Timer

I really enjoyed the concept of this movie. What better way to prove your love is the real deal then by having a device confirm it for you. To turn something as unpredictable as love, and make it into a timer implanted onto your wrist. This small gadget pretty much determines your love life. Whats the point of going out and meeting new people when you can wait until the clock's number ticks to the due date. It inhibits you from discovering love on your own. But the ending was a bit intriguing, since the two "destined" for one another went to the same running track, so perhaps they were bound to meet one way or another without the aid of the timer.
I also love the little sprinkling on top; that in order for the device to work completely you must "lock eyes" with your soul mate and then the timer will ring. Love at first sight is completely justified with this work of science.

Dawn- Octavia Butler

This novel was very outside of the realm of my usual pick of books.
The aliens and their interaction with the humans. There is no clear cut definition of who's right and wrong. And the aliens. the usual suspects weren't the ones responsible for the end of humanity. Human beings are deeply flawed in this book, many have an intense sense of hatred and are for the most part belligerent.
A deep understanding of isolation permeates the entire story. Lilith, having been "saved" by these aliens must grow accustomed to their ways all by herself. All of the people she was familiar with are gone and can rely on no one except for herself. Even when other humans are introduced to the story, they are very wary of her and even grow to despise her. Since she is neither fully human or alien, she is utterly alone.
Her desperation to be rid of the responsibilities handed to her, is a common response to fear. She continues to deny her fate, but is the only one capable of surviving and retain a level mind. Against all circumstances, she still pushes against opposition, at first it came from the aliens but by the novel's end her enemy became her fellow humans.
It would be interesting to see what is in store for Lilith. If she will become more and more like the aliens and ultimately become fully assimilated in their world. This book was pretty slow at some parts, and some of the characters didn't feel as developed as they could have been. While of course much information is given on the protagonist, I would have liked to have more in depth description of the other human survivors. As for the aliens, I had a very difficult time trying to grasp what they looked like exactly. All I could picture was a mound of tentacles

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

     The entire story is a build up to the eventual discovery of how Snowman ended up being the sole surviving human in this wasteland of a world and surrounded by a mutated imitation of nature.
   The people of this time play god by the splicing of animals and the creation of dangerous chimeras. Bodies can be reconstructed and customized accordingly, a concept that is not so far-fetched today. In this book, war and vulgar acts become video games for the the two boys and everyone else in this world. Entertainment comes in various forms, but for the most part going to the extreme, anything to gain a reaction. In this future the value of life is trivialized. For a world that seems to be falling apart, society is still focused on appearances which is horrifying. There is also a clear division in status, the split of the poor and the rich. There is no attempt to remedy any economic problems, rather time and effort is spent on such frivolous things that make the rich richer. The majority of the English language had been discarded and replaced with spliced words, devoid of meaning but sound pleasant enough.
     The transition from the perspective of Jimmy to "Snowman" kept me reading at a faster pace, since it did not dwell on one point in time too long. When Jimmy goes to work for AnooYoo (A New You), he just adds to the problem by writing the copy for false advertisement on enhancement products. This fits his personality, since he thrives off of gaining people's attention and manipulating the emotions of each of his girlfriends. It's his nature to advertise, and unknowingly advertises the very product responsible for human extinction.
     There are various comments on medication, especially on the views we hold about prescriptions today. More studies reveal that the medications that we have become so dependent on have multiple side effects. In order to cure the source of the disease, one needs to risk the possibility of contracting other problems when taking any kind of medication.
     In the novel Crake takes the game of "Extinctathon" and turns it into reality, by gathering all of the top scoring individuals of the game and puts them to work on projects. They create new animals and a deadly virus which is distributed through BlyssPluss. Crake even created "people" who could not succumb to violence, think for themselves, or supposedly create. These skewed people were supposed to replace humanity, when they lacked various cognitive abilities and were complacent with their entire situation.
     I had mixed feelings about the ending. Of course a bunch of humans wouldn't just spring out of nowhere and everything would be fine and jolly, but even still it was depressing notion that humanity would be replaced by these manufactured imitations. Although it is mentioned that the Crakers show signs of self expression that could possibly mean that they may begin to think for themselves. This hope, added to the discovery of a few rogue humans leaves the novel ending on a pivotal question of what will happen next.