And, embroiled in this volatile world are four important characters: Anderson Lake – a “Calorie Man” farang intent on discovering gene-ripping secrets for The Company. In this version of Thailand, tensions tear the nation from without and within – the government corrupt, the locals resentful of “yellow card” refugees and the encroaching farang (or foreigners), their factories, and their attempts to steal. The world as we know it has changed drastically – genetically engineered crops have fallen to strengthened, bio-engineered pests food is controlled by corporations fossil fuels are all but exhausted sea levels have risen and reclaimed incredible surface areas…Bacigalupi’s is a dying world. The Windup Girl is a futuristic dystopia, set in a shocking incarnation of Thailand.

But as a feature for this week, it falls a little short. That’s not to say that it isn’t a good book – because it is. Well folks, I’m a little chagrined to report: The Windup Girl really is not Steampunk.Īt least, it doesn’t fit in with my conceptualization of steampunk. Then, when I started to see it pop up on “Steampunk Essential Reading” lists, I was even more excited, and I set a firm date to read and review this highly anticipated release for Steampunk Week. Why did I read this book: Ever since I heard of The Windup Girl and saw it on numerous Best of 2009 lists, I have been dying to read this book.įirst things first – I had seen this book praised to the high heavens after its late 2009 release, and have been looking forward to reading it ever since.

Stand alone or series: Can be read as a stand alone novel, although it is set in the world of two of Bacigalupi’s short stories – “The Calorie Man” (Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007). What Happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits? And what happens when said bio-terrorism forces humanity to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of “The Calorie Man”( Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and “Yellow Card Man” (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these questions.

Tv tropes greed corp