Helpful Score: 7
I was very excited to read this book and had heard wonderful things about it. It was a creative book but hard to get through. I listened to this on audio book which probably didn't help any; the audio book was very deliberately read making the story move even slower. I ended up stopping listening to this book about 2/3rds of the way through; it was just too tedious.
The story goes between four main characters. The first is a genetic scientist, a calorie man, named Anderson who is scouring the city to find its mysterious Seed Bank; he is masquerading as a plant owner. The second is Tan Hock Seng an aging Chinese Yellow Card who is trying to make a life for himself and gain back his former glory. The third is a wind up girl named Emiko who has been forced to work in a brothel after being sold to it by her Japanese master. The fourth is Jaidee, an officer of the Environmental Ministry and a revolutionist, who is determined to take back Thailand from the foreigners. In this depressing version of Thailand, a land where calories are the greatest commodity, these four characters will eventually influence not only each other but the fate of the whole country.
First I will say there are some good things about this book. The ideas present in the book are fabulous. The idea of calories being more important than anything after viruses have wiped out most vegetation is unique and compelling. The story is told with wonderful description; such that, as a reader, you can almost feel the heat and smell the smells of the city. Those were the things that kept me reading this book as long as I did.
Now for the rest of the things. The characters (if you can even say they have enough humanity to call them characters) are very dry, they apparently don't have many feelings and kind of just stumble through the story. There are no good characters in this book, they are despicable for different reasons. I did not enjoy a single one of them. Emiko was my favorite, but the passivity she showed at letting herself being constantly raped and tortured was a real turn off. Which I should mention there are multiple scenes where Emiko is explicitly raped and humiliated; again not my favorite thing to read about.
The pace is horribly slow. For example let's say Anderson is going to walk from point A to point B, can he do that? No, he must go on a 30 minute (remember I was listening to this) dissertation on his history, the history of other things possibly irrelevant to the story, etc etc. Then finally many mind-boggling minutes later, when you have finally forgotten what the heck was even going on, he will make it to his destination.
I also have a quibble about the writing style; it is very dry. At times this came across more as a biography of the characters than a story. It was tough to stay engaged with either the story or the characters. I am aware that all of these little random events were probably leading up to something fantastic or mind-boggling...unfortunately I ceased to care about any of it. This audio book seriously put me to sleep while I was driving, it was becoming a hazard to my health (and other drivers) so I had to stop listening to it.
Something written in this type of analytical style would have made an intriguing short story, but as a full-length book it was just too tedious to get through.
Overall I did not enjoy this. The characters were depressing, the pace excruciating, and the world demoralizing. I may read future short stories by Bacigalupi since I find his ideas intriguing, but I will not be picking up any more full-length books by him.
The story goes between four main characters. The first is a genetic scientist, a calorie man, named Anderson who is scouring the city to find its mysterious Seed Bank; he is masquerading as a plant owner. The second is Tan Hock Seng an aging Chinese Yellow Card who is trying to make a life for himself and gain back his former glory. The third is a wind up girl named Emiko who has been forced to work in a brothel after being sold to it by her Japanese master. The fourth is Jaidee, an officer of the Environmental Ministry and a revolutionist, who is determined to take back Thailand from the foreigners. In this depressing version of Thailand, a land where calories are the greatest commodity, these four characters will eventually influence not only each other but the fate of the whole country.
First I will say there are some good things about this book. The ideas present in the book are fabulous. The idea of calories being more important than anything after viruses have wiped out most vegetation is unique and compelling. The story is told with wonderful description; such that, as a reader, you can almost feel the heat and smell the smells of the city. Those were the things that kept me reading this book as long as I did.
Now for the rest of the things. The characters (if you can even say they have enough humanity to call them characters) are very dry, they apparently don't have many feelings and kind of just stumble through the story. There are no good characters in this book, they are despicable for different reasons. I did not enjoy a single one of them. Emiko was my favorite, but the passivity she showed at letting herself being constantly raped and tortured was a real turn off. Which I should mention there are multiple scenes where Emiko is explicitly raped and humiliated; again not my favorite thing to read about.
The pace is horribly slow. For example let's say Anderson is going to walk from point A to point B, can he do that? No, he must go on a 30 minute (remember I was listening to this) dissertation on his history, the history of other things possibly irrelevant to the story, etc etc. Then finally many mind-boggling minutes later, when you have finally forgotten what the heck was even going on, he will make it to his destination.
