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kitsuneheart's review against another edition
There's this certain idea bemoaned by the "intelligentsia" that educated people wait to have children and only have one or two while the uneducated people have kids early and often. Which is a really, really screwed up thing to say, but "Pump Six" takes that idea and makes it true.
Set in a near future, this story features a society almost entirely populated by "trogs," humans who are one step removed from being beasts. They rut in the street, can barely talk (if they can at all), and there are more every day. One man working in the water sanitation facility finds that one of their machines has broken down, and he must find someone in the city who is still capable of understanding and fixing things, before everything breaks and the city's water is contaminated beyond recovery.
It's crude, but with purpose. Without the crudities, the society Bacigalupi has constructed wouldn't seem to be in nearly such dire straits. By the time you get to the end, you'll maybe be reconsidering your own reproductive options. Or maybe you'll just switch back to bottled water.
Set in a near future, this story features a society almost entirely populated by "trogs," humans who are one step removed from being beasts. They rut in the street, can barely talk (if they can at all), and there are more every day. One man working in the water sanitation facility finds that one of their machines has broken down, and he must find someone in the city who is still capable of understanding and fixing things, before everything breaks and the city's water is contaminated beyond recovery.
It's crude, but with purpose. Without the crudities, the society Bacigalupi has constructed wouldn't seem to be in nearly such dire straits. By the time you get to the end, you'll maybe be reconsidering your own reproductive options. Or maybe you'll just switch back to bottled water.
spikeanderson1's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent, all A or A+ stories, with only two B's. What great range and depth Bacigalupi has- he has become one of my favorites. I will eagerly await anything that he publishes.
natidelgadov's review against another edition
3.0
Al leer este libro me encontré con relatos súper buenos y otros que me aburrieron, pero creo que la intención que tenía era el autor se cumplió en cada uno de ellos, esta consistía en hacernos reflexionar acerca de las consecuencias a las que podíamos llegar si no cuidamos nuestro planeta y si no cambiamos la forma de ver el mundo.
casualperson196's review against another edition
3.0
The stories are a bit too hit or miss for me to give my full recommendation, but the ones that were a hit are well worth the read for anybody looking for a bleak, dystopian tale. Although, I had to skip "pop squad" because of the subject being too graphic for it's own good.
maxwell_irl's review against another edition
5.0
Bacigalupi paints a grim near future colored by post-humanism, hyper-capitalism, and ecological catastrophe in PUMP SIX. Beyond the titular short, THE PEOPLE OF SAND AND SLAG, POP SQUAD, and YELLOW CARD MAN stand out as especially memorable pieces.
This book is a must-read for sci-fi short fiction aficionados!
This book is a must-read for sci-fi short fiction aficionados!
humanignorance's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars. The author’s visions of the future are relentlessly and severely pessimistic. It’s extreme, and not for the faint of heart. The worlds are very effectively built in a short space, though this occasionally occurs at the expense of the plots. Still, overall, the narratives are gritty, compelling, and cautionary.
hank's review against another edition
4.0
For me it is tough to give short story collections a 5 star rating, invariably there are one or two that I don't love and I think 5 stars should be enjoyable throughout. Regardless of the paltry 4 star rating, there are several stories in here that are fantastic. The Fluted Girl, Softer and Pump Six were my favorites, disturbing but awesome. I am probably revealing a part of my personality that shouldn't see the light but I found Softer hilarious....
*spoiler*
A story about a guy who smothers his wife and then muses on what it means to him and what he should do now. How Bacigalupi wrote utter banality into a murder is beyond me, it worked for my tortured mind and I loved it.
*spoiler*
A story about a guy who smothers his wife and then muses on what it means to him and what he should do now. How Bacigalupi wrote utter banality into a murder is beyond me, it worked for my tortured mind and I loved it.
