‘The Windup Girl,’ by Paolo Bacigalupi

Novel, 2009

Science-fiction dystopia, with some great ideas and scenes set around the precarious management and incipient crash of ecosystems and food chains, but one whose cast of characters, intrigues, adventures and interventions immediately dazzle, then quickly confuse the reader. This may be a book suited to the hardwired genre reader adept to retaining a good deal of information about myriad characters and situations, but others may struggle. I struggled. Some good character exposition, mainly around the titular windup girl, and the plant employees, but this all comes after one too many civic uprisings, put downs and trade negotiations. Prescient for our times, though a bit of a slog.

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