At first I was unimpressed by this book, I think because I've read too many post-apocalyptic-nightmare books in the past, and they've mostly been rubbish, and have seemed very easy to write, using little imagination. This one did, however, pick up a bit at the end, when we learn what really went on to cause the state of the world that we've known about from the beginning. I wonder whether it mightn't have been better if the story were told in pure chronological order, rather than half in flashback. And if, in that instance, the author had started from a perfectly normal world, rather than from a pigoon-breeding sci-fi fantasy-world, which immediately distances the plot from the real world. These are, of course, only my opinions, and I'm not a best-selling Booker Prize winner, so what do I know?

I might agree here with Stemonitis that a bit more of a chronological order for this book might have been better, and I certainly found the past sections much more interesting than the present sections (the parts with Snowman), especially from the beginning, when the past sections were easier to relate to.

Apart from this, I thought the book was very good. I like the way the past sections concern a time not so much further into the future than our own (just a generation or two away?), and document how the changes and advances that the people make in the world lead on from one another and lead to the situation with Snowman and the children.

I found the predicted differences between our world and a future world very believable, and many of them were actually things that had often crossed my mind before I read the book. That made them yet more believable, and some of them rather scarier. The only bits I didn't find believable were the very end bits, when Crake manages to make perfect humanoid beings. For me that was a bit too soon- if this happens, I don't think it will be in the next couple of generations! Or if it does, it won't be done in this way. But I can forgive the author for having different ideas from me- after all, no one knows what will happen in the future.

Some of the things I did find believable included the following: a) The Internet being central to everything we do. In fact, the author might have taken this even further in the book. b) The authorities knowing everything about you and checking up on you if they think you are acting in a non-conformist way (e.g. Jimmy's mother). c)people being able to design their own babies, and people being able to grow babies with particularly good organs in order to heal someone else who is ill. (People having babies just to heal other people scarily does not seem so far away). d)Mass extinction of plants and animals. This is already happening, and the book is set after our time, and we learn that nobody cares any more, because they don't know what they are missing. This is understandable. Therefore we should avoid extinction not only for its own sake, but also because then people will keep caring. e)fear of mass gatherings- people don't like to attend huge concerts, for example, because of the increased fear of being blown up. Believable. f)A major change in the type of diseases people get- new forms evolving and being resistent to more and more things. In the book, the drug companies are able to cope with this, and indeed invent new diseases of their own in order to keep in business. I believe this won't be necessary. g)Most people are vegetarian. I think this will happen because vegetarian food is so much cheaper to produce and takes up so much less space. In the book, it is a luxury for ordinary people to eat meat, because it is so expensive, and it is not needed for nutrition. With overpopulation, this seems necessary. Many of the food products in the book are also based on soya, another believable twist. Soya is especially easy to grow and turn into all sorts of replacement foods.

Highly recommended!

RELEASE NOTES:

Hahaha!!!

When I was in Vienna fellow bookcrosser Hexenoma showed me around but guess what? She has never been to that special obcz, I haven't given visting it while in Vienna even a thought when we both stumbled across a sign and HAD to go in :-)

Now the book is in Graz looking for places to go, people to see!

Oooooh, for how long have I wanted to read this one? I don't remember. But it has been recommended to me by professors ever since it came out, and now, I finally have it. Mhhh, February, here I come! :D

I've had this for 7 years? Wow.

I finally read it this week, over commute and lunch breaks, and, as expected, I enjoyed it a lot. I thought the order events are presented in was actually quite neat. We see a lone man trying to survive in a strange and somewhat hostile world, which brings up MANY questions, and these are then answered bit by bit (or not, as the case may be).

Will probably pass this on to a friend. :)