Author: Margaret Atwood

Title: Oryx and Crake

Genre: Science Fiction

Publication Date: May 2003

Number of Pages: 432 pages

Geographical Setting: Canada – Futuristic compounds owned by large pharmaceutical companies

Time Period: After the 21^st century

Series (If applicable): Has a sequel called The Year of the Flood

Plot Summary: Snowman is living in a post-apocalyptic world, the only human around who spends most of his days reliving conversations he has had with his loved ones.  While not human, Snowman lives near a group of human-like creatures named Crakers.  The Crakers visit Snowman and ask him for advice and for stories of the past.  Throughout the novel, Snowman reflects on his childhood when he was called Jimmy.  As he decides to travel back to the compound he was living before the outbreak, he reflects on his past and how he got to where he is today.

After moving to a new compound as a child, Jimmy befriends a brilliant boy name Glenn.  As the two become close, they spend the majority of their time playing video games and watching porn.  It is in one of these videos where they see a little girl who is part of an Asian child pornography ring and Jimmy is drawn to her as she looks into the camera.  Their video game of choice is Extinctathon which focuses on extinct animals and plants.  Glenn takes on the screen name of Crake and is referred to as this for the rest of the book.  As Crake and Jimmy grow older, they grow apart until Crake gets into contact with Jimmy and offers him a job in a prestigious compound that Crake is running.  Crake uses his intelligence to make decisions for all of mankind by creating a pill that increases sexual prowess while eliminating jealousy and unhappiness.  During his new position, Jimmy is shocked to find that Oryx, the little girl from the porn video, is also working for Crake as the interpreter to Crake’s human-like creations, the Crakers.  Jimmy, Oryx, and Crake question humanity as a decision changes all of their lives forever. 

Subject Headings:

·         Ecology

·         Dystopias

·         Environmental Degradation

·         Disaster

·         Men—Friendship

·         Biotechnology

Appeal:

·         Thought-provoking

·         Bleak Tone

·         Creation of story based        

3 Relevant Non-Fiction Works and Authors

                Melanie Challenger, On Extinction

·         Environmental challenges

·         Effects of extinction on various communities

·         Predictions of the future

Steven Potter, Designer Genes: A New Era in the Evolution of Man

·         Genetic Engineering

·         Popular work of non fiction (not a textbook)

·         Ethical decisions in genetics

David Stipp, The Youth Pill: Scientists at the Brink of an Anti-Aging Revolution

·         Longevity in life

·         Genetically created solutions for anti-aging

·         Popular work of non fiction (not a textbook)

3 Relevant Fiction Works and Authors

                Ninni Holmqvist, The Unit

·         Genetic Splicing

·         Organ Donation

·         Science fiction romance

Kazuo Ishiguro, Never Let Me Go

·         Organ Donation

·         Friendship

·         Ethics and mortality

Percival Everett, Zulus

·         Survival after an apocalyptic event

·         Dystopia

·         Fast Paced