Status
Available
Call number
Publication
San Francisco : Night Shade Books, [2010]
Description
The eleven stories in Pump Six chart the evolution of Paolo Bacigalupi's work, including the Hugo nominated "Yellow Card Man," and the Sturgeon Award-winning story "The Calorie Man," both set in the world of his novel The Windup Girl. This collection also demonstrates the power and reach of the science fiction short story. Social criticism, political parable, and environmental advocacy lie at the center of Bacigalupi's work. Each of the stories herein is at once a warning and a celebration of the tragic comedy of the human experience.
User reviews
LibraryThing member jnwelch
Pump Six and Other Stories by Paolo Bacigalupi takes place in the world of his The Windup Girl, or similar future Earths. Those that liked The Windup Girl are likely to enjoy this collection of short stories, maybe even more so. Set in the future, they extrapolate from present day hot button issues
The stories are collected in order of publication. His earliest, "Pocketful of Dharma," improbably has the Dalai Lama confined in a data cube - what use is he in that form, and can he reincarnate? "The Fluted Girl" is haunting. A 1%-er has acquired two young girls and had their bones altered so that they can be "played" through engineered holes like a flute, inflicting a bizarre type of slavery.
In "The People of Sand and Slag," three future-time blue collar workers encounter a dog, an animal then only found in zoos. The tale lies in their attempts to understand the dog, and the effects of their god-like body modifications on their bonding with him. A disturbing story and one of the best in the book.
"The Pasho," set in an environmentally ruined future, features differences between a traditional desert culture that reminded me of Dune's Fremen, and a nearby "wet" and soft culture, with the title character trying to bridge the gap. "The Calorie Man" will ring bells with Windup Girl fans. It's also set in an environmentally damaged future, one ruled by corporations, and has a caper feel to it.
"The Tamarisk Hunter" is set in a water-deprived and -obsessed future California. The title character, a hunter of water-spoiling tamarisk shrubs/trees, has to address his increasing obsolescence. "Pop Squad" is a pretty heavy-handed, although thought-provoking, take on immortality and overpopulation, with the cop-like protagonist going after illegal mothers.
"Yellow Card Man" is another one set in the world of The Windup Girl. A businessman who once ran a global enterprise was ousted in a revolution for being a foreigner, and is reduced to starving circumstances. How far will he go to survive, and must he subjugate himself to a dishonest man he once fired?
"Softer" is the most straightforward of the stories, and could be set in contemporary times. A man impulsively kills his wife, and then deals with the aftermath.
The title story "Pump Six," involves the environmentally-caused descent into idiocy of most humans, with the competent main character trying to save New York City's falling apart sewer system (critical to preventing further toxic harm) while surrounded by the ignorant and devolved.
The final story, "Small Offerings," is a brief disturbing story about the effect of environmental toxins on childbearing.
As you can tell, this isn't a light-hearted collection. But the author is someone who has thought a good deal about where we may be headed. The variety is impressive, and the stories are moralistic, if that's the word, in the ways of authors like Bradbury and Phillp K. Dick. They are concise and reach resolution in the way the best short stories do. Followers of this interesting author will get sucked right in, as well those who enjoy this kind of adventurous read.
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and explore their not-so-benign effects, including overpopulation, climate change, environmental recklessness, water resource reduction, insufficient food distribution, and body modification. While there are some noteworthy technological advances in the stories, they tend not to benefit what today we would call the 99%.The stories are collected in order of publication. His earliest, "Pocketful of Dharma," improbably has the Dalai Lama confined in a data cube - what use is he in that form, and can he reincarnate? "The Fluted Girl" is haunting. A 1%-er has acquired two young girls and had their bones altered so that they can be "played" through engineered holes like a flute, inflicting a bizarre type of slavery.
In "The People of Sand and Slag," three future-time blue collar workers encounter a dog, an animal then only found in zoos. The tale lies in their attempts to understand the dog, and the effects of their god-like body modifications on their bonding with him. A disturbing story and one of the best in the book.
