You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
I enjoyed Ship Breaker but I think that this was even better! The world that Bacigalupi imagines, a future Waterworld-lite with the coastal cities "drowned", social structures breaking down and private armies/gangs running things is so realistically drawn that you can actually see it. This isn't a sequel to the first book, just an expansion on the world of Ship Breaker.
Here we are what I think is the former American South - Banyan Town is a small village trying to eke out a living while avoiding the violence that accompanies the marauding gangs of Army of God, UPF and other militia. These militia gangs are so similar to the Sudanese Lost Boys that it's a little painful to read. One such gang of UPF men/boys are hunting a half-man/part-wolf-bear-dog-tiger-hyena (named "Tool") when they find two "war maggots", Mahalia and Mouse. These two are squatting with Banyan Town's doctor, resented and feared by the other villagers.
One day the two children find Tool, nearly dead in a swamp but alive enough to capture them and attempt to kill the two. Mahalia's decision to try to save him, leaving Mouse behind as a hostage, sets the rest of the book in motion.
The questions of what loyalty you owe people (or, in Tool's terms, your pack), how far people will go to survive, and whether even truly hardened boy/men warriors can find mercy and redemption are all covered; no clear answers are given. This is definitely a Must Read for boys, book groups and lovers of dystopias.
ARC provided by publisher.
Here we are what I think is the former American South - Banyan Town is a small village trying to eke out a living while avoiding the violence that accompanies the marauding gangs of Army of God, UPF and other militia. These militia gangs are so similar to the Sudanese Lost Boys that it's a little painful to read. One such gang of UPF men/boys are hunting a half-man/part-wolf-bear-dog-tiger-hyena (named "Tool") when they find two "war maggots", Mahalia and Mouse. These two are squatting with Banyan Town's doctor, resented and feared by the other villagers.
One day the two children find Tool, nearly dead in a swamp but alive enough to capture them and attempt to kill the two. Mahalia's decision to try to save him, leaving Mouse behind as a hostage, sets the rest of the book in motion.
The questions of what loyalty you owe people (or, in Tool's terms, your pack), how far people will go to survive, and whether even truly hardened boy/men warriors can find mercy and redemption are all covered; no clear answers are given. This is definitely a Must Read for boys, book groups and lovers of dystopias.
ARC provided by publisher.
Badass, complicated main characters -- but, ultimately this book was too violent for me. Realistic for the setting, but still too much for me.
4.5 stars
Better than the first and a great standalone YA novel in its own right. The writing here had more of a hook than Bacigalupi's other novels that I've read. Mahlia is a really great, flawed character, and the world that she lives in is bleak and seems all too possible given the current political climate. I found the war imagery powerful, especially all the ways in which China in this novel is the America of today. It's particularly meaningful that the Drowned Cities are the D.C. area, since the situation that the citizens find themselves in is very similar to the situations of many people in developing countries around the world that America has a military presence in. The ideas here are a bit more mature than your typical YA novel.
Better than the first and a great standalone YA novel in its own right. The writing here had more of a hook than Bacigalupi's other novels that I've read. Mahlia is a really great, flawed character, and the world that she lives in is bleak and seems all too possible given the current political climate. I found the war imagery powerful, especially all the ways in which China in this novel is the America of today. It's particularly meaningful that the Drowned Cities are the D.C. area, since the situation that the citizens find themselves in is very similar to the situations of many people in developing countries around the world that America has a military presence in. The ideas here are a bit more mature than your typical YA novel.
Teen/Adult
Amazing, amazing. 24 hours after closing the covers and I can't stop thinking about it.
Props to Bacigalupi for keeping the ending as real and heartbreaking as the rest of the book. These children are not going to be redeemed. War has fundamentally changed them so it is fitting that their salvation finally comes in a brutal attack, not a rousing speech that makes those in power realize how misguided they have been.
Amazing, amazing. 24 hours after closing the covers and I can't stop thinking about it.
Props to Bacigalupi for keeping the ending as real and heartbreaking as the rest of the book. These children are not going to be redeemed. War has fundamentally changed them so it is fitting that their salvation finally comes in a brutal attack, not a rousing speech that makes those in power realize how misguided they have been.
The Drowned Cities is a companion novel set in the same world as, but story wise not relating to Paolo Bacigalupi's first novel, Ship Breaker. As someone whose found the most engaging aspect of Ship Breaker to be the harsh and creative setting, I was quite excited about exploring more of that setting in this follow up novel. The Drowned Cities did not disappoint me, expanding upon the political and warfaring factions attempting to regain control of these isolated parts of America, and showcasing the social prejudices created by the chaotic situation America finds itself in.
