Reading Order
MaddAddamMaddAddam Trilogy Reading Order
Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake (2003) is the first novel of the MaddAddam trilogy — a near-future world in which Jimmy (Snowman) is apparently the last human survivor of a catastrophic plague engineered by his childhood best friend Glenn (Crake), a brilliant scientist working for the pharmaceutical corporations that have replaced governments. Narrated from Jimmy's present as he tries to survive among the Crakers — genetically engineered posthumans who are Crake's replacement for the human species — while flashing back to his and Crake's shared history and their mutual entanglement with a woman named Oryx, it is Atwood's most ambitious science fiction novel and one of the defining works of climate and biotech dystopia.
Where to start
Oryx and Crake
Complete MaddAddam Book List
- 1Buy
Oryx and Crake
Margaret Atwood·2003 - 2Buy
The Year of the Flood
Margaret Atwood·2009·Parallel narrative — set in the same timeline as Oryx and Crake, following a religious group called God's Gardeners through the same plague. Can be read before or after the first novel. - 3Buy
MaddAddam
Margaret Atwood·2013·The concluding volume — brings together the survivors from both previous novels.
MaddAddam — Frequently Asked Questions
What order should I read the MaddAddam trilogy?
Oryx and Crake (2003) → The Year of the Flood (2009) → MaddAddam (2013). However, The Year of the Flood works as a stand-alone parallel narrative set in the same timeline as Oryx and Crake — it follows different characters (members of a religious group called God's Gardeners) through the same catastrophic plague, and many readers find it enriches rather than spoils Oryx and Crake to read them in order. MaddAddam brings both groups of survivors together and requires both previous novels.
Is the MaddAddam trilogy similar to The Handmaid's Tale?
Both are dystopian novels by Margaret Atwood, but they are very different in form and tone. The Handmaid's Tale is a theocratic political dystopia focused on gender and power, set in the near future of a recognizable America. The MaddAddam trilogy is a biotech and climate dystopia focused on corporate power, genetic engineering, and the collapse of civilization — closer in spirit to science fiction than to The Handmaid's Tale's political allegory. Readers who love The Handmaid's Tale usually love the MaddAddam trilogy as well, but they are distinct achievements.
How does the MaddAddam trilogy relate to The Testaments?
The Testaments (2019) is the sequel to The Handmaid's Tale and is set in Gilead — a completely different world from the MaddAddam trilogy. They are separate dystopian series with no plot connections. If you have read The Handmaid's Tale and want to continue that storyline, The Testaments is the natural next step; the MaddAddam trilogy is a separate undertaking for readers who want Atwood's other major speculative fiction project.
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