The Water Knife

Usually, I find Paolo Bacigalupi's adult genre novels to be five-star events. For this reviewer, that was not the case. In some ways, this is a brilliant vision of a dystopian future for the world, focused in the southwest areas of the United States. As several reviewers say on the book's page on Amazon, the book does bring to mind the movie "Chinatown." That's a pretty hefty comparison. And, for the most part, the comparison is apt as the book lives up to the expectations brought to mind by that comparison.This is, without question, a genre bending event. It is dystopian, noir, speculative (science) fiction. The noir aspect is most prominent including the almost thoughtless violence. I felt that there was just a bit too much of that graphic violence, and that is why I docked the book one star. Make no mistake, this is a superb, well thought out speculation as to a very possible dystopian society evolving from the one that can be found now in the U.S. The reader is asked to accept a world in which water is more valuable than gold, and that means that whomever holds the water rights to any body of water, be it river, lake, pond, etc., is in possession of great wealth. Just as in the past of this part of the country, it was land that was fought over for grazing rights, farming rights and so forth, so it is with water rights in PB's dark vision of the not-too-distant future.His main characters are all well developed, with only the character of the "baddie in chief", Catherine Vegas, coming close to being stereotyped.The title, "The Water Knife", refers to the character Angel Velasquez, who is an enforcer for Catherine Vegas, "the Queen of Colorado," in this case referring more to river than the state.Water knives are brutal, almost sociopathic former military or cartel type thugs who are responsible for securing and protecting water rights held by their employers. Angel is thought to be the toughest of them all. The plot centers around the battle between Las Vegas and Phoenix for survival and involves a rumor that documentation exists that is so old that if found and valid, would save Phoenix and put a huge dent in Ms Vegas' empire.Bacigalupi's skill at putting the reader right in the middle of extremely desolate scenery inhabited by equally extremely desperate civilians living in those places, is unmatched. His descriptions of the despair and violence are terrifying, made more so by their credibility.A side plot involves the hatred of Texans who have migrated further west out of desperation. They are so hated because they put an even greater strain on the supplies of what water is available.As always is the case with PB's writing, it is his well-developed, disparate and believable characters and their various relationships that really carry this book and make it such a great read. He shows how certain relationships can transform despair into hope, and survival at a distance type relationships into relationships featuring various forms of love, be it agapé or romantic or merely utilitarian. It is the transformative effect that makes possible the surprising and unexpectedly gratifying ending to the novel. If you can stand the graphic violence, this is a great read. Potential readers with weaker stomachs may want to take a pass. Overall, very highly recommended.

After reading The Windup Girl and Pump Six and Other Stories, I was really looking forward to reading the next Paolo Bacigalupi book on my list. I am pleased to report that The Water Knife definitely lived up to my expectations.The Water Knife is set in an all-too-believable dystopian future where global warming and overconsumption of water have lead to widespread water shortages in the American Southwest. “Widespread water shortages” is an understatement. The entire region is practically in a state of civil war. California, Nevada, and Arizona are fighting in the courts and sometimes in the streets to secure access to what little water remains. Politicians, businesspeople, organized crime networks, refugees, and other everyday citizens are all struggling in their own interrelated ways to survive and get ahead in the often violent and cruel circumstances of what’s left of human civilization.This novel works on many levels — and works on all of those levels quite successfully.The basic elements that I would expect of almost any good narrative are all strong here. The plot, characters, and setting are all complex and compelling. I often do my reading in fairly short bursts, and I found myself wanting to extend my reading time for as long as possible. Some narratives — even some really good narratives — rely heavily on one or two of these elements to carry the story. But the plot, characters, and setting all work together brilliantly, like complex parts of a well-oiled machine driving the narrative forward to its conclusion.Bacigalupi is especially good at getting inside of each viewpoint character’s head, bringing the reader into their inner world, and using their perspective to reveal some very vivid and intense imagery. Anyone can tell the reader what the character is experiencing, but few authors can describe it so well that the reader feels like they’re right there along with the character, experiencing all of the joys and horrors (let’s be honest — mostly horrors in this case) that the character experiences. When I read the Water Knife, I feel like I’ve been transported into a very real apocalyptic future — a feeling that is terrifying on some level, but eminently rewarding as a reader.The precise apocalyptic nature of the Water Knife is actually somewhat uncommon. This is what I’ve come to think of as a “mid-apocalyptic” or simply “apocalyptic” narrative rather than a “post-apocalyptic” one. In post-apocalyptic narratives, human society has collapsed entirely, leaving behind small to mid-sized bands of desperate individuals struggling to survive in the aftermath. Post-apocalyptic narratives are popular nowadays, and most stories I’ve come across lately are either post-apocalyptic or non-apocalyptic.Water Knife is something in between. It offers a glimpse of an American society that is well on its way to complete collapse, but still not fully gone. To an extent, there is still a society similar to what exists today — a civil government with various government agencies, a market economy dominated various large corporations, information and communication technologies, etc. People in power are still trying to maintain the appearance that society has not, in fact, collapsed. But in a very real sense, it’s all either broken or falling apart. For large groups of people, it has already failed, leaving them in fringe situations that we would normally associate with a post-apocalyptic setting. This middle ground between today’s society and a future post-apocalyptic society is a very rich space for exploring the problems of today and the direction in which they may be taking us.What I find most rewarding about this novel is the importance of its central themes of water scarcity and global warming. Bacigalupi doesn’t seem to be pushing any single solution or course of action here in the present day. However, presenting the potential horrors of where we’re headed in graphic detail is enough to inspire anyone with half a brain and half a heart to give some serious thought to what we can do in the here and now to avoid water wars and climate catastrophe. Bacigalupi takes some very important concerns facing the world today and turns them into a compelling narrative that will entertain (and perhaps even inspire) many people who otherwise might not give much thought to these concerns. Good fiction doesn’t always need a deep message about today’s society — but it doesn’t hurt, and those are some of my favorite narratives. Bacigalupi’s approach to the task of writing such narratives is among the best I’ve seen. I definitely recommend the Water Knife to other readers and look forward to reading more of his work!

We depend on water. Without water there is no life, no future. In this tangled plot, set in a time of extreme water shortage, water rights are the keys that keep the US desert states alive. Water rights and state borders are defended by militia and the key players are the Water Knives.

complex, "soon future" SF , could easily e a companion piece to his other works , set in a world troubled by global warming , shifting populations and poverty , this time in south west USA , extrapolating water-wars along ( and for ) the Colorado river . The hero is not a particularly nice guy, there are a lot of morally ambiguous decisions that need to be made , and it's difficult to know who is in the right - as is likely to be the case when this kicks off in earnest. This should be a contender for all sorts of prizes this year , who knows..

Another great read, he imagines possible future scenarios in fantastic and believable detail, as you read you are thinking, yes, it really could turn out like this...In this book water shortages in the southern states in the US are taken to "a" logical conclusion and are the backdrop for a story about love and friendship and expediency.Paolo's books are so good I don't even read the blurb anymore, I just buy them.

I enjoyed this near-future dystopian novel, set in a fragmenting United States in which individual states are in armed conflict over water. It's not as well-written as 'The Windup Girl' but the world he's constructed is equally plausible. Made me think more about water, and want to read Cadillac Desert, to which it refers several times.

interesting premise; what does happen when the water really does run out in the south west of the US? Some quite clever plot devices like that keep it moving. Perhaps a slightly derivative style and some of the lesser imaginings in this SF book are rather familiar from other writers, and the characters can be slightly cardboard cut outs. But overall worth the read, and keeps you reading until the end.