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abracapocus's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
cweichel's review against another edition
4.0
I believe the word dystopian was created to describe the Ship Breaker series. I thought the first was dark, but this one is even more distressing. It grabbed me in the same way as the first one did, but terrified me more. Perhaps it is because I listened to this one as an audiobook and it's harder to skip the really scary bits when they seem to be wired right into your ear. I admit to pulling my earbuds out and skipping to the next set more than once. Paolo Bacigalupi is amazing. I'm looking forward to The Windup Girl and hope it isn't so dystopian.
iguana_mama's review against another edition
4.0
Posted at Shelf Inflicted
Being unemployed can be nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to read a book all the way through, barely stopping for meals or a drink. Since this was such a page-turner, I surely would have been late to work or missed an appointment.
Though this is the sequel to [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327874074s/7095831.jpg|7352929], there is a different set of characters. Mahlia and Mouse are two young refugees who fled their home to escape the terrible violence going on in the Drowned Cities. Now they are in the care of Dr. Mahfouz, a man with a peaceful heart whose life is devoted to caring for others. Mahlia is invaluable as the doctor’s assistant, despite her lack of a right hand which was chopped off by the Army of God. Though they have a good life with the doctor, they are still outsiders, constantly reminded of the fact they are “castoffs” or “war maggots.”
Their lives change drastically when they discover the severely wounded Tool, who is a “half-man” engineered for war. Part tiger, part hyena, part dog, and part man, Tool has exceptional strength and endurance. He also has retained human characteristics, which makes him a really fascinating character.
Once Tool receives the antibiotics he needs to survive, the doctor decides to return to the village which is now overrun with soldiers and Mahlia has a choice to return to her village or to flee with Tool. Mouse returns to the village and finds his life is irrevocably changed, as he is armed, branded and now a soldier. Mahlia is strong, brave, determined and risks her life and safety to get Mouse back.
This story is not as action-packed as the first, but the character development is much stronger and the story is considerably darker. It explores the physical and psychological effects of war – on children, families, communities and infrastructure.
It is brutal, harrowing, sad, frightening, and humane. It lacked the fun and adventure of [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327874074s/7095831.jpg|7352929], but I was absorbed into the story instantly and unable to stop reading until I was done.
Because of the graphic situations, I would recommend this to older teens.
I love Bacigalupi’s writing and can’t wait to read his adult books!
Being unemployed can be nice. It’s been a long time since I’ve been able to read a book all the way through, barely stopping for meals or a drink. Since this was such a page-turner, I surely would have been late to work or missed an appointment.
Though this is the sequel to [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327874074s/7095831.jpg|7352929], there is a different set of characters. Mahlia and Mouse are two young refugees who fled their home to escape the terrible violence going on in the Drowned Cities. Now they are in the care of Dr. Mahfouz, a man with a peaceful heart whose life is devoted to caring for others. Mahlia is invaluable as the doctor’s assistant, despite her lack of a right hand which was chopped off by the Army of God. Though they have a good life with the doctor, they are still outsiders, constantly reminded of the fact they are “castoffs” or “war maggots.”
Their lives change drastically when they discover the severely wounded Tool, who is a “half-man” engineered for war. Part tiger, part hyena, part dog, and part man, Tool has exceptional strength and endurance. He also has retained human characteristics, which makes him a really fascinating character.
Once Tool receives the antibiotics he needs to survive, the doctor decides to return to the village which is now overrun with soldiers and Mahlia has a choice to return to her village or to flee with Tool. Mouse returns to the village and finds his life is irrevocably changed, as he is armed, branded and now a soldier. Mahlia is strong, brave, determined and risks her life and safety to get Mouse back.
This story is not as action-packed as the first, but the character development is much stronger and the story is considerably darker. It explores the physical and psychological effects of war – on children, families, communities and infrastructure.
It is brutal, harrowing, sad, frightening, and humane. It lacked the fun and adventure of [b:Ship Breaker|7095831|Ship Breaker (Ship Breaker, #1)|Paolo Bacigalupi|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327874074s/7095831.jpg|7352929], but I was absorbed into the story instantly and unable to stop reading until I was done.
Because of the graphic situations, I would recommend this to older teens.
I love Bacigalupi’s writing and can’t wait to read his adult books!
stephanielouise's review against another edition
4.0
This is how you write a post-apocalyptic novel. Simply excellent.
deliriousofi's review against another edition
3.0
This is one of the most horrifying books I’ve ever read; it affected me because it was true. It IS true. Not because the characters really existed, but because what happened to them is happening now, all over the world to children like them. Governments are collapsing, the climate is changing and warlords are destroying lives and vital infrastructure all across our world. This was a fictional story in a fictional future America but the experiences of Mahlia and Mouse and the countless other people in The Drowned Cities is a terrifying and accurate echo of what real people are experiencing every day. Villages are burned, children are forcefully recruited into militias and people are murdered and maimed. If you are struggling with feeling empathy for all those fellow human beings who are being terrorized right now, read this book and the compassion, empathy and anger will flow right in.
corar's review
5.0
I really liked what Bacigalupi did with this book. He did an excellent job of creating a future dystopian world set in what is now the United States that is really not much different than what is going on in other parts of the world today. In the case of The Drowned Cities, the issues he explores are climate change, children forced to become soldiers, and the politics of regions run by warring warlords. The attitude of the Peacekeepers (Chinese in this case) towards the local populations was a great commentary on how Western countries affect conflicts in our world today. The characters were great and their stories spoke to the tragedy of the situation they find themselves in. Although the story was very grim and the author did not shy away from the horrible parts of war, there was a bit of hope at the end. I hope that the author writes more about this world.
sarah_d's review
3.0
I didn't find this book as compelling as the first book but it was entertaining enough. I was hoping for more of Tool's story, especially after the first book, but I actually found him to be somewhat flat in this book and his character seemed a bit inconsistent. It was interesting to read more from this world, but I'm not sure whether I'd really care to read more.
martha_schwalbe's review
4.0
I can't wait to see how Bacigalupi links Ship Breaker and this book. This was a quick read, very violent but not in the same way as The Hunger Games and I compare these two because I saw somewhere to read this series after the Hunger Game series.