read Oryx and Crake and though there is much to despair of in it drawn largely from non-fiction science sources, the downfall described seemed finally to hinge on the pathology of one character. makes me a little skittish about an addle-pated, religious fanatic having his finger on the nuclear trigger. not that Cheney is any more reassuring. conservatives tend to be so convinced they are right, liberals tend to give another opinion a fair hearing at least, a generalisation, but a reason to support liberal causes more conservatively!