I also have a quibble about the writing style; it is very dry. At times this came across more as a biography of the characters than a story. It was tough to stay engaged with either the story or the characters. I am aware that all of these little random events were probably leading up to something fantastic or mind-boggling...unfortunately I ceased to care about any of it. This audio book seriously put me to sleep while I was driving, it was becoming a hazard to my health (and other drivers) so I had to stop listening to it.
Something written in this type of analytical style would have made an intriguing short story, but as a full-length book it was just too tedious to get through.
Overall I did not enjoy this. The characters were depressing, the pace excruciating, and the world demoralizing. I may read future short stories by Bacigalupi since I find his ideas intriguing, but I will not be picking up any more full-length books by him.
Helpful Score: 6
This book won both Hugo and Nebula award and seemed like an interesting plot. However, I just couldn't get into the book. I'm not sure if it's wording (there's a lot of future-Thai words in there), plot, or whatever but getting through a couple of pages seemed like a chore.
I do like that the USA isn't central to the story, that's sadly an unusual thing.
I do like that the USA isn't central to the story, that's sadly an unusual thing.
Helpful Score: 4
3 out of 5 stars: The author did a fantastic job creating a future as bleak and as well-realized as the one in "Blade Runner", but only 3 stars b/c he didn't do nearly as good a job with the characters.
Helpful Score: 4
The Hugo and Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook and the Campbell Memorial award was given to this book for a reason. I totally enjoyed every moment spent in reading it. Yes there was parts I found hard to read (not because it was badly written but because it was so, shall we say intense) This book makes you think outside the box and that is won the awards.
Helpful Score: 3
This complex tale set in a possible, dystopian, steampunk future Thailand intertwines the tales of multiple people to tell one story of how civil war can erupt in a nation struggling with issues far larger than itself. For this particular nation, those issues are rising oceans due to global warming and food problems and diseases from genetic engineering.
For a story set in such a creative, specific vision of the future, Bacigalupi's evident struggles with world-building fight against the story for the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. He fails to fully explain things, so the reader is left attempting to fill in the gaps and envision action in a picture that is not quite complete. I believe this would have been a far better book if he'd spend even just the first few pages more clearly establishing the steampunk future Thailand.
The issues addressed in the book are handled well and creatively, as well as being quite interesting. What exactly is the next step in evolution? Will it occur "naturally," or will it occur due to humans using our own brains to genetically modify humanity? Is it wrong and dangerous to perform genetic modification on any part of nature? What to think of the results? What's the role of humanity on Earth? Additionally, Buddhism and Buddhist thought plays strongly in the book, along with the ideas and concepts of karma and fate. How much of our own life is under our control and how much is just fate?
It also features a truly surprising ending, in spite of knowing for most of the book that civil war will erupt. I always enjoy that in a book, and it made me feel satisfied at the end.
Overall, although Bacigalupi struggles with world building, his intertwined characters and themes are thought-provoking to read. Im glad I went out of my comfort zone to read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the themes of fate, evolution, nature, karma, or political intrigue.
Check out my extended review.
For a story set in such a creative, specific vision of the future, Bacigalupi's evident struggles with world-building fight against the story for the first 1/3 to 1/2 of the book. He fails to fully explain things, so the reader is left attempting to fill in the gaps and envision action in a picture that is not quite complete. I believe this would have been a far better book if he'd spend even just the first few pages more clearly establishing the steampunk future Thailand.
The issues addressed in the book are handled well and creatively, as well as being quite interesting. What exactly is the next step in evolution? Will it occur "naturally," or will it occur due to humans using our own brains to genetically modify humanity? Is it wrong and dangerous to perform genetic modification on any part of nature? What to think of the results? What's the role of humanity on Earth? Additionally, Buddhism and Buddhist thought plays strongly in the book, along with the ideas and concepts of karma and fate. How much of our own life is under our control and how much is just fate?
It also features a truly surprising ending, in spite of knowing for most of the book that civil war will erupt. I always enjoy that in a book, and it made me feel satisfied at the end.
Overall, although Bacigalupi struggles with world building, his intertwined characters and themes are thought-provoking to read. Im glad I went out of my comfort zone to read this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys the themes of fate, evolution, nature, karma, or political intrigue.
Check out my extended review.
