Winding Up

io9's book recommendations have rarely called to me. While I adore the site, any group that thinks "Sandman Slim" is worth the time it took to put it on ink and paper is not a group I care to hear the opinion of.

At least I don't care to hear their literary preferences.

So when they recommended "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi, I was dubious.

Boredom and a desperate craving for some kind of new reading material that didn't suck made me pick up a copy. I thumbed through it. It seemed interesting.

I picked up a copy.

I've read a lot of comparisons between Bacigalupi and China Miéville. Frankly, I don't see it. I find Miéville to be an extremely-overrated author with a severe problem writing relatable fiction. Bacigalupi doesn't apppear to have that problem. He's created a terrifying not-too-distant future that's all too believable.

I'm not done with the book yet, so my opinion may well change, but so far this book's got me hooked and hooked bad. It's not a happy book by any stretch of imagination. It's pretty hard-core.

Makes it all the more satisfying.