Toby, a survivor of the man-made plague that has swept the earth, is telling stories. Stories left over from the old world, and stories that will determine a new one. Listening hard is young Blackbeard, one of the innocent Crakers, the species designed to replace humanity. Their reluctant prophet, Jimmy-the-Snowman, is in a coma, so they've chosen a new hero - Zeb, the street-smart man that Toby loves. As clever Pigoons attack their fragile garden and malevolent Painballers scheme, the small band of survivors will need more than stories. Welcome to the outrageous imagination of Margaret Atwood 'A haunting, restless triumph . . . A writer of virtuoso diversity' Sunday Times 'Wit and dark humour combine with a compassionate tenderness . . . whirling as brilliantly as the bits of glass in a kaleidoscope . . . Atwood the conjuror remains in firm control' Michèle Roberts, Independent 'There are few writers able to create a world so fiercely engaging, so funny, so teeming - ironically - with life. MaddAddam is ultimately a paean to the enduring powers of myth and story, and like the sharpest futuristic visions, it's really all about the here and now' Daily Mail