Helpful Score: 2
This novel may have been developed from two excellent short stories; I can't say, not having read them, but I couldn't finish it. I was drawn to The Windup Girl because the setting is Southeast Asia and the situation is a post-petroleum genetically-engineered future. Unfortunately, the movement of the story is slow and parts are predictable. There are people who will like it, maybe those who like anything cyberpunk, but to me the characterization could have come out of a Graham Greene novel from the Fifties. In a way that is difficult to put my finger on I developed a dislike for The Windup Girl, and put it down.
Helpful Score: 2
Bacigalaupi has created a grim, but believable world with interesting, yet, for the most part, unsympathetic characters and plenty of page turning action. It is an unfeeling and ugly environment, rife with dog-eat-dog interactions. Our present day lack of ecological responsibility and agricultural seed engineering make for a short reach into the dystopian world presented in this excellent novel. This is a very, very dark, but well-written book.
A quick read with some thought- provoking ideas in a not-too-distant future. Bounces around between various character perspectives. Plot could have been a little more thought out and some more background info provided, but it kept me guessing.
Helpful Score: 1
Set in a dystopian future where genetic engineering has run amuck and led to the breakdown of society, this book left me torn. On the one hand, the world created by the author in this book is well thought-out, well-written and deals with important themes. On the other hand, the book is slow-paced and the sexual brutality in a few scenes is extremely explicit and disturbing. Yes, it has a necessary place in the plot, but I can't imagine recommending reading a book with those scenes in it to anyone in my circles. I actually threw the book in the trash for that reason alone (this was before I joined Paperback Swap; otherwise I would have passed it on to one of the 500+ of you who feel the need to read this book. Sorry!)
Helpful Score: 1
Fantastic world-building, let down by less-than fantastic characterization, and "scenes of a sexual nature" that are so overdone that they cross over into becoming completely gratuitous.
5-stars for the technical details of Bacigalupi's post-petroleum world, in which bleakly nihilist cyberpunk meets clever steampunk. Power in this world comes straight from "calories," the sheer brute strength of the human under-class, and genetically modified beasts such as the mastodon-like megadonts. The tension generated by animal- and man-power is stored in cleverly engineered "kink-spring" batteries, which power almost everything. Where battery power won't supply a solution, human ingenuity comes into play: high status buildings keep their elevators running by using human ballast as counter-weights; computers are powered by foot treadles, like old-fashioned sewing machines; travel, unless you are very wealthy and have access to a coal-diesel vehicle, is by rickshaw or sail.
It would all be very very clever, and sometimes even quite elegant, but this is a world in which horrors abound: thoughtless genetic tampering has resulted in widespread disease and cancers, and whole species of plants and animals have been wiped out. Combined with climate change and rising sea levels, this has resulted in untold death and misery everywhere: the collapse of the United States and the European Union, and the destruction of small countries all over the globe. Every page reveals some horror or other, and the terrible thing is that it's all horribly plausible (especially now ... oh, yes, hello from 2020, especially now ...)
A future version of the Kingdom of Thailand is holding back the misery and destruction -- just -- and holding on to its independence from foreign powers and agriculture conglomerates because of its cunningly protected seed bank, which allows the government that rules in the name of a saintly and popularly adored Child Queen, to feed its population with produce that hasn't been tainted by the modifications that have wreaked so much havoc. But this independence in always under threat from the evil gene-ripping conglomerates, and their shadowy reps, the "calorie men."
So far, so terrifically good. But then, we need a plot to justify all this, and that's where things go off the (megadont-powered) rails. Bacigalupi juggles the perspective of five characters, whose personal dramas and ulterior motives play out against the background of an attempt by an agri conglomerate to undermine the existing Thai government, exploit an ambitious opposition, and get its hands on the seedbank. That sounds good, doesn't it? -- and in the final quarter of the book, when it gets to the point, it is: a quite exciting, and thoughtful rendering of how a revolution might be triggered, how the various actors (good, bad and totally self-serving) might misread cues, misunderstand evidence, act selfishly, and set responses in motion that they subsequently have no control over.
BUT to get to that point, you have to get though a lot of buildup that feels increasingly ... awkward, and like spinning its wheels. I mentioned the "scenes of a sexual nature" -- trust me, I'm not squeamish, but I genuinely feel that they were wildly, and offensively, overdone. Emiko, the windup girl of the title, is a genetically modified humanoid who has been created to be a rich man's plaything, and her abandonment in Bangkok has resulted in a life of degradation and suffering -- I get it. Point made. We don't need a - literal -- blow by blow.
