Genesis by Bernard Beckett
Quercus Publishing Plc, 2009. ISBN 978-1847247230
(Age 13+) A remarkable science fiction story of life in the future,
Genesis will
have more thoughtful readers talking and thinking about the
implications of the story long after it has been read. Anax, a young
woman with potential, has been groomed by a tutor, Pericles to sit the
exams for The Academy. She has long studied the life of Adam Forde, a
revolutionary long dead, and has prepared herself for the examination
by learning many of his tracts, and developing holograms which show
aspects of his life, particularly his debates with an android, Art.
The exam is a six hour discussion where Anax is expected to tell the
three examiners all she knows, what she thinks and field unexpected
questions. Throughout her presentation, it becomes clear that society
has undergone a radical change, and that the present population lives
on an island, surrounded by a sea wall, built to keep out other people,
and a defense system which allows no breaches of the rules. While she
speaks about this regime, the reader will call into question some of
the recent changes within our society, the increasing xenophobia of
many nations, the military buildup of some and the increasing suspicion
of governments. I found the story brim full of ideas which could be
pursued within a classroom, not least of which calls into question what
it means to be human.
Fran Knight