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4.05 AVERAGE
4.05 AVERAGE
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Audiobook.
If this book were a piece of visual art, it would be one of the three instances in any given gallery of senior art undergrads' final projects of an oil barrel wrapped in an American flag. The setting of corrupt corporations and Earth's overpopulation leading to the demise of the human race, which Atwood uses as the premise for this story, is so overdone that it needs some sort of interesting insight or research to freshen it up. Atwood provides neither of these, instead rooting the collapse of civilisation in what she reckons might be wrong with the world.
This story is so overdone, in fact, that good criticism of it was written long before this book was published. Atwood canonizes Jane Jacobs in the eyes of the God's Gardeners, the characters who predict that the world will be used up by overpopulation and unenlightened, wanton consumption. Had Atwood taken the time to read Jacobs, rather than assuming she knew what Jacobs thought and making her a saint, she may have come across the following passage from chapter 3 of The Economy of Cities (1969):
"Wild animals are strictly limited in their numbers by natural resources, including other animals on which they feed. But this is because any given species of animal, except man, uses directly only a few resources and uses them indefinitely. Once we stopped living like the other animals, on what nature provided us ready-made, we began riding a tiger we dare not dismount, but we also began opening up new resources—unlimited resources except as they may be limited by economic stagnation.
"Analogies of human population growth to animal population growth, based on the relation of population to current resources, are thus specious. The idea that, under sensible economic planning, population growth must be limited because natural resources are limited is profoundly reactionary. Indeed, that is not planning for economic development at all. It is planning for stagnation. So little does this seem to be understood, that is becoming conventional (especially among the very well-off) to assume that poor and unproductive people cause their own poverty by multiplying—that is, by their very numbers. But if it is true that poverty is indeed caused by overpopulation, then it follows that poor people ought to prosper wherever populations decline appreciably. Things do not work out that way in the real world. Entire sections of Sicily and Spain have become almost depopulated by emigration. Yet the people remaining do not prosper; they remain poor."
There was a possible interesting reading of the background story of Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1), in which the marvels of increasingly efficient production and invention, paired with alienation between groups and a lack of morality in consumption, lead to a society that eats itself alive (though a soliloquy by Crake is evidence that Atwood has instead fallen for the fallacy Jacobs identifies above, it could also have been merely the opinion of a single character). This book kills any possibility that that interesting reading is what Atwood had in mind. This story was stale a half century ago when Jane Jacobs decided to roll her eyes and skewer it as only she could. The characters have one-dimensional story arcs that carry them from the beginning of the book to its end.
At any rate, you need to read The Year of the Flood in order to introduce characters important to the third book, which returns to the story arc of the more interesting character, Jimmy/Snowman. Hopefully the finale, having dispensed with the banality of Atwood's doomsaying, will be an improvement over this book.
The audiobook is performed by several actors and one musician. I found the audio recordings of the hymns not only tackily preachy (even for something that's meant to be sung by a religious leader) but also grating to listen to. After listening to a few and determining that they add nothing to the story, I fast-forwarded through them as best I could. The performances are otherwise well done.
If this book were a piece of visual art, it would be one of the three instances in any given gallery of senior art undergrads' final projects of an oil barrel wrapped in an American flag. The setting of corrupt corporations and Earth's overpopulation leading to the demise of the human race, which Atwood uses as the premise for this story, is so overdone that it needs some sort of interesting insight or research to freshen it up. Atwood provides neither of these, instead rooting the collapse of civilisation in what she reckons might be wrong with the world.
This story is so overdone, in fact, that good criticism of it was written long before this book was published. Atwood canonizes Jane Jacobs in the eyes of the God's Gardeners, the characters who predict that the world will be used up by overpopulation and unenlightened, wanton consumption. Had Atwood taken the time to read Jacobs, rather than assuming she knew what Jacobs thought and making her a saint, she may have come across the following passage from chapter 3 of The Economy of Cities (1969):
"Wild animals are strictly limited in their numbers by natural resources, including other animals on which they feed. But this is because any given species of animal, except man, uses directly only a few resources and uses them indefinitely. Once we stopped living like the other animals, on what nature provided us ready-made, we began riding a tiger we dare not dismount, but we also began opening up new resources—unlimited resources except as they may be limited by economic stagnation.
"Analogies of human population growth to animal population growth, based on the relation of population to current resources, are thus specious. The idea that, under sensible economic planning, population growth must be limited because natural resources are limited is profoundly reactionary. Indeed, that is not planning for economic development at all. It is planning for stagnation. So little does this seem to be understood, that is becoming conventional (especially among the very well-off) to assume that poor and unproductive people cause their own poverty by multiplying—that is, by their very numbers. But if it is true that poverty is indeed caused by overpopulation, then it follows that poor people ought to prosper wherever populations decline appreciably. Things do not work out that way in the real world. Entire sections of Sicily and Spain have become almost depopulated by emigration. Yet the people remaining do not prosper; they remain poor."
There was a possible interesting reading of the background story of Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1), in which the marvels of increasingly efficient production and invention, paired with alienation between groups and a lack of morality in consumption, lead to a society that eats itself alive (though a soliloquy by Crake is evidence that Atwood has instead fallen for the fallacy Jacobs identifies above, it could also have been merely the opinion of a single character). This book kills any possibility that that interesting reading is what Atwood had in mind. This story was stale a half century ago when Jane Jacobs decided to roll her eyes and skewer it as only she could. The characters have one-dimensional story arcs that carry them from the beginning of the book to its end.
At any rate, you need to read The Year of the Flood in order to introduce characters important to the third book, which returns to the story arc of the more interesting character, Jimmy/Snowman. Hopefully the finale, having dispensed with the banality of Atwood's doomsaying, will be an improvement over this book.
The audiobook is performed by several actors and one musician. I found the audio recordings of the hymns not only tackily preachy (even for something that's meant to be sung by a religious leader) but also grating to listen to. After listening to a few and determining that they add nothing to the story, I fast-forwarded through them as best I could. The performances are otherwise well done.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
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:
Yes
Such an advance on book one. I was totally drawn in by our characters and their journeys. An amazing book that made me reflect so much on the world and how we exist in it.
dark
reflective
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Took about 50% through for it to pick up and start tying in to the story we know from the first book, but then it was pretty good. Despite primarily following the members of a cult, this book was more grounded and relatable than the first. Answers some questions and raises some more. Successfully dangles the carrot in front of you, egging you on to read more, but not _thrilling_ in my opinion.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
adventurous
challenging
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Would you like some more post-apocalypse to go with your cult story?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Misogyny, Rape, Sexual assault, Torture, Violence, Kidnapping, Pandemic/Epidemic
dark
reflective
medium-paced
One of the best sequels I've ever read. I loved how we got these characters' individual stories but it also merged so well with Oryx and Crake. I thought the ties in with Jimmy were 10/10 and I also really enjoyed the religious element! I think it's so cool how Atwood was able to build a new sect of religion off modern Christianity while in the context of MaddAddam's world and "the flood".
Just as entertaining as the first one, still made some very interesting points about our world but this time I was more focused on the characters. Worth a reread.
Just as entertaining as the first one, still made some very interesting points about our world but this time I was more focused on the characters. Worth a reread.