Reviews tagging 'Gun violence'

The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi

6 reviews

sr_marshrat's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

My favorite parts of Bacigalupi's works are his vividly believable dystopian landscapes, harsh predictions about the trajectory of our world if climate change is not addressed. But Water Knife's cautionary drought tale is overshadowed (and accordingly underdeveloped) by a James-Bond-style race-for-highly-valuable-object, rife with violence for shock value and improbable coicindences. What could have been a heart wrenching mystery centering on a tough-skinned orphan is instead a shallow action movie centered around two washed-up, and frankly less engaging, adults.
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rockin_robyn's review

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challenging dark reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

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ndyl's review

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dark fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

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carissa230's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

In the future water is a scarce resource. Angel is a water knife. He goes into states or areas where there is water and cuts their access to give it to his boss Catherine Case in Las Vegas. Las Vegas is resplendent with water. 

Maria is from Texas. The worst state for water access. Maria has fled to Phoenix. Phoenix is doing terrible, but better than Texas. Maria is running from The Vet. The man that runs Phoenix and takes the money that people are able to collect. She hustles for survival, but she's not desperate enough to sell her body...yet. 

Lucy is a journalist. Lucy has documented the downfall of Phoenix. Most recently a friend of hers is brutally murdered and she makes it her mission to find out why. Lucy has seen the worst aspects of Phoenix and yet she stays to ensure the information she is allowed to release gets out to people. 

When the three lives converge nothing will ever be the same. Angel and Lucy work together to see her friend was killed and find what he had that was so valuable. Maria just tries to survive and keep herself safe. 
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jrubi35's review

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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valyn_grebe's review

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adventurous dark sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

It was a bit slow at the beginning, but began to pick up after the first 100 pages.  It was interesting book about a possible future where climate change ravages America.
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