"The Pasho," set in an environmentally ruined future, features differences between a traditional desert culture that reminded me of Dune's Fremen, and a nearby "wet" and soft culture, with the title character trying to bridge the gap. "The Calorie Man" will ring bells with Windup Girl fans. It's also set in an environmentally damaged future, one ruled by corporations, and has a caper feel to it.
"The Tamarisk Hunter" is set in a water-deprived and -obsessed future California. The title character, a hunter of water-spoiling tamarisk shrubs/trees, has to address his increasing obsolescence. "Pop Squad" is a pretty heavy-handed, although thought-provoking, take on immortality and overpopulation, with the cop-like protagonist going after illegal mothers.
"Yellow Card Man" is another one set in the world of The Windup Girl. A businessman who once ran a global enterprise was ousted in a revolution for being a foreigner, and is reduced to starving circumstances. How far will he go to survive, and must he subjugate himself to a dishonest man he once fired?
"Softer" is the most straightforward of the stories, and could be set in contemporary times. A man impulsively kills his wife, and then deals with the aftermath.
The title story "Pump Six," involves the environmentally-caused descent into idiocy of most humans, with the competent main character trying to save New York City's falling apart sewer system (critical to preventing further toxic harm) while surrounded by the ignorant and devolved.
The final story, "Small Offerings," is a brief disturbing story about the effect of environmental toxins on childbearing.
As you can tell, this isn't a light-hearted collection. But the author is someone who has thought a good deal about where we may be headed. The variety is impressive, and the stories are moralistic, if that's the word, in the ways of authors like Bradbury and Phillp K. Dick. They are concise and reach resolution in the way the best short stories do. Followers of this interesting author will get sucked right in, as well those who enjoy this kind of adventurous read.
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LibraryThing member tronella
I bought this as part of the Humble eBook Bundle about a year ago. It's a collection of short stories, mostly scifi. All the stories were well-written, but almost all of them were so bleak that I can't say it was a very enjoyable read. I didn't enjoy the two or three biopunk stories, but I think
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that's because of my own body horror issues - fans of the genre would probably like them better. Not sure how I feel about this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member Dead_Dreamer
After reading one glowing review after another, I decided to pick this book up. Pump Six is Denver native Paolo Bacigalupi's first book, but you'd never know it. It has the polished style of someone who's been writing for decades. It's no wonder the collection was nominated for a Hugo award. It's
Generally the book's 13 tales are Sci-Fi, though with a dash of New Weird, Decadent, and a brief foray into horror. Most of the stories take place in dark, dystopian, near-futures. No matter which way you cut it, Paolo doesn't have a very bright outlook for the future of mankind. However, these are in no way stereotypical dark-futures, as exemplified though other genres, like Cyber-Punk. These were much more gritty; much more real; much more exquisitely and disturbingly thought out. Any of these cautionary tales could easily become our future if we're not careful. Imagine the intellectual and cutting edge Sci-Fi of Philip K. Dick mixed with the bleak, unflinching and hard-hitting style of Cormac McCarthy.
Story after story, I was blown away by the sheer force of Bacigalupi's unique imagination. If imagination were rated on a scale of 1-10, his would be an 11. I kept thinking to myself, wow! How did he come up with that!?! How could anyone even think of something like that!?! His ideas and concepts are truly amazing. Here's a taste (without giving anything away):
A future society of fiefdoms where celebrities are the new ruling class and everyone else toils as serfs.
A future where bio-corporations own patents on the world's food supply, and create bio-engineered plagues to destroy natural food options (read, competitors).
A future where humans have become near-immortal through gene therapy, cellular enhancement and symbiotic organisms, calling into question what it means to be human.
A future Mid-West littered with abandoned subdivisions where water is the new gold.
An overpopulated future where skyscrapers are no longer built but grown.
I going to say the old cliché -- I don't care -- if you read one book this year, read Paolo Bacigalupi's PUMP SIX & OTHER STORIES. Support a new author!
