Solarpunk discussion

Oryx and Crake is at once an unforgettable love story and a compelling vision of the future. Snowman, known as Jimmy before mankind was overwhelmed by a plague, is struggling to survive in a world where he may be the last human, and mourning the loss of his best friend, Crake, and the beautiful and elusive Oryx whom they both loved. Margaret Atwood projects us into a near future that is both all too familiar and beyond our imagining.

I've got the book :)

Sweet!

It’s not like that. I have the audiobook!

And I'm on Kindle, which means we're hitting all the major ways of reading :D

Interesting first chapter! We meet Snowman, and we hear of Crake - and the fact that he seems to have created the rest of the humans around Snowman's area? - and immediately I'm getting empty-world vibes. Not entirely empty, but there's an ominous lurk or two used.

I’m on kindle too. I’m curious to know why it appears to be that Snowman is the last of his kind at least in his area. Why him? And what has happened to the rest?

Actually Neus that reminds me - I'm curious about those too, but also wondering if he's maybe albino? He could just be lacking some sort of engineered advantage against UV, compared to the children.

Just finished Chapter 4!
EXTINCTATHON, Monitored by MaddAddam. Adam named the living animals, MaddAddam names the dead ones. Do you want to play?
MaddAddam is the name of the third book, it cheers me to know the author has a full series plan. Jimmy/Snowman’s mother is fascinating, I wonder if she is MaddAddam.

Fiona wrote: "Actually Neus that reminds me - I'm curious about those too, but also wondering if he's maybe albino? He could just be lacking some sort of engineered advantage against UV, compared to the children."

Maybe he looks albino for the children, who might have some better pigmentation against UV, but he wouldn't look albino to us.

I've loved this metaphor: "His time, what a bankrupt idea, as if he’s been given a box of time belonging to him alone, stuffed to the brim with hours and minutes that he can spend like money. Trouble is, the box has holes in it and the time is running out, no matter what he does with it."

Finished Chapter 6. This was a bit sickening as it was Oryx’s possible life story. Sometimes I felt like Jimmy “Where’s your anger?” but I also understood Oryx’s “Let’s just think of beautiful things and not live in the past.” That too takes strength and it’s how she survived.

Lena wrote: "Finished Chapter 6. This was a bit sickening as it was Oryx’s possible life story. Sometimes I felt like Jimmy “Where’s your anger?” but I also understood Oryx’s “Let’s just think of beautiful thin..."

I finished that too. Same feeling here. I want to find out how their paths cross.

Finished Chapter Eight. We are getting to know Crake and his past. I remember this part from my first reading years ago. Also because it became a joke on Chris Rock’s first special.

“The best diseases, from a business point of view,” said Crake, “would be those that cause lingering illnesses. Ideally – that is, for maximum profit – the patient should either get well or die just before all of his or her money runs out. It’s a fine calculation.”
“This would be really evil,” said Jimmy.
“That’s what my father thought,” said Crake.

Then it had a great spooky chapter end:
Every moment he’s lived in the past few months was dreamed first by Crake. No wonder Crake screamed so much.

Chapter 8 is quite revealing! I have clearer guesses now of why Snowman seems to be the last of his kind and how Crake and he met Oryx.

Yes we do.
Finished Chapter 9. It was a trek in the present into the remains of the past. Looks like whatever happened happened quickly.

“Let’s suppose for the sake of argument,” said Crake one evening, “that civilization as we know it gets destroyed. Want some popcorn?”

Since chapter 9 there’s been more action and anxiety in the “present” time and a lot of revelations through Jimmy’s memories.
I don’t get why he hasn’t given another chance to the radio and how could he possibly have forgotten it.
I’m half way chapter 12.

Gasp! Just finished Chapter 12! I think I’m going to have to finish because I simply need to know.

Finished! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That was better than I remembered. I’m glad we are reading book 2. Would you guys like to read book 3 in April, completing the series?

Lena wrote: "Finished! https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
That was better than I remembered. I’m glad we are reading book 2. Would you guys like to read book 3 in April, completing the series?"

