Oryx and Crake

Oryx and Crake
​by Margaret Atwood

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I recently read Oryx and Crake as part of the Science Friday radio show/podcast book club and thought I would include it as the first entry in my blog. I hope to be writing a new book review about once every two weeks. While I'll be focusing on the science fiction genre, including several other time travel books that engage my interest, other genres may drop in now and then.

Now, Oryx and Crake! This was a very interesting book to be reading now, having originally been published in 2003. Despite a few rough edges in the world, such as a lack of online social media presence and the prominent use of CD-ROMs for data storage, it was definitely ahead of its time in regards to the science of bio-engineering. With new technology available in the world, such as the endlessly fascinating CRISPR, Margaret Atwood's bleak interpretation of the future of bio-engineering gone amok is even closer to a reality than ever before.

In Oryx and Crake, the world is basically separated between the rich and the poor. The wealthy and elite primarily consist of scientists and thinkers who live in walled off compounds. Much like my depiction of the CCC in Time Traveler's Odyssey, the police force is largely a private security firm known as the CorpSeCorps. The compounds themselves are run by biotech companies, with rampant corporate espionage and headhunting of employees. The poor simply live in what is known as the pleeblands in what can only be described as severe poverty.

The interesting part is what goes on within these compounds. Inside they experiment on, and create, new life forms. Combining a skunk and a raccoon to create a rakunk, an odorless, docile, adorable hybrid that makes a great family pet. Creating a breed of dog called wolvogs that display all the signs of your loyal family pet, but with the intelligence and ruthlessness of a demented killer. These un-tameable (is that a word?) dogs are used as a deadly security measure. There's also the pigoons, pigs that are bred for the sole purpose of farming the human organs growing inside. One pigoon can hold up to five human kidneys that are used for life-saving transplants at a hefty price. Perhaps the most hilarious, Chickienobs are strange plant/animal hybrids that grow to become chicken breasts or drumsticks without any cognitive functioning whatsoever. With no brain, the PETA's of the Oryx and Crake world can't complain about their treatment, while half-sentient chicken breasts wobble around waiting to be sent to the nearest fast-food chain.

"One pigoon can hold up to five human kidneys that are used for life-saving transplants at a hefty price."

This world of bio-engineering is by far the most interesting aspect of Oryx and Crake. It is also clearly what Margaret Atwood was interested in the most herself, because the basic plot and story of Oryx and Crake suffers as a result. The novel begins with Jimmy, the main protagonist, living in the post-apocalyptic remains of our world. Now calling himself Snowman, he believes himself to be the last surviving human. The only company he has is in the form of the Crakers, or children of Crake, bio-engineered humans that have been heavily modified from their original form. I won't spoil much of their alterations, but these changes to the human genome, and the reasoning behind them, are the elements of the novel that have stuck with me the most. It is a tragic, chilling, and fascinating aspect of the book.

Crake, the titular man behind the Crakers, is a friend of Jimmy's. Half of the novel is told in flashback form, revealing the life of Jimmy and his friendship with Crake before the event that wipes out the human race. For about 3/4 of the novel this is the much more engaging part of the story since the present timeline, the one with Snowman in the post-apocalypse, tends to be slow and dull until the end. I think Atwood understands this, because she spends much more time in the past than in the present.

The scientists who create and alter the genomes of lifeforms, and engineer medical cures (and the diseases they cure) to be sold at exorbitant prices, are completely oblivious to the world of the pleeblands. They place no value on the arts and humanities, busy solving problems with no respect for the people they "help". This is where the strongest theme of Oryx and Crake shines through. The world of the arts, and the value of fiction as well, is that they can teach us about our own world and cause us to think about abstract concepts. The scientists reject art and fiction as a waste of time and intelligence, focusing on facts and numbers instead. They lose sight of the concepts of ethics and morality as a result, and simply pursue the next big idea that will increase profit for themselves and their corporations. This disconnect is what eventually causes the downfall of the human race.

Overall, Oryx and Crake is a fascinating read. Although the plot can be a little slow, and the end payoff not altogether satisfying (if not downright disappointing), the themes and questions it raises are strong enough to recommend. It is the first in a trilogy, and since I have yet to read the other two books I can't comment on how it all ties in as a complete story yet. There are also a few weak characterizations throughout, especially that of the other titular character Oryx, but the inner workings of Crake and the absolutely chilling conclusions he comes to about the human condition almost make up for it. If you have a strong stomach for the darkness of humanity and are looking for a slower, more philosophical/thoughtful read, give Oryx and Crake a try. Just don't expect a fun, jolly summer read full of rainbows and sunshine.
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- Nicholas Rawlins