misterjay's review against another edition
4.0
Pocketful of Dharma
- What happens when a street urchin comes into possession of the stolen personality of the Dalai Llama? The background is more fascinating than the story itself, with skyrises building themselves out of smart matter and factions warring for control of religion itself. 3/5
The Fluted Girl
- The story of a girl and her sister who have been turned into living, breathing musical instruments at the behest of their actress ruler. Fantastically detailed, the story presents an idea of the world past ours, where stock is traded in people's careers, giving those individuals the power of absolute monarchy over others and owing allegience to those above them in turn. 5/5
The People of Slag and Sand
- Fascinating look at post-apocalyptic, post-singularity life and what happens when the past is made real. Also, it's kind of sad and is probably best avoided by anyone who owns a dog. 4/5
The Pasho
- One of the things I most admire (ok, envy) about Pagliacci's writing is his ability to create a world through the delicate application of minor details. He does so especially well in this story, evoking a far-future, post-apocalyptic world with the careful application of a few invented words and a few re-purposed ones. Then, after all that careful world-building, the story seems to happen almost as an afterthought; the world shows us a small, familiar little story. One that has played out thousands of times over millennia. It's a story about what it means to belong. And it's the story of all that happens between elders and prodigal children and what happens when they return. 5/5
The Calorie Man
- This story is set in the same future as that of The Wind-Up Girl. It is just as powerful and not quite as bleak. Once again, the setting is evocative of our past and a looming future at the same time. Fossil fuels have been used up and due to widespread 'plagues' most of the worlds' farmland has been rendered sterile, meaning that people have to work as near-indentured servants to the calorie companies, who own the patents to plague resistant crops. It's really well done. 4/5
The Tamarisk Hunter
- Set in the Arizona desert after the water wars have started and California has ended up more or less triumphant, The Tamarisk Hunter tells the story of a man trying to make a life for himself. It's a little sad and bleak and soft, but it's good. 4/5
Pop Squad
- Perhaps one of the most brutal stories I've ever read, one in which the hero is more guilty than those he interacts with. I have to say, I had a very hard time reading through this; it is dark, and disturbing. 4/5
Yellow Card Man
- Another story from the world of The Wind-Up Girl. It is just as well written, just as fluent in the language of the future, but even darker in tone and resolution. 3/5
Softer
- Softer is perhaps the least fantastic and least accessible story in the collection. It is dark and brutal, but in a soft, smiling manner that leaves the reader with the coldest of chills. 3/5
Pump Six
- Perhaps my favorite story in the collection, Pump Six treads a fine line between both the comic and tragic aspects of a future in which humanity is regressing far faster than anyone could possible have imagined. And yet hope is not lost. Not yet. Not while there are still books and those who know how to read them. 5/5
Small Offerings
- The last half of this collection seems to be almost an exercise in out brutalizing the stories that came before, and they were none too gentle to begin with. This story, too, is hard, and cruel, but for all the best possible reasons; all the brutality is committed by those who are acting on your best interest. Just listen to them and do what the doctors tell you and everything will be alright. 4/5
- What happens when a street urchin comes into possession of the stolen personality of the Dalai Llama? The background is more fascinating than the story itself, with skyrises building themselves out of smart matter and factions warring for control of religion itself. 3/5
The Fluted Girl
- The story of a girl and her sister who have been turned into living, breathing musical instruments at the behest of their actress ruler. Fantastically detailed, the story presents an idea of the world past ours, where stock is traded in people's careers, giving those individuals the power of absolute monarchy over others and owing allegience to those above them in turn. 5/5
The People of Slag and Sand
- Fascinating look at post-apocalyptic, post-singularity life and what happens when the past is made real. Also, it's kind of sad and is probably best avoided by anyone who owns a dog. 4/5
The Pasho
- One of the things I most admire (ok, envy) about Pagliacci's writing is his ability to create a world through the delicate application of minor details. He does so especially well in this story, evoking a far-future, post-apocalyptic world with the careful application of a few invented words and a few re-purposed ones. Then, after all that careful world-building, the story seems to happen almost as an afterthought; the world shows us a small, familiar little story. One that has played out thousands of times over millennia. It's a story about what it means to belong. And it's the story of all that happens between elders and prodigal children and what happens when they return. 5/5
The Calorie Man
- This story is set in the same future as that of The Wind-Up Girl. It is just as powerful and not quite as bleak. Once again, the setting is evocative of our past and a looming future at the same time. Fossil fuels have been used up and due to widespread 'plagues' most of the worlds' farmland has been rendered sterile, meaning that people have to work as near-indentured servants to the calorie companies, who own the patents to plague resistant crops. It's really well done. 4/5
The Tamarisk Hunter
- Set in the Arizona desert after the water wars have started and California has ended up more or less triumphant, The Tamarisk Hunter tells the story of a man trying to make a life for himself. It's a little sad and bleak and soft, but it's good. 4/5
Pop Squad
- Perhaps one of the most brutal stories I've ever read, one in which the hero is more guilty than those he interacts with. I have to say, I had a very hard time reading through this; it is dark, and disturbing. 4/5
Yellow Card Man
- Another story from the world of The Wind-Up Girl. It is just as well written, just as fluent in the language of the future, but even darker in tone and resolution. 3/5
Softer
- Softer is perhaps the least fantastic and least accessible story in the collection. It is dark and brutal, but in a soft, smiling manner that leaves the reader with the coldest of chills. 3/5
Pump Six
- Perhaps my favorite story in the collection, Pump Six treads a fine line between both the comic and tragic aspects of a future in which humanity is regressing far faster than anyone could possible have imagined. And yet hope is not lost. Not yet. Not while there are still books and those who know how to read them. 5/5
Small Offerings
- The last half of this collection seems to be almost an exercise in out brutalizing the stories that came before, and they were none too gentle to begin with. This story, too, is hard, and cruel, but for all the best possible reasons; all the brutality is committed by those who are acting on your best interest. Just listen to them and do what the doctors tell you and everything will be alright. 4/5
blairconrad's review against another edition
3.0
Chock full of interesting ideas, and glimpses into richly imagined worlds and settings. Grim though. Super grim. The Wind-up Girl universe-set stories were very good, as was "The Fluted Girl". And I really enjoyed "The Pasho". Right up until the end. If only things weren't so bleak, and in many cases the characters so reprehensible.
"Softer", though should've been left out. It didn't fit the speculative fiction theme and was just… disturbing. Not entirely without merit, but not something I wanted to read.
I wouldn't necessarily say no to reading [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425], but I'd at least find out if there's an ounce of human kindness in it before I did.
"Softer", though should've been left out. It didn't fit the speculative fiction theme and was just… disturbing. Not entirely without merit, but not something I wanted to read.
I wouldn't necessarily say no to reading [b:The Windup Girl|6597651|The Windup Girl|Paolo Bacigalupi|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1278940608s/6597651.jpg|6791425], but I'd at least find out if there's an ounce of human kindness in it before I did.