The Children of Men - P. D. James

The Children of Men (P. D. James, 1992)

I have to admit, I saw the movie before I read this. And - though it pains me to write this - the movie is better than the book. It takes the best element of the book, namely the premise, and grafts on memorable characters and a more powerful plot.

So let's start with the premise. It's the year 2021, and all men have been sterile since around 1995. Scientists have worked furiously to determine a cause for the universal sterility of sperm to no avail, and the aging population of the earth is trying to adjust itself to a world without children or a future.

The strongest part of this book is how it fleshes out the likely consequences of universal sterility. The government starts sponsoring mandatory fertility tests and porn shops as human interest in sex dwindles. Some women think they are pregnant, even going into psychosomatic labor. Others treat dolls or kittens like their children, having them baptized and wheeling them around in strollers. The young people of the last generation, dubbed Omegas, are coddled and feared; the Omegas themselves are slightly psychotic, antisocial, and adrift. The utter inevitability of the human race's extinction casts a unique atmosphere over the whole book.

Unfortunately, the plot and characters are not as strong as they could be. England is ruled by the all-powerful Warden. His cousin, Theo Faron, becomes involved with an unlikely group of revolutionaries who carry hope for a new generation. When they go on the run from the Warden, things just start happening for no reason. The ending especially seems forced, hurried, and somewhat pointless. It's unfortunate, because the book could have been very powerful if things weren't so muddled. Still, the premise alone makes it worth reading.

Arbitrary rating: 3 out of 5 psychosomatic labors