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La Chica Mecánica (2009)

by Paolo Bacigalupi(Favorite Author)

3.73 of 5 Votes: 3

ISBN

8401339405 (ISBN13: 9788401339400)

languge

English

genre

Fantasy

publisher

Plaza & Janes Editories Sa

review 1: The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi has garnered much press as being one of the best Sci-Fi novels of 2009 but I have also read several reviews who feel it did not live up to their expectations. I can see why as this is not the easiest story to get absorbed into and enjoy. Initially I started reading the novel but stopped at the end of chapter one (page 20). I really felt bad about giving up on it so soon and not giving it a fair chance. Over the Christmas break I downloaded the Audio version and started over by listening to the novel.Normally I don’t mention the narrator until the end of the review but Jonathan Davis’ telling of this novel was absolutely incredible. His voice fit the story perfectly in that I felt like I someone was narrating movie instead of a novel.... more Mr. Davis’ inflections when different characters were speaking were pitch perfect. For example, Emiko is the windup girl in the novel but she is taught to obey and be subservient to humans. When Mr. Davis is speaking for Emiko he uses a very shy and quivering voice that elicits much sympathy for this character, which I guessing was the author’s intention. I suspect that I would have a hard time finishing this novel by just reading it, the audio made it much more highly entertaining.The Windup Girl is the “in vogue” type of Sci-Fi being published nowadays. They typically take place in the near future with society on the verge of collapsing. These stories are much more about social commentary than being the traditional space opera. The Windup Girl is in the same vein as The Children of Men by P. D. James or Brasyl by Ian McDonald.The Windup Girl takes place in a near future Thailand, which is one of the few surviving countries after plagues have wiped out most of the food and people. In addition, energy supplies have been used up with the very rich being the only ones that can afford these luxuries. With limited food and energy resources the world is going through a crisis causing the corporations to fight to get ahead by means necessary. The future is not so bright in The Windup Girl but you still need to wear shades.Thailand has survived by securing their borders from the world and using draconian measures whenever a problem arises. The arm of the government that has risen to power is the Environmental Ministry and their whiteshirts. When reports of a plague outbreak where discovered the whiteshirts would go into the area killing and burning everything. While this may seem harsh, it was effective in stopping the spread of diseases and limited the damage to small region. The Environmental Ministry and the whiteshirts were considered heroes for saving the country but that time has now passed since the plagues have not ravaged Thailand for several years.Since Thailand has been effectively stabilized, the whiteshirts have essentially turned into bullies as they shake down citizens for bribes. Jaidee is the current leader of the whiteshirts. He sees his country eroding back to the time of the plagues and turmoil by allowing farang (foreigners) into their country and by encouraging trade with them. Jaidee decides to make a stand against this tide but he oversteps his bounds which throws the country into a civil war.On the other side of the equation is Anderson Lake. He is a farang who is secretly in Thailand hunting down plague resistance food for the big corporations in the United States. Mr. Lake’s goal is to get access to the Thailand seed banks and discover the mastermind behind the successful gene manipulation. He forms a powerful alliance with the Trade Ministry, who are also looking to take down the powerful Environmental Ministry and their whiteshirts.In the middle of all this mess is Emiko, the windup girl. Emiko is a new person, meaning she was created by manipulating DNA to create a specific type of person. Her skin is near porcelain quality but this means she is unable to sweat which causes her to overheat in sweltering heat in Thailand. She is also trained to obey any command no matter how demeaning it is. Emiko is called a windup girl because of the tell tail herky-jerky movements that are part of being a new person. Emiko is forced to exist in a whorehouse and tolerate customers who are there only to demean her. When she learns that a society of free new people are living to the north of Thailand, Emiko is determined to break her chains and flee her dreary existence.A word of caution though, The Windup Girl is a very brutal story at times. There are several very descriptive rapes along with vicious killings that occur during this novel. It is very story relevant but not for the weak stomached.The plot is melded with scenery and background of this world to the point that they are equals within the story. In many ways this is a culture novel in that the reader will honestly believe that they exist inside the city along with characters. At times the descriptions become alittle monotonous and overblown but that is a small price to pay because the overall results are well worth it.Towards the end of the story one word came to my mind, epic. By this, I mean that this story is a classic telling of the rise and fall of civilization. Mr. Bacigalupi is willing to take chances by continuing to push his storyline further and further into an extremely disturbing conclusion. Overall, this novel is truly an excellent story and completely absorbing. It does take time for the story to pick up but when it does the narrative will suck you in.The Audio version of The Windup Girl is the perfect marriage between an author and narrator to create a very unique experience that will not be forgotten any time soon.
review 2: As the story picked up in the first couple of chapters, I wasn't sure whether I'd like it or not. Until I began seeing his characters fleshing out my uncertainty kept a toehold. As his people took shape, progressively revealing their part in the story, only then did I become confident that I wanted to read it through. It was the life conflicts of each character being woven into the strife of others' which truly took my breath away. Weaving together what each wanted or didn't into the emerging fabric of the story's own overarching schisms held me to the end. less

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