There’s something bittersweet about finishing a series of books. The bitter part is that the story ended (for good) and there’s no “next book” to get to. However, the sweet part is the closure, the conclusion of the journey, and the “freedom” to get to the next stories that await. That’s what I felt during the late night when I finished MaddAddam, the final book of the MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood.

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MaddAddam in a nutshell

Let’s start with the basics – MaddAddam is the third book of the MaddAddam trilogy. The first book of the series is Oryx and Crake (my review), and the second one is The Year of the Flood (my review).

MaddAddam continues the story of the first two books, focusing on what happens after most of humanity is wiped out. However, the present intertwines with the past and readers get important missing pieces of the MaddAddam puzzle. The story of Zeb, the rebel and mysterious member of the God’s Gardeners community, is revealed.

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Overall impression

MaddAddam is a good “end of the series” book, and I consider it makes sense to read it as such. Even though the start is a bit slow, the story has its own adrenaline rush and does not disappoint in terms of action. This book is also very funny, I would say the funniest of the three books of the series.

What I enjoyed most is that in MaddAddam we get closer to the Crakers, the genetically engineered humanoids of Crake. The narration is smartly built so that the spirit of the naive and fast-learning Crakers is smoothly transmitted to the readers.

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The MaddAddam puzzle

As I now finished all books of the series, I can say that the whole trilogy is like a well-thought dystopian puzzle built on the pillars of genetic engineering, pandemic events, and self-sustaining vegan communities.

It is an exciting reading journey, as every story is narrated with a double time perspective – present and past. Therefore, details of the characters’ lives are revealed bit by bit, in different books, as the narrative switches quite often to the past.

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Wrap-up

I fully recommend reading the MaddAddam trilogy by Margaret Atwood! The three books happen in the same universe, but they focus on different aspects – and that’s what makes them such a great combination!

Oryx and Crake is a cautionary tale about genetic engineering, The Year of the Flood is more about survival during a catastrophe, and MaddAddam takes a look to the future and starts answering the questions “how would be world look like AFTER the catastrophe?”

Let me know if you also read the MaddAddam trilogy! Which was your favourite book and / or character of the series?

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‘Till next time … happy reading!

Georgiana