I'm also concerned about the depiction of the Asian characters in this novel. They feel cartoonish -- too very, very good, too very very bad, and even when Bacigalupi tried to introduce complications, they feel like cartoonish complications. I was deeply uncomfortable with a lot of that ...
I'm trying to be fair in my rating for this novel. It's a curate's egg of a book: excellent, in parts. If you are intrigued by my description of Bacigalupi's bleak future, I'd suggest trying his short fiction, some fine novellas collected in "Pump Six and Other Stories."
5-stars for the technical details of Bacigalupi's post-petroleum world, in which bleakly nihilist cyberpunk meets clever steampunk. Power in this world comes straight from "calories," the sheer brute strength of the human under-class, and genetically modified beasts such as the mastodon-like megadonts. The tension generated by animal- and man-power is stored in cleverly engineered "kink-spring" batteries, which power almost everything. Where battery power won't supply a solution, human ingenuity comes into play: high status buildings keep their elevators running by using human ballast as counter-weights; computers are powered by foot treadles, like old-fashioned sewing machines; travel, unless you are very wealthy and have access to a coal-diesel vehicle, is by rickshaw or sail.
It would all be very very clever, and sometimes even quite elegant, but this is a world in which horrors abound: thoughtless genetic tampering has resulted in widespread disease and cancers, and whole species of plants and animals have been wiped out. Combined with climate change and rising sea levels, this has resulted in untold death and misery everywhere: the collapse of the United States and the European Union, and the destruction of small countries all over the globe. Every page reveals some horror or other, and the terrible thing is that it's all horribly plausible (especially now ... oh, yes, hello from 2020, especially now ...)
A future version of the Kingdom of Thailand is holding back the misery and destruction -- just -- and holding on to its independence from foreign powers and agriculture conglomerates because of its cunningly protected seed bank, which allows the government that rules in the name of a saintly and popularly adored Child Queen, to feed its population with produce that hasn't been tainted by the modifications that have wreaked so much havoc. But this independence in always under threat from the evil gene-ripping conglomerates, and their shadowy reps, the "calorie men."
So far, so terrifically good. But then, we need a plot to justify all this, and that's where things go off the (megadont-powered) rails. Bacigalupi juggles the perspective of five characters, whose personal dramas and ulterior motives play out against the background of an attempt by an agri conglomerate to undermine the existing Thai government, exploit an ambitious opposition, and get its hands on the seedbank. That sounds good, doesn't it? -- and in the final quarter of the book, when it gets to the point, it is: a quite exciting, and thoughtful rendering of how a revolution might be triggered, how the various actors (good, bad and totally self-serving) might misread cues, misunderstand evidence, act selfishly, and set responses in motion that they subsequently have no control over.
BUT to get to that point, you have to get though a lot of buildup that feels increasingly ... awkward, and like spinning its wheels. I mentioned the "scenes of a sexual nature" -- trust me, I'm not squeamish, but I genuinely feel that they were wildly, and offensively, overdone. Emiko, the windup girl of the title, is a genetically modified humanoid who has been created to be a rich man's plaything, and her abandonment in Bangkok has resulted in a life of degradation and suffering -- I get it. Point made. We don't need a - literal -- blow by blow.
I'm also concerned about the depiction of the Asian characters in this novel. They feel cartoonish -- too very, very good, too very very bad, and even when Bacigalupi tried to introduce complications, they feel like cartoonish complications. I was deeply uncomfortable with a lot of that ...
I'm trying to be fair in my rating for this novel. It's a curate's egg of a book: excellent, in parts. If you are intrigued by my description of Bacigalupi's bleak future, I'd suggest trying his short fiction, some fine novellas collected in "Pump Six and Other Stories."
Helpful Score: 1
The style of writing fairly flowed and made it easy to read, except that there were many Thai (Chinese, etc, whatever) terms that weren't always explained which was a bit of a hassle. There were some interesting ideas throughout. However the story seemed to ramble, changing randomly from one viewpoint and subplot to another, and though there is a "windup girl" she wasn't a main character or concept (except that her actions were a convenient excuse for a battle}.
And the end just left things hanging.
In summary, I think the book would have benefited from more editing.
And the end just left things hanging.
In summary, I think the book would have benefited from more editing.
Helpful Score: 1
This one I wanted to like a lot more, but once I began talking about it online with my fellow nerds, I took it from 5 to 3½ stars.
