Lucy Ellmann

Deadlier than the male | 3 November 2016

Naomi Alderman’s horror fantasy — in which men become the slaves of sadistic viragos — is not only crude and unpleasant but puzzling. By the end you’d really rather men stayed in charge

Teenage girls all over the world have suddenly developed electro-magnetic powers that can be unleashed on anybody who bugs them. The effect of these electrical jolts ranges from a tingly sensation to scarring, shock, pain, permanent disability, dismemberment and sometimes death. So girls have all the ‘power’ now. Older women soon start zapping too, and thereby move into high office and make millions.

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