It’s not
every book that makes me sigh in relief when I reach the afterword and learn
the book was written as a satire. No, author Matthew J. Beier does not believe
that homosexuals want to take over the planet and control every facet of our
lives. That being said, his book The
Breeders will make a wonderful Christmas present for hard core
right-wingers and gay hipsters alike. How many books can you say that about?
But all politics aside, The Breeders is
an interesting tale, eerily reminiscent of Huxley’s Brave New World. It can be overly sappy in places, but by the end
of the book, you’ll learn Beier isn’t just a skilled writer—he’s got serious
balls.
 |
| For some reason, this reminds me of the kids' TV show Cyberchase. Not sure why |
In a
society dominated by the flamingly homosexual New Rainbow Army, all
heterosexual woman are genetically engineered to be sterile. This poses a
problem for Grace Jarvis, who finds herself expecting a baby after an
underground heterosexual orgy. As the society she lives in strengthens its
crackdown on reproductive rights, Grace frantically searches for a way to save
herself and her unborn child—a difficult thing, especially when one of your
fathers doesn’t approve of you sexual orientation. Her search leads her to the
mysterious Opposition—a rebel group that offers Grace a chance to escape the New
Rainbow Army—if she’s willing to leave everything she knows and loves behind.
Dex
Wheelock, the father of Grace’s baby, has a big decision to make: stay home and
face possible persecution for his sexual orientation, or follow this pregnant
woman across the world. Dex is, naturally, terrified at the thought of leaving
his whole world behind. When he lets his fear overwhelm him for a split second,
all plans and hopes are dashed apart and he finds himself on a long, terrifying
journey to survive and reunite with the mother of his child.
Along his
way, he finds spiritual fulfillment and inner peace. This is excellent for Dex
and a little tedious for the reader. It doesn’t feel quite real, and books
don’t run well when the main characters are happy and serene. It’s the kind of
thought I’d expect from a Buddhist monk, not a man on the run for his life.
Pregnancy is idealized—Grace thinks about the miracle of bringing natural life
into the world quite frequency, and her swollen feet and constant need to pee not
at all. Over the course of the book, the characters do develop—but in becoming
parents, the pieces of their relationship fall together a little two neatly.
After all, they were random strangers when they met at the orgy. You’d think
that two random people would have more points of disagreement.
The
world-building in The Breeders is
excellent: Beier has created a society that’s truly frightening in its
excesses. It’s not just our world with a little gender flopping, but the
strangeness of the story’s world made me wonder if that’s how it is for my gay
friends sometimes—that you’re living in a world that wasn’t built for you. The
villains are menacing, though distant, and a sense of hopelessness pervades the
whole text as we watch these characters struggle against real and overwhelming
odds. This is one book you should read twice.
Highs:
Atmosphere. The world Beier builds is genuinely dark and hopeless, filled with
characters who, if not perfect, certainly draw you to root for them.
Story-first approach. A lot of satirical stories can’t decide if they want to
be all satire or tell a story, and Beier picks his direction and stays with it.
He manages to tell a complete story in a world based off a ridiculous premise,
which is much harder than it looks. Twist ending. I’m not going to spoil the
book, but Beier delivers on what he’s foreshadowed all along.
Lows: Uneven characterization. The characters feel a little too pure by the end of the book. I would have liked it if they'd had a few more, enduring flaws.
Did I like this story? Yes. Would I
read it again? Yes. Would I recommend it to people who like science fiction? Yes.
My rating? As sci-fi, five stars out of five. As a novel, four stars.
--Liz Ellor, O43
You can download The Breeders here
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