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ceczerpak's review against another edition
adventurous
inspiring
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
forwalaka's review against another edition
4.0
Милая незамысловатая история о нищем мальчике и богатой девочке, дружбе и верности. 3,5.
davechua's review against another edition
5.0
A vividly imagined YA SF novel set in a dystopian future, where ship breaking crews break down tankers in America's East Coast. Highly reccomended and a superb job of world building by Hugo and Nebula award winner Bacigalupi.
jobird's review against another edition
2.0
There is nothing wrong with the story or how everything unfolds. It is filled with great characters and the story develops into a great adventure but I think I am too old for its target audience. I think a 13 to 15 year old boy would love this story. I just wanted more from it. More emotion and character development. I also think it would have been amazing if it changed point of views. I want to know more about certain characters and reasons behind their actions. I loved the world that was created. And the writing style was so easy to get sucked into. It just wasn't for me. :(
mayhap's review against another edition
4.0
I enjoyed this book a lot more than its older half-sister, [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425]. (Not that I hated that book, by any means! I just don't completely get the level of adulation!) Pacigalupi's strengths shine (rustily, like the gorgeous dust jacket) in the crucible format of YA lit.
Pair with [a:Scott Westerfeld|13957|Scott Westerfeld|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1199748511p2/13957.jpg]'s Ugliesverse for an interesting compare/contrast.
Pair with [a:Scott Westerfeld|13957|Scott Westerfeld|http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1199748511p2/13957.jpg]'s Ugliesverse for an interesting compare/contrast.
jgaton's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5, rounded up to 4.
I would categorize this as the YA entry in Bacigalupi's post-oil-contraction-world canon. It was a quick and energetic read, neither as in-depth nor as disturbing/thought provoking as [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425] or the relevant short stories in [b:Pump Six and Other Stories|2819368|Pump Six and Other Stories|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298992600s/2819368.jpg|2845301]. Make no mistake: it's the same desperate world. The hard edges & dark undercurrents are present, but being that the book is aimed at a younger audience, they're not dealt with as explicitly as in other entries to this canon.
I really, really like* Bacigalupi's vision and realization of a post-oil world. He has named the prior age (our present) the "Accelerated Age," in this book, and I think it's apt. As a gateway book, [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/611f9eWG9ZL._SL75_.jpg|7352929] is very good. It's not the best I've read from this author, but I enjoyed it. I would like to see the author flesh out this world for the YA audience - more novels from different characters in differing places/circumstances. Maybe a collection of YA short stories, even. He has clearly spent a lot of time & effort building this future world; I hope he continues to explore it from different perspectives.
* I don't actually like the world he has created - it's terrifying on a lot of levels. But I like how thoroughly he's fleshed it out. This is very, very excellent world-building on the whole.
I would categorize this as the YA entry in Bacigalupi's post-oil-contraction-world canon. It was a quick and energetic read, neither as in-depth nor as disturbing/thought provoking as [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425] or the relevant short stories in [b:Pump Six and Other Stories|2819368|Pump Six and Other Stories|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1298992600s/2819368.jpg|2845301]. Make no mistake: it's the same desperate world. The hard edges & dark undercurrents are present, but being that the book is aimed at a younger audience, they're not dealt with as explicitly as in other entries to this canon.
I really, really like* Bacigalupi's vision and realization of a post-oil world. He has named the prior age (our present) the "Accelerated Age," in this book, and I think it's apt. As a gateway book, [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/611f9eWG9ZL._SL75_.jpg|7352929] is very good. It's not the best I've read from this author, but I enjoyed it. I would like to see the author flesh out this world for the YA audience - more novels from different characters in differing places/circumstances. Maybe a collection of YA short stories, even. He has clearly spent a lot of time & effort building this future world; I hope he continues to explore it from different perspectives.
* I don't actually like the world he has created - it's terrifying on a lot of levels. But I like how thoroughly he's fleshed it out. This is very, very excellent world-building on the whole.
rickwren's review against another edition
4.0
Even though this is written as a Young Adult book, it's a small jump to place the story within the universe Bacigalupi created for Wind-Up Girl.
Post-Petroleum, Environmentally devastated, impoverished future.
All he did was make the protagonist young and bring the concerns of adolescence to the forefront. It works and I liked it.
His future is well grounded in the realities of today. Storms are getting stronger, more volatile and frequent. Children are forced to dig through refuse in many parts of the world to obtain food or the resources to trade for food and shelter. Genetics is progressing and humans are destined for change. It's a what-could-be story. It's a what-the-hell-are-we-doing-to-ourselves story.
It's a good story and I look forward to more.
Post-Petroleum, Environmentally devastated, impoverished future.
All he did was make the protagonist young and bring the concerns of adolescence to the forefront. It works and I liked it.
His future is well grounded in the realities of today. Storms are getting stronger, more volatile and frequent. Children are forced to dig through refuse in many parts of the world to obtain food or the resources to trade for food and shelter. Genetics is progressing and humans are destined for change. It's a what-could-be story. It's a what-the-hell-are-we-doing-to-ourselves story.
It's a good story and I look forward to more.
easmith5's review against another edition
In this well written novel, the income gap between the wealthy and the poor has swollen to a canyon that separates the population. The oil-dependent world has become a wasteland where scavengers do what they can to survive. This book illustrates the difficulty that can come with this life, and the choice we all have to make.
noelishi's review against another edition
3.0
No es un libro que me haya llegado demasiado. El género me gusta, pero no he conectado con los personajes y los escenarios me han parecido muy monótono; el ambiente en general era monótono. Me esperaba un poco más de acción y creo que la historia podría haberse estirado y aprovechado muchísimo más.
En cuanto al estilo del escritor (este ha sido mi primer libro suyo), pienso que es cotidiano e informal, acorde con la historia.
La traducción en general me parece bastante buena, con un lenguaje muy natural, el traductor consigue mantenerse bastante "invisible".
Por último, he encontrado varias erratas y errores en la edición de este ejemplar, por lo que creo que se debería de tener especial cuidado por parte del revisor.
En cuanto al estilo del escritor (este ha sido mi primer libro suyo), pienso que es cotidiano e informal, acorde con la historia.
La traducción en general me parece bastante buena, con un lenguaje muy natural, el traductor consigue mantenerse bastante "invisible".
Por último, he encontrado varias erratas y errores en la edición de este ejemplar, por lo que creo que se debería de tener especial cuidado por parte del revisor.
bmarrs92's review against another edition
4.0
Interesting book. It is set in the future, after climate change has caused the sea levels to rise and civilization is scrambling to stay afloat. Lots of violence and in this book, but it adds to the story and is not over the top. I would recommend this book to students who enjoy science fiction and are interested in the effects of climate change. This is the first in the series.
2010
Science Fiction
2010
Science Fiction