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A review by alwayslol
MaddAddam by Margaret Atwood
dark
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Without a doubt the best series I have read, and individually each book would have to be in my top 20 books of all time. No, I don't have a favorite out of the three; I would add them to my list in the order I read them, #1, #2, then #3, which I believe is the best and intended order that should be preserved.
One thing I'll say—because most reviewers don't—is Oh Margaret simply doesn't get enough credit as a comedian. She can keep me awake at night with her speculations of where existing technology is headed while making me laugh my butt off while I'm reading! The Craker mating rituals, OMG! Everytime the "big blue" and offering of flowers are mentioned, I was cracking up. How can you not be laughing at them, the stories they need, how they see the world, and how their human storytellers get stuck in knots trying to explain everything to them? You can tell Oh Margaret has had some experience in explaining things to children. Or some of the names that she comes up with? Liobams, pizzlies, snats, rakunks, and pigoons, oh my! SecretBurgers, the pleebands, God's Gardeners and their Vegivows, AnooYoo Spa! It's great stuff.
What makes Oh Margaret so gifted at the futuristic subgenre of speculative fiction is her flawless splicing together of technology, ideas, and terminology that currently exist with her futuristic ideas to create a hybrid that feels very believable. She'll throw something at you that you might be inclined to look up, and low and behold it actually exists. Then the next plant, person, or thing results in no results whatsoever, meaning it's most likely from Oh Margaret's personal repository in her head. I particularly enjoyed looking up the saints from the God's Gardeners' saints days. I learned a lot about people I had never heard of and enjoyed seeing familiar names like Jane Goodall.
Oh Margaret is fearless in various ways (having fun with the F word, are we?). Some of that boldness comes in not being afraid to use obscure, multi syllabic words for fear of losing your audience. I'm your audience, Oh Margaret, and I love it! A good example is semaphoring. Not something you run into every day.
I'm sure I will have many days yet to come enjoying reading, but finishing this trilogy is a big milestone. I'm calling for August 10 to be Saint Margaret Atwood Day, in which we all read, look up any words we don't know, and send messages to Oh Margaret's publisher begging for a MaddAddam # 4!
One thing I'll say—because most reviewers don't—is Oh Margaret simply doesn't get enough credit as a comedian. She can keep me awake at night with her speculations of where existing technology is headed while making me laugh my butt off while I'm reading! The Craker mating rituals, OMG! Everytime the "big blue" and offering of flowers are mentioned, I was cracking up. How can you not be laughing at them, the stories they need, how they see the world, and how their human storytellers get stuck in knots trying to explain everything to them? You can tell Oh Margaret has had some experience in explaining things to children. Or some of the names that she comes up with? Liobams, pizzlies, snats, rakunks, and pigoons, oh my! SecretBurgers, the pleebands, God's Gardeners and their Vegivows, AnooYoo Spa! It's great stuff.
What makes Oh Margaret so gifted at the futuristic subgenre of speculative fiction is her flawless splicing together of technology, ideas, and terminology that currently exist with her futuristic ideas to create a hybrid that feels very believable. She'll throw something at you that you might be inclined to look up, and low and behold it actually exists. Then the next plant, person, or thing results in no results whatsoever, meaning it's most likely from Oh Margaret's personal repository in her head. I particularly enjoyed looking up the saints from the God's Gardeners' saints days. I learned a lot about people I had never heard of and enjoyed seeing familiar names like Jane Goodall.
Oh Margaret is fearless in various ways (having fun with the F word, are we?). Some of that boldness comes in not being afraid to use obscure, multi syllabic words for fear of losing your audience. I'm your audience, Oh Margaret, and I love it! A good example is semaphoring. Not something you run into every day.
I'm sure I will have many days yet to come enjoying reading, but finishing this trilogy is a big milestone. I'm calling for August 10 to be Saint Margaret Atwood Day, in which we all read, look up any words we don't know, and send messages to Oh Margaret's publisher begging for a MaddAddam # 4!
Content Warnings
Minor: Rape, Murder, and Death