The details: The Windup Girl is set in a independent Thailand of the future - a fairly dystopian one at that. Oil is no longer common, carbon credits are traded and enforced harshly because of climate change, giant agriculture companies control food and what is planted harshly and on and on. Plagues are common taking out agricultural species and jumping from animal to human. And its hinted that the agricultural corporations created those plagues. Genetic engineering is common - heck, one of the main characters is a genetically engineered human. And genetically engineered organisms like megadonts and donkeys are common. There are some neat bits in this too - molecular springs that store energy in incredible amounts,kite sailed clipper ships and zeppelins. And, oh yes, Thailand struggles on independent of the great powers and agricultural corporations, thanks to its king and his White Shirts (Environmental Ministry security troops responsible for keeping the nation clear of plagues). But the Ministry of trade yearns to open the Kingdom to the outside of world and that is the basis of much of the struggle in the book.
That's the setting. The characters are neat too. We start with Anderson Lake, manager for Mainspring and a calorie man (reporter of patent violations and scout for new food sources). Lao Gu, a Malay Chinese refugee and Lake's factotum. Capt. Jaidee Rojjanasukchai and Lt. Kanya Chirathivat of the environment ministry. Finally, Emiko, the windup girl of the title. A genetically engineered 'secretary' from Japan abandoned in Thailand by her previous employer. None are particularly sympathetic save Emiko. And Bacigalupi doesn't make any side particularly virtuous either - there aren't any good guys or bad guys here.
Lake's, Lao Gu's and Emiko's stories are all tied together from the beginning. Jaidee's and Kanya's are separate but begins to converge with the others. Especially as the source of new plants becomes apparent to Lake.
This is an interesting book. I'd call it dystopian magical realism. Why? Well, its a dystopia (duh). Magical realism because of the ghost. I will say one character dies fairly early on and becomes one. I also wouldn't call it hard SF. Bacigalupi admits in an interview on io9 that he took all the alternate energy sources (solar, wind, OTEC, geothermal, gengineered plants to create oil, etc.) dragged them outback and shot them in the head to create the setting for his book. He also botches some basic science - one early phrase has the springs Mainspring he's working on will meet gasoline. Well, check the math. The springs he has in the book already beat gasoline in terms of energy storage. I know, a nerdy quibble, but... If you can swallow that, its an engaging setting and a good book. The starvation for power drives everything in the world of The Windup Girl. Everything.
So, likes and dislikes.
Likes: An interesting and unexpected (and not entirely believable) dystopia; a look at an unusual location (Thailand); post-peak that isn't the end of the world; twisty plots and factions over opening Thailand to the larger world, or not; well drawn (if not very sympathetic) characters; a one off scene with a trimaran clipper ship using kite sails. I thought that was fiction but discovered its real. Its also better explored in Bacigalupi's YA novel Ship Breaker.
Dislikes: Genetic engineering not logically applied (wouldn't it be easier to tinker with plants over elephants?); international organizations continue in the face of impossible odds (WTO without fast communications?) and mass starvation; very uncomfortable scene in a sex show for Emiko; death of one of the more sympathetic characters; the book being characterized as hard SF (its not).
Overall, I liked it. I wouldn't buy it in hardcover again. As a trade, library loan or a mass market paperback, sure. I'd suggest this to fans of River of Gods, Cyberabad Days, 1984, Brave New World, Lacy and His Friends, Ship of Fools, fans of Alastair Reynolds and dystopian fiction in general.
The details: The Windup Girl is set in a independent Thailand of the future - a fairly dystopian one at that. Oil is no longer common, carbon credits are traded and enforced harshly because of climate change, giant agriculture companies control food and what is planted harshly and on and on. Plagues are common taking out agricultural species and jumping from animal to human. And its hinted that the agricultural corporations created those plagues. Genetic engineering is common - heck, one of the main characters is a genetically engineered human. And genetically engineered organisms like megadonts and donkeys are common. There are some neat bits in this too - molecular springs that store energy in incredible amounts,kite sailed clipper ships and zeppelins. And, oh yes, Thailand struggles on independent of the great powers and agricultural corporations, thanks to its king and his White Shirts (Environmental Ministry security troops responsible for keeping the nation clear of plagues). But the Ministry of trade yearns to open the Kingdom to the outside of world and that is the basis of much of the struggle in the book.
