I absolutely loved Oryx and Crake and so couldn't wait to start the 2nd installment. It has quite a different feel to it than the original, both because as the reader you know where the overall story of this installment is going already, and there's just more characters than in the first. In isolation it's a great book, hard to put down, and a lot of funny parts throughout with some extreme darkness as well. It's obvious I liked it since I've already started the final installment. However, I didn't enjoy this one as much as the first. The backstories of the characters were very engaging, however the parts in the present lacked a little. The main problem I had was the suspension of disbelief required, as the coincidences required for all these characters to be coming together and to have survived when so many had died is a bit much. That being said, when stopping poking holes it's just such a cool world I can't wait to see how it ends.