Scan barcode
A review by chuskeyreads
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
4.0
To be honest, I only picked up this book because it won the Printz Award. The summary really doesn't do the book justice - it sounded a little boring. But when I began reading, I was sucked into Nailer's world of scavenging copper from old beached tankers. Most dystopian novels rely on their high tech schemes, but the setting for this novel far more interesting - pirates and beach shanties and clipper ships. The rusty, grimy living conditions added to the desperation of Nailer and his friends and heightened the action scenes.
There were are few places that were a little predictable and a few phrases that lost their luster from too much repetition (e.g. "blossoms of pain"), but overall the writing was well done. The descriptions of the people and the wrecked ship were quite visceral:
"The captain lay bloated, his face puffed and purpled, the sun baking and ruining his flesh.”
The part that struck me the most was the potential reality of the story - almost like a modern version of Lord of the Flies<\i> - kids willing to kill for survival.
On to the sequel . . .
There were are few places that were a little predictable and a few phrases that lost their luster from too much repetition (e.g. "blossoms of pain"), but overall the writing was well done. The descriptions of the people and the wrecked ship were quite visceral:
"The captain lay bloated, his face puffed and purpled, the sun baking and ruining his flesh.”
The part that struck me the most was the potential reality of the story - almost like a modern version of Lord of the Flies<\i> - kids willing to kill for survival.
On to the sequel . . .