📚心得【瘋狂亞當 #1：劍羚與秧雞】 ｜《Madd Addam #1: Oryx and Crake》 by Margaret Atwood, 2009
#Dystopia #末日後 #生化危機 #基因改良 #新人類
多久以前就聽聞這部作品了呢？《劍羚與秧雞》由於早就有了翻譯版本，我大概是2、3年前就把它放進書單裡了吧？不過真的太搶手了，光是要借台北市立圖書館的電子書，就從12月初的第33順位排到現在還在第17位...
然而我還是利用一些方法(?)弄到手並看完了 😆
老實說，這部作品給我的感覺，嚴格說來並不像是「科幻」而是對未來一種可能性的「寓言」，若人類取得先進的基因改造技術，並肆無忌憚的使用之，不論善意、惡意的操弄基因密碼，最終結果就是這樣吧？
為了防雷，不便說太多，簡短說就是：廣泛使用生物技術、人工智慧和太陽能的美麗新世界，與濫用這些技術、將社會引向崩潰，哪一個會先到達？過多的人口造成過度的競爭，使人更容易做出不理性抉擇，氣候變化造成的災難也已經在我們之間造成一定程度的浩劫。
如果我們繼續走我們正在走的路，會怎麼樣呢？斜坡有多滑？我們的得救之道是什麼？誰有意志來阻止我們？我們是否能夠靠著生物工程逃脫已經被我們啟動的大災難？我們能信任自己嗎？
Cyberpunk一般的世界裡，一個個大型公司們像是獨立政府般，與無政府狀態的平民隔絕；公司們豎立起戒備森嚴的城鎮堡壘，供自己員工們居住，同時想盡辦法撈錢、享受更好的科技與生活，而平民中也不時出現想推翻財閥割據現狀的組織；其中，一個中規中矩的企業園區裡，主角Jimmy與總角之交Glenn的成長過程給世界帶來了改變——不論那是好是壞。
整部作品詞藻精美(非完全稱讚，有些地方過度詩意、文字包裝)，作者很著重在人類打從基因本身就矛盾、過激的缺陷，並把不少篇幅著重在探討「人類與其他生物的性行為比較」上。想想人類真的很獨特，會忌妒、羞恥、害臊，這些都是其他動物中少有的行為與概念；當我們可以更改自己的「好壞與美醜」時，拔掉這些概念真的就是好的嗎？
老實說，看完第一部，我還真的不是很想繼續看第二、三部…性的隱喻真的太多了，不是說這樣不好，只是和我的磁場不太合。
我認為，性並沒有作者想像的那麼重要，人一輩子會需要幾次性行為？就算一輩子沒性行為又如何？又為何一定要有？生物技術都如此發達了，以色列都能從死者身上抽取、保存精蟲與卵子人工生殖了，說不定幾年後還能透過人造子宮、體外懷胎，想法就別如此迂腐了吧。
IMO總分：63分，思想獨特但我不怎麼喜歡的經典中上作品。
核心思想：★★★★☆ 核心討論議題是否有趣*5
劇情細節：★★★☆☆ 綜觀整體劇情的質與量*4
角色刻畫：★★★☆☆ 角色群的必要性與深度*3
科學軟硬：★★★★☆ 是否符合現實物理現象*3
結局滿意：★★☆☆☆ 結局滿意度與有無餘韻*3
易讀程度：★★☆☆☆ 閱讀時章節是否難消化*2
#Dystopia #Post_Apocalypse #Biohazard #Bio_Engineering #New_Humans
How long ago did I first hear about this work? 《Oryx and Crake》 has already been translated, so I probably added it to my reading list around 2 or 3 years ago. However, it's been in high demand for like forever. Just trying to borrow the Taipei City Library's e-book put me on the waiting list from early December at position 33, and now it's still at position 17...
So I managed to get my hands on it somehow (?) and finished reading it 😆
To be honest, this work feels more like a "parable" about the future rather than "science fiction." If humans gain advanced genetic modification technology and use it without restraint, regardless of whether it's for good or ill intentions, it could totally lead to this kinds of situation.
To avoid spoilers, I'll keep it breif: in a world where biotechnology, artificial intelligence, and solar energy are widely used, will we see a beautiful new era or the collapse of society due to the misuse of these technologies? Overpopulation leads to excessive competition, making people more likely to make irrational decisions. Additionally, the disasters caused by climate change have already brought a certain level of devastation into our midst.
If we continue down our current path, what will happen? How slippery is the slope? What is our way out? Who has the will to stop us? Can we escape the impending disaster through biotechnology? Can we even trust ourselves?
In the typical Cyberpunk world, large companies act like independent governments, separating themselves from the chaotic citizens with heavily fortified city-fortresses. These companies provide their employees with luxurious living conditions while squeezing every penny out of the general population. Among these massive corporate campuses, the protagonist Jimmy and his childhood friend Glenn's journey of growth bring about changes to the world — whether for better or worse.
The entire work has exquisite wording (not entirely praising, some parts are overly poetic and verbose). The author places great emphasis on the inherent contradictory and extreme defects in human genes and dedicates a significant portion exploring the "comparison between human sexual behavior and that of other animals." Think about it — humans are truly unique, with feelings like jealousy, shame, and embarrassment, which are rare among other animals. When we can alter our concepts of good and bad, beauty and ugliness, should we try to eliminate these negative feelings? Is that really for the better?
To be honest, after reading the first part, I really didn't feel compelled to continue with the second or third parts. The sexual metaphors were just too abundant. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it's just not resonating with my personal wavelength.
I believe that sex isn't as important as the author imagines. How many times does a person really need sex in their lifetime? Even if someone goes through life without sexual experiences, would that be so bad? And why must there be sex at all? With bio-technology being so advanced — either in the book or reality, if they can extract and preserve sperm and eggs from corpses in Israel for artificial reproduction, maybe in a few years we'll have artificial uteruses and external gestation. Why hold onto such outdated ideas as sex?
IMO Rating: 63. Original and thought-provoking but not my personal favorite among classic works.
Core Theme: ★★★★☆ (*5)
Plot Quality: ★★★☆☆ (*4)
Character Development: ★★★☆☆ (*3)
Science Validity: ★★★★☆ (*3)
Ending Satisfaction: ★★☆☆☆ (*3)
Readability: ★★☆☆☆ (*2)
留言
張貼留言