I Read Your Book: "Oryx and Crake" by Margaret Atwood

No, that's not the pair of exotic tropical diseases that did in Van Gogh.  That's the title of a book that reaffirms my faith in nerd literature.

Plot: "Oryx and Crake" tells the story of a man who might be the last human on earth following the spread of a deadly plague.  The narrative switches easily and effortlessly between Snowman's journey to the ruins of civilization for fresh supplies and flashbacks to his youth and relationship with the titular Oryx and Crake.  All things considered, it's all a bit anticlimactic; Atwood is more concerned about how the characters get to the big turning points in their lives than she is about making those moments overly dramatic.  She doesn't beat the reader over the head with explanation or ruin the flow with any big "Why?  I'll tell you..." speeches. There's no big twist, no misdirection, and no bullshit. It works, and it works well.  Score:9

Setting:  Local and national governments have collapsed, replaced by giant corporations that provide a police force and manipulate every bit of people's lives for their own gain.  Most of these corporations deal in radical biotech: treatments to change the way you look, highly specialized animals built to maximize food production or grow organs for transplant, custom microbes with which to destroy your enemies.  It's science fiction, but it never, ever seems far-fetched.Score:10

Characters: There's growth here, but it's subtle.  Snowman's kind of a washout in his early days; he'd be nothing without Crake, but he's grown up since the plague and become a strong father figure to Crake's new race of pseudo-humans.  His name may not be part of the title, but he's the star of this book.  Score: 8

Ending: Remember what I wrote above about the plot being a bit anticlimactic?  Yeah.  The finale kind of works given the tone and structure of the book, but I can't help wishing it provided a bit more closure.  Score: 5

That's an 8.  I'm not sure it's fair to let the ending hold it back like that, so let's call it a high 8, an 8.999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999999.

Bests: Atwood doesn't beat you over the head with plot developments and character growth - you have to pay attention; the setting.
"Bests:" At one point, a group of tree hugging eco-terrorists "free" a bunch of chickens genetically modified to produce a metric ton of meat but no legs or eyes.
Worsts: Closure?  Please?  And I never got a good feel for what made Oryx tick.

Is it better than Scott Colby's forthcoming novel, "Shotgun?" Yes, and I'm not ashamed to admit it.