P. D. James

The Children of Men

The  children of men

Nate

For the last sixty years we have sycophantically pandered to the most ignorant, the most criminal and the most selfish section of society. Now, for the rest of our lives, we're going to be spared the intrusive barbarism of the young, their noise, their pounding, repetitive, computer-produced so-called music, their violence, their egotism disguised as idealism. My God, we might even succeed in getting rid of Christmas, that annual celebration of parental guilt and juvenile greed. I intend that my life shall be comfortable, and, when it no longer is, then I shall wash down my final pill with a bottle of claret." 

Tilde C

Usually when I read the book after the movie it's because I fell completely in love with the setting or characters and want to squeeze every last drop of enjoyment out of something. 

This wasn't that.

I thought the movie was pretty cool and interesting, and then I kinda forgot about it. It was later that I received this book as a gift with the comment that "hey, both the book and movie are pretty good but they're completely different stories, check it out". And I'm an eternal sap for apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic media, so I did. I checked it out.

This novel turned out to be more my kind of thing than the movie, actually. A world where humanity has gone unexpectedly barren, with increasingly aging generations just waiting for themselves to die out -- sure, interesting in both mediums, but the book paints such a complete picture of what knowledge like that does to the world's population, how it influences their politics, their pop culture, their daily lives, their religions. The characters actually feel secondary to the world-building, which is my only real criticism of the book. But it's a great ride -- slow, pondering, introverted, dark, and not something I think I would have enjoyed quite as much when I was younger and new to the dystopian genre.

I do love the perspective of a main character who is in most ways powerless, but who has close familial ties to one of the most powerful people in the world. Theo's journey from miserable complacency to his pleasure at finally having something to fight and struggle for is pretty damn satisfying.

Told with P. D. James's trademark suspense, insightful characterization, and riveting storytelling, The Children of Men is a story of a world with no children and no future. The human race has become infertile, and the last generation to be born is now adult. Civilization itself is crumbling as suicide and despair become commonplace. Oxford historian Theodore Faron, apathetic toward a future without a future, spends most of his time reminiscing. Then he is approached by Julian, a bright, attractive woman who wants him to help get her an audience with his cousin, the powerful Warden of England. She and her band of unlikely revolutionaries may just awaken his desire to live . . . and they may also hold the key to survival for the human race. From the Trade Paperback edition.

Yulande Lindsay

Perhaps an unfair comparison to the movie which I loved. Although the book was thought provoking particularly when dealing with the impact of the inability of people to reproduce, I felt that it dragged in parts and that there was a distance between the readers and the characters. What I mean by this is that I was unable to 'bond' with any of the characters as there was very little revealed about them, even the main protagonist Theo who seemed cold and distant even after his decision to take positive action. Well written, but...

In 2021, with the human race becoming extinct because of the infertility of all males, Oxford historian Theodore Faron is drawn into the schemes of an unlikely group of revolutionaries out to save society.

Teaghan Grayson

Probably a more accurate rating would be 4.5, but I'll round up rather than down here, because it's a striking, engrossing book. Wasn't a huge fan of the end though (I actually think the movie did the ending much better).

Ben Nathan

Good book. It's one of the few times that I will say I think the movie is better. The thing I find most fascinating is that I found the screenplay (written by men) to be much more feminist than the book (written by a woman). It was good, but just not great.

Sarah Selden

In 2021, with the human race becoming extinct because of the infertility of all males, Oxford historian Theodore Faron is drawn into the schemes of an unlikely group of revolutionaries out to save society. 125,000 first printing. $125,000 ad/promo. BOMC Alt. Tour.

The Children of Men

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