Book reviews: Oryx and Crake | All Systems Red | Annihilation

Title: Oryx and Crake

Author: Margaret Atwood

Original title: Oryx and Crake
First published: 2003
Genre: Sci-fi, Adult
Series: MaddAddam
Publisher: Virago
Format: Paperback
Pages: 433
Finished: 20/07/2021
Summary: Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered. So, for that matter are wolves and raccoons. A man, once named Jimmy, now calls himself Snowman and lives in a tree, wrapped in old bed-sheets. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility.

My thoughts: I read this for my summer studies but also for my own Reading Rush (since there was no official one this year). I used it for the challenge to read a book by an author who's first initial is the same as my own. My name is Maja and this author's first name is Margaret. As for my opinions of the novel, I did like it a fair bit. Watching the development of society and humankind lead to destruction and mass death was interesting and I think Atwood managed to present it in a way that really seemed plausible, which made it all the more horrifying. She creates bizarre creatures and odd social structures that felt alien but might not be far ahead of us on the timeline.

Some details set back my enjoyment of the novel. What really interested me here was the apocalypse and man's decent into chaos and destruction (a destruction based on playing God rather than wars). However, a good chunk of this novel revolved around the protagonist's family drama, love interest, and childhood memories. Not to say this was pointless, as these parts helped build his character. Through these flashbacks to the past, we also catch glimpses of what society was like and can compare it to how Atwood describes the post apocalyptic world that Snowman inhabits. But it became too much for me. This is a rather long book, and it becomes especially evident when one reads it over the course of two days that a lot of pages are dedicated to things that I just didn't care about. Snowman/Jimmy was not a character I cared for, and I don't think that's even the point. I think his role is just to be a vessel from which we can observe Atwood's intricate imaginations. That is why I got tired of learning more about our protagonist, because he wasn't much of a person.

All in all, I enjoyed the novel and would like to continue reading the series at some point in the distant future, preferably within the upcoming five decades or so.

Rating: 3,25/5

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Title: All Systems Red

Author: Martha Wells

Original title: All Systems Red
First published: 2017
Genre: Sci-fi
Series: The Murderbot Diaries #1
Publisher: 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 148
Finished: 23/07/2021
Summary: On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid — a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is. But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth.

My thoughts: I read this for my summer studies and for my own Reading Rush of 2021, which I insisted on participating in though no official readathon was held. I decided to read this for the challenge to read an entire book outside, and so I did. It was an excellent opportunity to acquaint myself better with the parks around my apartment, and I could not complain about the weather either. Under these perfect conditions, I was happy to enjoy the story of Murderbot. It is a short book and my review will likewise be so, for as is the case with some stories, I liked it well enough but have little to say about it. The story, especially Murderbot's perspective, is charming and entertaining. Compared to earlier sci-fi (this is very modern sci-fi), it contains adrenaline-inducing scenes of action while still posing questions like "what is it to be human?" and "can I feel love/empathy for an alien/robot?" as is common in older works like Solaris and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. It was a fun and quick read which I would recommend for long train rides, flights, or long peaceful days of rain or sunshine.

Rating: 3,75/5

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Title: Annihilation

Author: Jeff VanderMeer

Original title: Annihilation
First published: 2014
Genre: Sci-fi
Series: Southern Reach #1
Publisher: Fourth Estate
Format: Paperback
Pages: 208
Finished: 25/07/2021
Summary: For thirty years, Area X has remained mysterious and remote behind its intangible border - an environmental disaster zone, though to all appearances an abundant wilderness. The Southern Reach, a secretive government agency, has sent eleven expeditions to investigate Area X. One has ended in mass suicide, another in a hail of gunfire, the eleventh in a fatal cancer epidemic. Now four women embark on the twelfth expedition into the unknown.

My thoughts: Like the other two books in this review, I read this for university and the Reading Rush (for the challenge to read a single word title). In hindsight, I should have reviewed this sooner, for I can not recall very few opinions that I had about this novel. I will try to list and many as I can remember, though I apologize in advance for not offering more. I liked that the cast was all female. This was a pleasant break off from most of the sci-fi novels I've read this summer. In fact, this has been the only sci-fi novel so far that has featured a female protagonist. The escalating tension and distrust between the individuals of the expedition could surely put some readers at the edge of their seats. Like I said about All Systems Red, this modern piece of sci-fi literature mixes action with philosophy, though perhaps not as well as in Martha Wells' novel. I was fond of the main character, though not so much that I would have grieved her death. However, she was intriguing enough. Did I love this novel? Did I hate it? No is the answer for both questions. Will I soon forget it? Here, the answers is yes. Though VanderMeer's story and ideas have potential, they seem to be presented to me in a way that doesn't rouse curiosity. And the way the novel ended (spoiler, highlight to view white text: with the almost religious experience the protagonist had with the creature in the tunnel) was just not the way I wanted the story to progress, which makes me hesitant to continue the series.

Rating: 3,25/5