Huxley and reproduction

Abstract

The story opens in a familiar way. We are led into a realm both recognizable (central London) and alien (a hatchery and conditioning center, according to the sign above the entrance). It is not immediately clear how we got here. There is a guide to this nightmarish domain, as in the Inferno. Here, though, the role of Virgil is being played by a bureaucratic director talking about human ova and gametes.