Children of Men by P.D. James

I've said before that dystopias are one of my favourite genres, so when I discovered that one of my favourite authors, P. D. James had written one, called Childen of Men, in 1994 I was delighted.

The story takes place in the near future, and human race is become infertile. Last children were born 1995 - and are now called Omegas - and the rest of the population are slowly aging. Old people commit voluntary suicides in guided seremonies and why not, as life without future has lost it's meaning.

P.D. James has a very distinct writing style, and especially book like this that is... well, let's face it, slow, is very well suited for an audiobook. The first couple of chapters describe the world and the situation leading up to it, and there are several chapters on backflashes back to the narrators childhood - none of it is absolutely necessary, it only sets the background for the events and people.

It doesn't matter though, it's all exquisitely well written and a pleasure. The thing is, dystopias are a very difficult genre to write, and there needs to be a point during the story and in the end. This one is beautifully written and tells a lot about the human nature, what happens to people with no future and no hope. But the ending is not satisfying - I love the concept of this book, but the end... and I can't really say more than that without spoiling the end.

This was also my first audiobook with Audible. And I have to say that I love it. I miss BBC Radio 4, I miss that I was able to listen something intelligent and useful while on the move, so this if fulfilling that gap quite nicely. So more, please.

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