Escape from the Vermins

Women...the unique creation specifically designed to drive poor, mere mortal men nuts. They are trouble personified. They are inferior and their existence is solely for the continuance of our species. They are a menace. Someone aptly said, "Women! Can't live with them. Can't live without them!" But now, the times have changed. We have attained the power. We have attained immortality. Finally we can get rid of the impure vermins from our world forever. And they did...

Manjula Padmanabhan's Escape is set in a "world" without women. "World" is a nation which has attained mastery in cloning and is ruled by clone Generals. They have killed of the female kind and it is the worst dystopia imaginable. Vast tracts of land have been reduced to wastelands. Lesser humanoids called Drones are created in factories for doing the menial work. Men live with the promise of eternal life through cloning. But there is one female left. Brought by her uncles, Meiji lives a solitary life hidden away from the outside world. Her puberty is suppressed through medication by her uncles. One day they decide to take her to the city from where she might be able to escape to another nation where she is not persecuted. The novel is about her journey along with her Uncle and her metamorphosis. The novel also expounds on the strife faced by her Uncle who is attracted to Meiji. The journey is thrilling and makes you wonder how it would be without women. I was slightly underwhelmed with the ending though. Still its a fabulous book and highly recommended. Go read it!

Hmm...the post title would be apt for a cheest sci-fi B-movie right?

6 comments:

Anonymous said...

women is an instrument for pleasure? Why men should torn the toy for his existentialist believes ? hope the book would give the answers for the natures big mistake ....

Unknown said...

@A.Mouse: May be the people who invented this philosophy were absolutely gay or sexless. Imagine if they get this power!

Praveen said...

awesome plot i must say...something u expect from the likes of orwell..
gotta check this out soon..
thanks for the reco

Unknown said...

@Praveen: Check it out...you wont be disappointed.

Chithira Menon said...

a world without women...indirectly implies a world of homosexuals...well i guess its impossible..in a smaller way,mayb it 'll b like a boy's hostel..:D...bt there too u do obviously have the influx of the female species by action or by words..neways..good piece of imagination...watin 2 read the book...

Unknown said...

@chithira: May be that world was envisioned by some powerful homosexuals with intense misogyny. The book does allude to certain amount of gay sex (nothing graphic!). Thanks for dropping by, wonderful to see you blog! :)

Post a Comment

top