The Children of Men

A visionary classic!!!

This book was absolutely amazing! It took a little while to get into, but once I got started reading it i could not put it down. The suspense was priceless, the characters were profound and the plot was pure genius. It was beautifully written and is ranked high on my list of favorite books!

2 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Futuristic Novel Examines World Without Children

Often the appeal of science fiction lies in the genre's ability to extrapolate from the trends of the present and project them into the future. One novel exemplifying this tendency is 'The Children Of Men' by P.D. James.

In 'The Children Of Men', the reader finds a world where the population has become inexplicably infertile and must deal with the stresses of a dwindling population and the psychological angst that results when many realize what's the point of life if it will come to a screeching halt in a scant generation. Such a milieu is explored through the eyes of Oxford Historian Theodore Faron who becomes a reluctant intermediary between a group of bumbling, idealistic revolutionaries and the dictatorial Warden of England who happens to be Theodore's cousin.

The group starts out with the goal of enacting needed reforms such as better treatment of migrant workers known as Sojourners and restoring order to an out-of-control penal colony on the Isle of Man where the inmates --- some not as criminal as the general population is led to believe --- are left to fend for themselves. However, as the story unfolds a matter of greater urgency comes to the forefront of the plot, namely that a couple within the cell has been able to conceive a child.

'The Children Of Men' is not the most riveting example of the dystopian police state novel. It often gets bogged in the details of the personal experiences, emotions, and perceptions of its protagonist Theodore Faron. Yet at times the book provides glimpses into a morally eerie world where the outrages of our own day are allowed to fester to ghastly proportions.

For example, the elderly are encouraged to commit ritualized suicide in a ceremony called the 'Quietus', which Theo discovers is not quite so voluntary for those trying to back out at the last minute. Since people no longer have children, they instead lavish their nurturing affections on pets, even having their kittens christened at formalized baptisms. Those born into the last generation are given free reign and little moral instruction --- as such they are self-absorbed to the point of arrogance and even murder.

Of particular interest is the frequent mention of religion made throughout the novel. Two of the revolutionaries are motivated by Christian beliefs. However, others hide behind the cloak of aberrant faith as a scam to enrich themselves personally.

'Roaring Roger' is a fire-and-brimstone televangelist preaching that the global infertility is God's judgment while playing on guilt and fear to finance his own lavish lifestyle. Rosie McClure is more broadminded in her religious views, but so much so her brain roles right out as she preaches a gospel of nonjudgmental hedonism. The Church of England is characterized as 'no longer with a common doctrine or common liturgy, [and] so fragmented that there was no knowing what some sects might have come to believe.' One just wishes Ms. James had spent as much time in such socio-clerical exposition as she did in embroidering the extraneously tedious background details of Professor Faron's psyche.

he political situation described in 'The Children Of Men' serves as a cautionary tale where our own institutions are headed if we are not careful. In most speculative narratives dealing with one form of totalitarianism or the other, the regimes under consideration often lord over the masses with brutality.

In 'The Children Of Men', however, the Warden's regime is rather genteel as far as dictatorships go if you happen to be a good little citizen and not to stir up offense. But then again, most of the citizens don't cause much trouble anyway since most have lost interest in political participation and the Warden is careful to maintain illusions of democracy. Of this society very much like our own, one is reminded of Francis Schaeffer's warnings in 'A Christian Manifesto' about comfort and affluence becoming the organizing p

2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.

A good read

An inventive view of a disturbing but potential future. A cautionary tale--loss of fertility is directly dealt with but can be a metaphor for being out of balance with nature in other ways too.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Captivating

A book full of suprises and captivating events. It is quite amazing for the reader to read as the main character, Theo, grows in his now seemingly doomed world. He grows in personality, humanity and love. A very worthwhile read.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

From The Aussie Zombie

The Children of Men is a book that paints a disturbing picture – if human beings ceased to be born, what would happen to the world? How would we continue to function, knowing that as a species, we are dying out? There are some sad, touching moments in this book – the mass suicide of the elderly (willing or not), women cherishing dolls as if they were babies, and kittens being christened as the ageing population try to find a substitute for childbirth and child-rearing.

The main character, Theo, is not instantly likeable, seemingly happy to be self-reliant and distanced from the people around him, teaching history to bored middle-aged women and reminiscing on his earlier years with his cousin Xan, Warden of England. However, as the story progresses, through his willingness to become involved with the underground who are striving to make the dying world a better place, even although on the surface he seems to most unlikely candidate for rebellion, and his particular way of caring for Julian, he develops into an intricate, fascinating character.

The writing is incredibly descriptive, perhaps for some readers overly so, and I had to call up my dictionary more than once.

There are some negatives to this book – I found the middle part to be incredibly slow-moving after a riveting start, however the action does pick up again. I also didn’t fully understand the relevance of The Painted Faces, and wanted to know more about what they represented and why they were terrorizing people so randomly.

However, The Children of Men is today also a relevant social commentary, as the average life-span of humans continues to grow, in places the elderly outnumber the young and in first world countries the birth rate steadily falls, how immigration is managed (or mismanaged) by wealthier countries and the trial and punishment of criminals is undertaken. Perhaps, after reading P.D. James’ dystopia, there could be some changed opinions

Weak.

PD James is a master of Mystery and this Sci-Fi story is not one of her good moments. The premise is very weak, the main character is not interesting and her writing is frilly without reason.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Painfully Uninteresting

The premise of the story sounded great but the actual act of reading it was painful.

Tastes Like A Classic

PD James has crafted something of a masterpiece here. While I have yet to read her mysteries, I was absolutely amazed by 'Children of Men.' I had expected something of a cautionary tale, but what I received instead was a tale on par with such classics of the genre as Fahrenheit 451. And I say that with all honesty, and without fear of reprisal from any of the nay sayers who have spoken ill of this novel. The language is remiscent of Tolkien--I suppose that may act as something of a deterrent to those who did not care for the Lord of The Rings trilogy. All that aside, James creates a reluctant anti-hero as compelling if not more plausible than Bradbury's Montag. She writes of savagery with the same sort of detached amazement you find in Golding's 'Lord of the Flies.' And the ending! I beg to argue that those who hate it do not fully understand it. So ominous! So cyclical! Seriously, for more reasons than I've stated, do yourself a favor and read this book!

Not worth the effort

I read this book for my contemporary lit class, hoping that it would live up to its fellow social science fiction novels. However, this book was very difficult to get through. The writing style was irksome and the ending was absolutely terrible. I recommend seeing the movie (with clive owen) when it comes out in November.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

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