Bernard Beckett: Genesis

A YA book written as a four-section Socratic dialogue between an examinee and the panel of philosophical experts wouldn’t seem like a big-hitter but my goodness, Genesis, by New Zealand author Bernard Beckett, packs a punch that any viva voce student would be proud to deliver.

Anaximander is attempting to gain a place in the prestigious Academy of the ruling intelligentsia (for which fewer than 1% pass the test) and has chosen as her subject of expertise, the revolutionary historical figure Adam Forde. A post-apocalyptic post-Plague world is contracted to the islands of Aotearoa and ring-fenced with both military and technology. There the new Republic sees fit to deal with the man who breaks its rules by imprisoning him until his life’s end with an android AI presence known as Art. How Adam and Art interact will mould each other’s personalities but also mould the future in ways they cannot imagine.

As Anax defends her theories of how society has evolved since, the reader is treated to a fairly demanding examination of the theory of consciousness, and definitions of what makes a person human, and how free-will is constructed. The disturbing and shifting discussions which Anax uses turn into something more complex and startling by the close of the book. It’s not entirely unexpected but the ending requires a re-read to see how cleverly Beckett has teased his way through a deceptively simply plot. I was very impressed (though I don’t really hold with ‘memes’ as a notion) and loved that Adam Forde conjured up literary links to John Savage in Brave New World.

A rather superb ½

Paddyjoe, I know you've read this too - what are your thoughts?

I read this book a year ago and was very impressed. Still am, now that I've been forced to think about it again.

The philosophical discussions were entertaining and never dragged, and even though I saw the ending coming it was still a shocker. My only (slight) criticism is the way the back story was told using the oral Q & A technique. Anax tells the background to the Academy, who would obviously know that information, but by framing it as historical academic research it kind of works. Other than that the book was an enjoyable bit of SF.

And just to drag the thread to the level of the superficial - what a great cover!

That's the Young Adult cover, I believe, ono. I remember seeing the book in its adult edition, like . And I am afraid I must admit that though I thought it sounded interesting, I was put off when I realised it was a 'crossover' publication.

The paperback, which seems to serve both 'markets', is a bit .

I like the adult cover; it's more snreakily suggestive than the crossover, which is quite unappealing.

Hmm. I definitely like the 'YA' cover best.

I also have some very vague and unformulated thoughts on how YA books are categorised - two examples that spring to mind are Wyndam's The Chrysalids and Golding's The Lord of the Flies. It's a long time since I read the former but I seem to remember that it would stand up pretty well for an adult reader, and the latter definitely does - in fact I may have had more of an appetite for darkness as a youngster because it struck me on re-reading that it was more horrific than I remembered.

I must admit I wouldn't have thought of The Chrysalids as a YA book at all (though clearly it's one that could definitely be enjoyed by older children or young adults). Do we know if Wyndham had any intention in mind when he wrote it? Or is just based on whether the publishers decide to issue it as a Penguin or a Puffin? I had a vague notion that Chocky was intended as a children's/YA book, but that might be just because it's about a child and was the basis of a children's TV series.

The only Wyndham I consider as YA is Chocky. Which was serialised in three parts in the mid-80's.