Would have preferred ice picks in my ears. All that aside, it's a compelling cautionary tale, and I can't wait to read "Maddaddam" #3. (Though, I think I'll read it instead of getting the audiobook.)
eliellis's review against another edition
4.0
Even more so than the first in the trilogy, this one has too much expository interpersonal/pre-“flood” content for me. I’d like more of the post apocalyptic content and less interpersonal dynamics overall. I want to read the third for closure but admit I skimmed through parts of this and don’t really relish more slogging through....still, four stars, because it’s Atwood, and her writing is always brilliant, frighteningly close to reality, and beautiful.
jbfarkas's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book. Popular wisdom says that this book is not a sequel to Oryx and Crake and therefore can be read seperately or before the other book. I would have to say that while The Year of the Flood is not a sequel it is a companion book and reading both it and Oryx and Crake in sequence and within a short time of each other greatly enhanced by enjoyment of both books. This novel takes place at the same time in the same world as Oryx and Crake..but the narrators here are well outside the Corps and their compounds and tell a different viewpoint of the same history. The characters in The Year of the Flood are present and past God's Gardeners a religious group which espouses caring for God's creatures and the planet and oppose the dominant culture's materialism, chemical and genetic alterations of nature, technology and hedonistic lifestyles. Their leader Adam One preaches of a "waterless flood" which will come and destroy society, and all who are not prepared with an arrarat of supplies. The animals and plantlife will of course be preserved. Amazingly enough, God's Gardeners in many ways are decidely more sane than the Corporation driven characters of Oryx and Crake and present a stark contrast. There are several things I really liked about this novel. The first is its structure. Each Section is designated by a holy "saints" day of the gardeners. It begins with a sermon by Adam One followed by one of the gardeners' hymns. The narrative is then presented by one of two main characters who develop the same timeline as presented in Oryx and Crake but from an altogether different perspective than Snowman. The second thing I liked was how the lives of the characters of this novel not only intertwined with each other, but also with the characters from Oryx and Crake. Peripheral characters in both novels are fleshed out by the other novel and fates, motivations and history begin to come together in a way which makes the endings even more inevitable. (If that is possible). This creates a sense of closure when reading both novels which I hadn't felt at the end of Oryx and Crake. I do think that Atwood could probably revisit this scenario again and flesh out more characters and additional groups and settings from this world, but whether she chooses to or not, these novels stand complete as they are. I highly recommend reading this novel and suggest reading it in conjunction with Oryx and Crake.
pammerhammer's review against another edition
5.0
I finished this book in one day. This takes Oryx and Crake and builds it up and out wonderfully. Fantastic.
busterb's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
prairiephlox's review against another edition
5.0
LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVED IT (times infinity).
So, many of you know, I've recently discovered that I am madly in love with Margaret Atwood. This was such an excellent sidequel to Oryx and Crake. Totally perfect. The reason I'm growing increasingly in love with this series is the fact that Atwood has created a world that is entirely 3D. In O&C you follow Jimmy through the highly guarded and elite compounds but YOTF takes place in the pleeblands in ghettos. You are seeing multiple sides and planes of a fully created world- and that is something that is missing from many scifi/fantasy/speculative novels. Caveat: I would say the "fullness of worlds" is missing due to time constraints within a story and plot framework, and not lack of creativity or talent on the part of other authors- but it is part of what makes the Maddaddam trilogy so brilliant. Atwood created this tangible, fully-realized world and then delicately wove dozens of lives together.
Then there is the narrative itself. Atwood writes some beautiful sentences, she has a way of passively winding her words around the core of a matter. I loved the different modes of speech between the characters- I could very much hear Adam One speaking to the crowd of Gardeners, the voices rise in hymn to God and the Earth, the painballers brutal modes of speech. The words of all are so convincing and entrancing that I think I could have happily read another 400 pages on the lives of the Gardeners. It's all very convincing.
Atwood writes books that creep under your skin and age like wine in your thoughts. I highly suggest you start the MaddAddam trilogy today.
So, many of you know, I've recently discovered that I am madly in love with Margaret Atwood. This was such an excellent sidequel to Oryx and Crake. Totally perfect. The reason I'm growing increasingly in love with this series is the fact that Atwood has created a world that is entirely 3D. In O&C you follow Jimmy through the highly guarded and elite compounds but YOTF takes place in the pleeblands in ghettos. You are seeing multiple sides and planes of a fully created world- and that is something that is missing from many scifi/fantasy/speculative novels. Caveat: I would say the "fullness of worlds" is missing due to time constraints within a story and plot framework, and not lack of creativity or talent on the part of other authors- but it is part of what makes the Maddaddam trilogy so brilliant. Atwood created this tangible, fully-realized world and then delicately wove dozens of lives together.
Then there is the narrative itself. Atwood writes some beautiful sentences, she has a way of passively winding her words around the core of a matter. I loved the different modes of speech between the characters- I could very much hear Adam One speaking to the crowd of Gardeners, the voices rise in hymn to God and the Earth, the painballers brutal modes of speech. The words of all are so convincing and entrancing that I think I could have happily read another 400 pages on the lives of the Gardeners. It's all very convincing.
Atwood writes books that creep under your skin and age like wine in your thoughts. I highly suggest you start the MaddAddam trilogy today.
nicksiob's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
hgbulovsky's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t think I liked it as much as Oryx and Crake, it I was definitely interested and liked seeing the story from a different perspective.