In a near future American Southwest plagued by drought and water scarcity, "The Water Knife" by Paolo Bacigalupi weaves a tale of suspense, mystery, and dystopia. The story follows characters like Angel Velasquez, a water knife, journalist Lucy, and Texan refugee Maria as they navigate a world where water has become the most valuable commodity, leading to intense battles over water rights and survival. Bacigalupi's writing style paints a vivid and realistic picture of a society on the brink of collapse due to environmental disasters and human greed, with elements of crime noir and techno-thriller adding depth to the narrative.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include graphic violence, torture, murder, sexual content, and depictions of exploitation.
From The Publisher:
WATER IS POWER
In the near future, the Colorado River has dwindled to a trickle. Detective, assassin, and spy, Angel Velasquez "cuts" water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, ensuring that its lush arcology developments can bloom in Las Vegas. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in Phoenix, Angel is sent south, hunting for answers that seem to evaporate as the heat index soars and the landscape becomes more and more oppressive. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with her own agenda, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas migrant, who dreams of escaping north. As bodies begin to pile up, the three find themselves pawns in a game far bigger and more corrupt than they could have imagined, and when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only truth in the desert is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink.
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1 comment(s)
I like this book's take on the relativism of "good" behavior. It is difficult to define the good guys and the bad guys. While shooting someone over a piece of paper is certainly not good, behaviors like that are seated in the greater context of a war over water in the American southwest. As Angel, the water knife, says, if Phoenix gets water then Vegas dries up. There is no longer enough to go around and for one person to drink, another has to bleed. Is there room for idealism in a world like this? The shocking ending will have you questioning what you think the right thing to do is.
I also love the way characters develop through interaction. When Angel meets Maria, we realize he has a soft spot for the underdog despite his violent and terror-filled life. When Maria meets Lucy, our expectations for that underdog are upended. Lucy herself is fascinating: a journalist with the choice to leave Phoenix and go back to New England, a place where it rains so much "even your underwear molds," she stays and decides to write about the bodies, covering stories that put her in danger. She joins the community of refugees and cast-outs, digging for stories about why Phoenix isn't rising, why it might never rise again. She is what would normally be the hero in this story; whether or not she actually is is left up to debate.
Over all, this is a scary look at something that could actually happen as a result of climate change. This isn't Mad Max; this is before the "apocalypse," when politicians are still able to leverage power for water, and a semblance of federal authority remains. This is a step on the way to anarchy, when state-sanctioned violence in the name of self-preservation pits Americans against each other.
What can you read after
The Water Knife?
About the Author:
PAOLO BACIGALUPI is a Hugo, Nebula, and Michael L. Printz Award winner, as well as a National Book Award finalist. He is also a winner of the Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award, the John W. Campbell Award, and a three-time winner of the Locus Award. His short fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and High Country News. He lives with his wife and son in western Colorado, where he is working on a new novel.
www.windupstories.com
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