Book Review: Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi

In a Tea Party future (no more ice caps, oil, or middle class), a young man takes his shot at a better life.



Little, Brown and Company, 2010, 336 pages

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota - and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.

( Smart, fast-paced dystopian science fiction, better than most of the genre, but not as popular because there's no love triangle. )

Verdict: Bacigalupi is an award-winning author and I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've read by him. Ship Breaker hits Bacigalupi's usual themes of global warming, post-oil scarcity, genetic engineering, and an eco-punk sensibility, but wraps it in a brisk story that will appeal to teens and adults. It's a bit trendy, since the shelves are full of YA dystopian SF right now, but it's intelligent and engaging and stands up on its own as good SF. I liked it, and would have loved it when I was younger.

Also by Paolo Bacigalupi: My review of The Windup Girl.

Book Review: Ship Breaker, by Paolo Bacigalupi

In a Tea Party future (no more ice caps, oil, or middle class), a young man takes his shot at a better life.



Little, Brown and Company, 2010, 336 pages

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota - and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.

In this powerful novel, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi delivers a thrilling, fast-paced adventure set in a vivid and raw, uncertain future.

( Smart, fast-paced dystopian science fiction, better than most of the genre, but not as popular because there's no love triangle. )

Verdict: Bacigalupi is an award-winning author and I've enjoyed pretty much everything I've read by him. Ship Breaker hits Bacigalupi's usual themes of global warming, post-oil scarcity, genetic engineering, and an eco-punk sensibility, but wraps it in a brisk story that will appeal to teens and adults. It's a bit trendy, since the shelves are full of YA dystopian SF right now, but it's intelligent and engaging and stands up on its own as good SF. I liked it, and would have loved it when I was younger.

Also by Paolo Bacigalupi: My review of The Windup Girl.