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simply stunning.Generally the book's 13 tales are Sci-Fi, though with a dash of New Weird, Decadent, and a brief foray into horror. Most of the stories take place in dark, dystopian, near-futures. No matter which way you cut it, Paolo doesn't have a very bright outlook for the future of mankind. However, these are in no way stereotypical dark-futures, as exemplified though other genres, like Cyber-Punk. These were much more gritty; much more real; much more exquisitely and disturbingly thought out. Any of these cautionary tales could easily become our future if we're not careful. Imagine the intellectual and cutting edge Sci-Fi of Philip K. Dick mixed with the bleak, unflinching and hard-hitting style of Cormac McCarthy.
Story after story, I was blown away by the sheer force of Bacigalupi's unique imagination. If imagination were rated on a scale of 1-10, his would be an 11. I kept thinking to myself, wow! How did he come up with that!?! How could anyone even think of something like that!?! His ideas and concepts are truly amazing. Here's a taste (without giving anything away):
A future society of fiefdoms where celebrities are the new ruling class and everyone else toils as serfs.
A future where bio-corporations own patents on the world's food supply, and create bio-engineered plagues to destroy natural food options (read, competitors).
A future where humans have become near-immortal through gene therapy, cellular enhancement and symbiotic organisms, calling into question what it means to be human.
A future Mid-West littered with abandoned subdivisions where water is the new gold.
An overpopulated future where skyscrapers are no longer built but grown.
I going to say the old cliché -- I don't care -- if you read one book this year, read Paolo Bacigalupi's PUMP SIX & OTHER STORIES. Support a new author!
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LibraryThing member kd9
Welcome to a series of cautionary futures. Even though I have read most of these stories before, I eagerly read them all again and enjoyed the ones I hadn't read. Most of the protagonists sense that something is wrong with their world, but can find very little to do to change it. From the modified
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humans of "The People of Sand and Slag" who find a dog and cannot care for it to the sewage engineer of "Pump Six" who understands that his culture no longer has the intelligence to run the failing technology around them, they see the future dimly. Each person in these stories is fully rounded and engaged with their world. Each story is memorable, many of them nominated for awards. My favorite is "The Calorie Man", the tale of a world where natural crops were destroyed to further the goals of agribusiness and the people who exists in the cracks of that world. If you have not experienced the magic of Bacigalupi's writing, this is the perfect way to start. Show Less
LibraryThing member crazybatcow
Considering that, for the most part, I don't like short stories, this was an exceptionally well-written, interesting and original collection. I have read some of his works before (Wind Up Girl comes to mind), and I like the dark, depressing future bio-tech world the author has created. All these
I enjoyed some stories more than others, but as the ones I enjoyed the most are not the same ones that other reviewers enjoyed, I guess that is personal taste. Essentially, though, they are all clearly written by the same author and if you like the first story in the book, you should like all of them well enough. The stage is the same, just the actual characters change.
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stories are set in the same world - or, if not the exact same, the same type of world - and they almost feel related, even though they all have separate plots and characters... it is the tone, pacing, and bio-tech I guess, that makes it feel like a single story.I enjoyed some stories more than others, but as the ones I enjoyed the most are not the same ones that other reviewers enjoyed, I guess that is personal taste. Essentially, though, they are all clearly written by the same author and if you like the first story in the book, you should like all of them well enough. The stage is the same, just the actual characters change.
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LibraryThing member CBJames
The future does not look good, not as far as Paulo Bacigalupi sees it. The ten stories that make up Pump Six present a dystopian vision that should give any reader pause while they entertain. Entertain they do.
Mr. Bacigalupi's (sound it out) stories work best when they explore the extreme edge of
"The Fluted Girl" along with "The People of Sand and Slag" reviewed here look at the extreme body alteration our future may hold. In "The Fluted Girl" a kind of serfdom has taken hold in parts of Asia. Those in power are able to subject the people they control to just about anything they like. No one is truly free. An ageing entertainer plans to make twin girls stars so she can retire with the money they make. She has altered the girls, changed their bodies to turn them into living musical instruments. No longer able even to walk as a human being walks, the fluted girl must decide if she will strike out against her masters or surrender to the future they've provided her and become a star.