That's the setting. The characters are neat too. We start with Anderson Lake, manager for Mainspring and a calorie man (reporter of patent violations and scout for new food sources). Lao Gu, a Malay Chinese refugee and Lake's factotum. Capt. Jaidee Rojjanasukchai and Lt. Kanya Chirathivat of the environment ministry. Finally, Emiko, the windup girl of the title. A genetically engineered 'secretary' from Japan abandoned in Thailand by her previous employer. None are particularly sympathetic save Emiko. And Bacigalupi doesn't make any side particularly virtuous either - there aren't any good guys or bad guys here.
Lake's, Lao Gu's and Emiko's stories are all tied together from the beginning. Jaidee's and Kanya's are separate but begins to converge with the others. Especially as the source of new plants becomes apparent to Lake.
This is an interesting book. I'd call it dystopian magical realism. Why? Well, its a dystopia (duh). Magical realism because of the ghost. I will say one character dies fairly early on and becomes one. I also wouldn't call it hard SF. Bacigalupi admits in an interview on io9 that he took all the alternate energy sources (solar, wind, OTEC, geothermal, gengineered plants to create oil, etc.) dragged them outback and shot them in the head to create the setting for his book. He also botches some basic science - one early phrase has the springs Mainspring he's working on will meet gasoline. Well, check the math. The springs he has in the book already beat gasoline in terms of energy storage. I know, a nerdy quibble, but... If you can swallow that, its an engaging setting and a good book. The starvation for power drives everything in the world of The Windup Girl. Everything.
So, likes and dislikes.
Likes: An interesting and unexpected (and not entirely believable) dystopia; a look at an unusual location (Thailand); post-peak that isn't the end of the world; twisty plots and factions over opening Thailand to the larger world, or not; well drawn (if not very sympathetic) characters; a one off scene with a trimaran clipper ship using kite sails. I thought that was fiction but discovered its real. Its also better explored in Bacigalupi's YA novel Ship Breaker.
Dislikes: Genetic engineering not logically applied (wouldn't it be easier to tinker with plants over elephants?); international organizations continue in the face of impossible odds (WTO without fast communications?) and mass starvation; very uncomfortable scene in a sex show for Emiko; death of one of the more sympathetic characters; the book being characterized as hard SF (its not).
Overall, I liked it. I wouldn't buy it in hardcover again. As a trade, library loan or a mass market paperback, sure. I'd suggest this to fans of River of Gods, Cyberabad Days, 1984, Brave New World, Lacy and His Friends, Ship of Fools, fans of Alastair Reynolds and dystopian fiction in general.
I do not give up very often on a book. This was hard to get through. I gave up so did my wife.
Fantastic. The best SF book I've read in a long time!
Thought i just needed to read on to where it got good, but never happened.
Somewhat let down over a hyped book. Average overall story.
But, very well written and easy to read and does have some interesting concepts and ideas.
But, very well written and easy to read and does have some interesting concepts and ideas.
WARNING: THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!
Bacigalupi is a fantastic writer. He creates vivid, unique characters who live in a complicated, believable world and like all the best speculative fiction writers, he takes elements of our current world (in this case, GMO food and peak oil) and extrapolates a possible, terrifying future out of them.
Unfortunately, all that talent produced a story that I absolutely hated and characters I loathed (the only exceptions were Emiko and Jaidee). This was a story about selfish, greedy, short-sighted people looking to enslave an entire country to corporations that unleash genetically engineered plagues and famines that have killed untold numbers of people, all in an effort to create dependency on their products. This was a frustrating, depressing, and annoying read.
Bacigalupi is a fantastic writer. He creates vivid, unique characters who live in a complicated, believable world and like all the best speculative fiction writers, he takes elements of our current world (in this case, GMO food and peak oil) and extrapolates a possible, terrifying future out of them.
Unfortunately, all that talent produced a story that I absolutely hated and characters I loathed (the only exceptions were Emiko and Jaidee). This was a story about selfish, greedy, short-sighted people looking to enslave an entire country to corporations that unleash genetically engineered plagues and famines that have killed untold numbers of people, all in an effort to create dependency on their products. This was a frustrating, depressing, and annoying read.
Really interesting world setting. The ideas about energy creation in an apocalyptic future were amazing. However, the book is not exactly a page turner because none of the characters are fully realized and frankly, not easy to care for. However for sheer inventiveness, I would recommend it.
Interesting story but I was disappointed in the ending.