Definitely! I have some major catching up to do with this one, but I'm so impressed with your progress - I think this is a new record?

Guess so! I tried to keep it to a chapter a day but I ran through the end, just had to!

I finished it last night!
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Glad you liked it! Thanks for reading with us. Are you up to finishing the series over the next two months?

Now was this book Solarpunk?
I define Solarpunk as an eco positive story that also brings people closer to nature and community. I would say the Crakers are all those things. Often Solarpunk is labeled dystopia or apocalyptic and I would usually argue that, because Solarpunk stories are also stories of change, but in this case I would also label it apocalyptic.

So I'm finishing this off today and making some notes as I go:

- I assume rakunks are racoons+skunks; what a pain those would be
- The pigoons going feral checks out completely: https://www.mlive.com/flintjournal/ou...
- Margaret Atwood writes so evocatively in this book. Her descriptions are putting me right in the scene without any effort on my part.
- The transition in work for Jimmy's father - growing organs to growing younger skin - stands in for the change in the world's attitude to new technologies. First it's the lifesaving/changing, then it's the cosmetic, then it's door open and available to the amateur; similar to 3D printing.
- Someone needs to make the Blood and Roses game
- Chapter 6 was a horrifying backstory - all the more so for the fact that it could be set now.
- Crake has a point about mismatched hormones, but he overlooks the strides humanity has made when we try to impress each other.
- How could he forget the radio??
- I too have been hooked into these last few chapters, I completely agree with you guys that there's just no way to pause.
- When the slugs begin to talk there's no time to lose
- That ending! Bring on March 10.

I think this would qualify as Solarpunk, Lena - the Crakers at least. It's almost a Solarpunk-inception story at this point, because most of what I've read has been set well after whatever incident changed the world, but this book at least is centered on the incident and the immediate aftermath instead. Definitely would agree with you that it's an apocalyptic story, but quite a dystopian start, which felt pretty close to the Walkaway universe.

Lena wrote: "Glad you liked it! Thanks for reading with us. Are you up to finishing the series over the next two months?"

It’s been my pleasure to join this group for the February BOM.
I’m not sure if I’ll finish the series. At the moment, though, I’ll be in for the Year of the Flood :)

Solarpunk inception sounds right Fiona. Glad you are here Neus. I’ll put book three up and hope for the best!

I agree with Lena’s definition of Solarpunk and I think the Solarpunk-inception concept nails it, Fiona. As overall, I think it is not Solarpunk because the Crakers are not the main narrative thread, and the two worlds that are showed in the book are not something I would wish for our future. One is a post-apocalyptic world in which there are barely human survivors and the nature is not yet well-balanced (there is still the human footprint of over-population of pigoons, wolvogs, etc.). The other is a future society that is even worse than ours: more inequality between poor and rich, the corpsmen seem pretty authoritative, the natural resources still not well managed…

By the way, great notes, Fiona. I’ve loved them!

I’m hoping to see more from the Crakers and a general acknowledgment that this is their world now.

Agreed, Lena, definitely love the Crakers, and it looks like they're evolving past the "innocent child-people" that Crake envisioned, I'm interested to see how else they defy expectations!
Thanks Neus, I think you're spot on about that future society - it was a weird mix of super authoritarianism within domes and almost complete lawlessness outside of them. I guess one tactic used by super controlling authorities is to keep everyone very strictly confined and then create an outlet where even the worst urges can be met so the day to day strict confines don't chafe so badly.
So excited for book two :D

Lena wrote: "I’m hoping to see more from the Crakers and a general acknowledgment that this is their world now."

Me too!

Fiona wrote: "Agreed, Lena, definitely love the Crakers, and it looks like they're evolving past the "innocent child-people" that Crake envisioned, I'm interested to see how else they defy expectations!
Thanks N..."

I agree.

I’ve read the blurb for book 2 and it has surprised me that the point of view changes, but I'm excited to get to know the new approach.

I just came accross this looking for a picture of Oryx and Crake for my instagram: https://www.technologyreview.com/s/51...

What a visual! Part of me thinks that’s cool but most of me shudders.