In "Yellow Card Man" overpopulation and pollution have devasted the earth, reducing a once powerful shipping magnet to a poor refugee looking for work in Bangkok, where there are thousands of applicants for every job opening. Thinking he has information about a job no one else has, he puts on the good suit he has saved for years and heads across town. Believing the clothes make the man, he hopes the suit will give him the edge he needs to get the job. But the suit only attracts attention he does not want, attention that will not do him any good.
The title story "Pump Six" presents civilization that has run down just as humanity has. Slow poisoning, brought about by generations of contaminated food and drinking water has made humanity incapable of maintaining the machines that keep civilization running. One man, the one in charge of maintaining the city's sewage pumps, discovers this when pump six stops working, decades past the deadlines for its routine maintanence.
I've already added "The People of Sand and Slag" to my on-going attempt to reach 1001 Short Stories You Must Read Before You Die. The stories I've described above along with several of the others are at least as good as "The People of Sand and Slag" but I'm going to refrain from adding any to the list as yet. Unless I get some encouragement in the comments sections; someone to second a recommendation. But I do think Paolo Bacigalupi is an author to watch. The future of humanity--lets hope not. The future of science fiction--I hope so.
Mr. Bacigalupi's (sound it out) stories work best when they explore the extreme edge of
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what it is to be human. From the moment humans became human we have sought to alter the natural world around us as well as our own bodies, painting ourselves different colors, piercing ourselves to add bits of metal to our bodies. Today we can have extensive surgeries done to change just about any aspect of our physical body. Tomorrow, genetic alteration? The same has been done to the natural world. Our ancestors planted seeds of foods they enjoyed, altered the paths of rivers, leveled hillsides. We continue to do so while at the same time creating artificial pockets of nature just to keep a little place for vacations. By the time Mr. Bacigalupi's future arrives, what is human, what is natural, will be as unrecognizable to us as our world would be to our own ancestors."The Fluted Girl" along with "The People of Sand and Slag" reviewed here look at the extreme body alteration our future may hold. In "The Fluted Girl" a kind of serfdom has taken hold in parts of Asia. Those in power are able to subject the people they control to just about anything they like. No one is truly free. An ageing entertainer plans to make twin girls stars so she can retire with the money they make. She has altered the girls, changed their bodies to turn them into living musical instruments. No longer able even to walk as a human being walks, the fluted girl must decide if she will strike out against her masters or surrender to the future they've provided her and become a star.
In "Yellow Card Man" overpopulation and pollution have devasted the earth, reducing a once powerful shipping magnet to a poor refugee looking for work in Bangkok, where there are thousands of applicants for every job opening. Thinking he has information about a job no one else has, he puts on the good suit he has saved for years and heads across town. Believing the clothes make the man, he hopes the suit will give him the edge he needs to get the job. But the suit only attracts attention he does not want, attention that will not do him any good.
The title story "Pump Six" presents civilization that has run down just as humanity has. Slow poisoning, brought about by generations of contaminated food and drinking water has made humanity incapable of maintaining the machines that keep civilization running. One man, the one in charge of maintaining the city's sewage pumps, discovers this when pump six stops working, decades past the deadlines for its routine maintanence.
I've already added "The People of Sand and Slag" to my on-going attempt to reach 1001 Short Stories You Must Read Before You Die. The stories I've described above along with several of the others are at least as good as "The People of Sand and Slag" but I'm going to refrain from adding any to the list as yet. Unless I get some encouragement in the comments sections; someone to second a recommendation. But I do think Paolo Bacigalupi is an author to watch. The future of humanity--lets hope not. The future of science fiction--I hope so.
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LibraryThing member Tatiana_G
It took me a loooong time to get through this book, and not because it wasn't good, but because I was bloody scared of it. I would finish one story looking like this @.@ and then put the book aside for a while to get some courage to read another one.
