Books For Ears : Audio Book Reviews

Oryx and Crake
Author: Margaret Atwood
Read by: Campbell Scott
Short Review: A dystopian “speculative fiction” (Atwood’s term) novel tracking a young man’s experiences in pre- and post-apocalyptic world, complete with a ridiculously sheltered genius caste, chaotic plebe lands, corporations run amuck, transgenic species, genetic engineering and cloning to the nth degree, a new, broken Eden, with a side of crushing love-triangle thrown in for good measure.

Long Review: Atwood is a genius. You knew that already, right? Because she is.
Lanea and Atwood sitting in a tree, R. E. A. D. I. N. G. . . .

Campbell Scott reads the work beautifully. I could listen to his voice for hours, and I did. Having listened to the novel, I’ll have a hard time if anyone other than Scott is cast as the protagonist in a film of the novel one day. Scott’s voice is so appropriate for this novel in particular because he can flatten the affect of his voice so convincingly. As narrator, he is presenting the description of the world’s decline and collapse, narrating the story leading up to the big bad end, and also speaking for Will, the heart-broken kid who grows into a heart-broken adult, who winds up a heart-broken nanny to some very odd, er, humanoids.

The novel itself is beautifully written, engaging, terrifying, sad . . . I didn’t read this book on paper before listening to the audiobook, and I worried that I might miss something. I didn’t. Scott’s narration was entrancing for me, and I ended up listening to most of the audio book a second time because I just didn’t want to put it down.