Sequel to the excellent Moths, a hugely successful indie novel that was taken up by Angry Robot Books, Toxxic digs deep into the world ravaged by a terrible disease. Considered, fiercely feminist and distinctly dystopian, it’s a complex tale of a world built on trauma.
Set months after Moths, itself based forty years after the emergence of a poisonous species of moth which affected men, Toxxic continues the narrative in a fascinating way. After the virus decimated the male population, many dying quickly whilst others became violent maniacs, female society has been slowly rebuilt on the ruins of what was left. Institutes for males to live in sterile environments are the only safe place for them and the only way to continue the existence of the human race. But the development (and concealment) of a vaccine has caused huge repercussions with those for and against it. Generations of woman have never been around or known men, and men themselves are very different to the ones that existed before the apocalyptic infection decades ago but there are those that remember. In a world where men are only useful for breeding, kept isolated at a high cost, the society that has emerged is a fascinating one that flips patriarchy on its head.
Split between perspectives, from Tony, a man chosen to take part in the vaccine programme, his foster carer Evie and an unnamed activist set against men’s freedoms, Toxxic creates an engrossing narrative. Those against allowing men back into society remember not only the way things were before the infection, but the terrible and devastating violence the diseased wrought on women. Tony, born and raised in a closed environment, and conditioned to obey and behave, offers an intriguing insight into the institutionally conditioned, the vastness of the world he’s never known but, importantly, a male perspective that isn’t violent and sexualised. Evie’s story is vastly different. A woman of the new world caught in a broken marriage with a wife she’s drifted apart from, her insights show a society that is fractured and complex and struggling to emerge from the past.
Set against a fascinating piece of post apocalyptic world building, the knotty issues of male violence and trauma run up against liberal ideas of freedom and equality. The social commentary on women’s fears is intrinsically woven into this story and powerfully articulated. The ordeal of the apocalyptic infection is similarly considered and it’s depth of thought is another powerful reminder of the physical and mental scars that violence leaves upon a person. Giving weight to the different reactions the catalyst of the vaccine creates, the complex responses woven throughout the narrative are captivating. In a world where men are not safe, one built on the wounds of the past, a dark but profound story emerges.
A brilliant piece of “what-if” science fiction that tackles some hugely important social concerns, Toxxic is a dark and fascinating novel. Wonderfully crafted characters, it’s the interplay of perspectives, the harrowing pasts and the strangeness of the future, that paints such a powerful picture. Clever, complex and captivating.
Review copy
Published by Angry Robot Books
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