review by Nalini Haynes
The Drowned Cities is another book set in a world not unlike Windup Girl, which I loved.
Drowned Cities is the story of two teenagers. Mahlia is a half-caste who had her right hand chopped off, and Mouse is an optimistic kid who rescued Mahlia before the story began. They accidentally disturb Tool, a genetically engineered soldier who is part human, part animal.
The story is set in southern USA after climate change has caused seas to rise. The remnants of their world are not unlike war-torn areas in Africa or the Middle-East, creating both the setting and the plot for this story. Bacigalupi brings this culture of war to life vividly, challenging people to think, to really think, about what is going on in the world today.
Highly recommended dystopian SF.
PS I had pneumonia when I read Drowned Cities. While ill I couldn’t write a review to save myself and by the time I recovered I had a pile of books to review that was so high it was in danger of toppling over. Reviews written at that time tend to be shorter than usual.