The plot of The Drowned Cities is much less focused than that of Ship Breaker's. Whereas the latter had one overarching goal throughout the entire book (get Nita back to her family so Nailer can get out of the scumhole he's living in) driving the decision making of the main characters, The Drowned Cities is more a window into the lives of Mahlia, Mouse and Tool, observing their actions as their situation continually changes. For the most part I enjoyed this shift in storytelling, as it allowed us to break the stereotypical PROTAGONIST ACCOMPLISHES X, ANTAGONIST GETS IN THE WAY AND IS HORRIBLE mold. The Drowned Cities doesn't really have a specifically evil antagonist. Bacigalupi does a really solid job of showing multiple sides of war. We start off with the prospective of Mahila and what side she perceives as "bad" but later on we get to see the people actually making up that group. Yes, there are still some terrible people and as a whole they are causing pain to innocents, but a lot of the soldiers just are trying to survive and truly care about their comrades. The thing that stands in the way of Mahila and company is less one specific person but more the situation the country finds itself in, peppered with some selfish and immoral people.
One minor thing, but between this novel and Ship Breaker, I found it a little strange that both novels contained pretty horrible father figures. Mahila's father is no where near the levels of Nailer's dad in terms of abuse, but his lack of caring for her as a person still felt quite similar. This isn't necessarily a negative to the book, I just found it strange that both of the novel's protagonists had horrible father figures.
Overall, if you enjoyed Ship Breaker, I think you will also enjoy The Drowned Cities. The ending cuts off rather abruptly but considering the lack of a strong driving plot, I wasn't too bothered by that. I shall be looking forward to more explorations into this series world and further novels by Mr. Bacigalupi.
The plot of The Drowned Cities is much less focused than that of Ship Breaker's. Whereas the latter had one overarching goal throughout the entire book (get Nita back to her family so Nailer can get out of the scumhole he's living in) driving the decision making of the main characters, The Drowned Cities is more a window into the lives of Mahlia, Mouse and Tool, observing their actions as their situation continually changes. For the most part I enjoyed this shift in storytelling, as it allowed us to break the stereotypical PROTAGONIST ACCOMPLISHES X, ANTAGONIST GETS IN THE WAY AND IS HORRIBLE mold. The Drowned Cities doesn't really have a specifically evil antagonist. Bacigalupi does a really solid job of showing multiple sides of war. We start off with the prospective of Mahila and what side she perceives as "bad" but later on we get to see the people actually making up that group. Yes, there are still some terrible people and as a whole they are causing pain to innocents, but a lot of the soldiers just are trying to survive and truly care about their comrades. The thing that stands in the way of Mahila and company is less one specific person but more the situation the country finds itself in, peppered with some selfish and immoral people.
One minor thing, but between this novel and Ship Breaker, I found it a little strange that both novels contained pretty horrible father figures. Mahila's father is no where near the levels of Nailer's dad in terms of abuse, but his lack of caring for her as a person still felt quite similar. This isn't necessarily a negative to the book, I just found it strange that both of the novel's protagonists had horrible father figures.
Overall, if you enjoyed Ship Breaker, I think you will also enjoy The Drowned Cities. The ending cuts off rather abruptly but considering the lack of a strong driving plot, I wasn't too bothered by that. I shall be looking forward to more explorations into this series world and further novels by Mr. Bacigalupi.
Not often a sequel is better than the first but this was so good! Can’t wait to read Tool of War!
An interesting follow-up to 'Ship Breaker, set in the same world (this time the civil war-torn US). If you enjoyed that, or the similarly-themed graphic novel 'DMZ', this will scratch your itch, while revealing more about the post ecocalypse world.
I really enjoyed Ship Breaker, and this book is a sort of companion story in the same universe. In that first book, the Drowned City (New Orleans) played the role of destination, standing in for the dystopian future and allowing the author to focus on character and story. In this book, the Cities are front and center and the characterizations not a strong. Still very good, but lacking a bit. Perhaps the more linear story is part of the problem, or maybe because this book is quite a bit darker.
It has been said that this book is Young Adult, and the main characters are all basically kids. In their situation, though, they are basically adults, and only in a few cases is a "kid-like" thought had. While dark, the book is not especially gory, and the Young Adult label is fine.
I look forward to reading some adult fiction from this author.
It has been said that this book is Young Adult, and the main characters are all basically kids. In their situation, though, they are basically adults, and only in a few cases is a "kid-like" thought had. While dark, the book is not especially gory, and the Young Adult label is fine.
I look forward to reading some adult fiction from this author.