Bacigalupi is the author who doesn't do safe and
Let's take "The Fluited Girl" - for me the scariest story in this anthology. The idea Bacigalupi extrapolates here is what will happen if humanity continues indulging in surgical modification of their bodies. I'll let you find out for yourself what "fluited girl" means. Hope you have strong stomachs.
Then there are stories that speculate about what people will become if they achieve immortality. Characters in "The People of Sand and Slag" are adapted to pollution to such a degree that they are able to survive eating just sand and waste. (They are also capable of regrowing their limbs BTW - and apparently this "feature" can be a part of sexual play, good grief, another shocker!) When these people come across an actual live dog, the disconnect between these humans and natural world comes to light in a rather horrifying way. The other story playing with the idea of immortality is "The Pop Squad." Not to go into details, let me throw these questions out there - if everyone is immortal, would children be allowed to be born? what if there are some women who decide to break rules and have kids? what happens to these children? A hint: boom, boom! Not for the faint of heart.
Other stories explore the versions of future where: natural resources (water) belong to a private company ("The Tamarisk Hunter"), the exhaustion of fossil fuels leads to a world run by the corporations that own genetically modified crops that now fuel and feed humanity ("The Calorie Man"), intelligence is becoming obsolete and people revert to animal-like existence ("Pump Six").
Like in all anthologies, not all stories "Pump Six and Other Stories" are equally good, the earlier ones are particularly transparent in their message. But they all are definitely equally thought-provoking. A great dystopian read for those not turned off by heavy subjects.
Bacigalupi is the author who doesn't do safe and
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comforting. His visions of our future are brutal, unforgiving and totally too believable.Let's take "The Fluited Girl" - for me the scariest story in this anthology. The idea Bacigalupi extrapolates here is what will happen if humanity continues indulging in surgical modification of their bodies. I'll let you find out for yourself what "fluited girl" means. Hope you have strong stomachs.
Then there are stories that speculate about what people will become if they achieve immortality. Characters in "The People of Sand and Slag" are adapted to pollution to such a degree that they are able to survive eating just sand and waste. (They are also capable of regrowing their limbs BTW - and apparently this "feature" can be a part of sexual play, good grief, another shocker!) When these people come across an actual live dog, the disconnect between these humans and natural world comes to light in a rather horrifying way. The other story playing with the idea of immortality is "The Pop Squad." Not to go into details, let me throw these questions out there - if everyone is immortal, would children be allowed to be born? what if there are some women who decide to break rules and have kids? what happens to these children? A hint: boom, boom! Not for the faint of heart.
Other stories explore the versions of future where: natural resources (water) belong to a private company ("The Tamarisk Hunter"), the exhaustion of fossil fuels leads to a world run by the corporations that own genetically modified crops that now fuel and feed humanity ("The Calorie Man"), intelligence is becoming obsolete and people revert to animal-like existence ("Pump Six").
Like in all anthologies, not all stories "Pump Six and Other Stories" are equally good, the earlier ones are particularly transparent in their message. But they all are definitely equally thought-provoking. A great dystopian read for those not turned off by heavy subjects.
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LibraryThing member Knicke
Mostly chillingly well-written and mostly well-conceived, but I had to stop listening to this collection of short stories several times because I felt much too worn down and depressed by the array of possible horrible futures on display. I made the mistake of listening to The People of Sand and
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Slag just as I was drifting off to sleep, and then spent several wide-awake hours bawling and trying to find something soothing to listen to. Glad to have encountered The Calorie Man; could do with more stories set in the world of The Wind-up Girl. Kind of hoping that Bacigalupi does something similar with The Pasho and expands it to a full novel (not likely, though).Only four stars for 2 reasons:1. Pacigalupi is pretty one-note, for all his prowess. Seems like he can only write dystopias and apocalypses. Not that they're not great dystopias and apocalypses, but yep, a bit one-note so far. The Wind-up Girl was more nuanced (and could afford to be, as a longer work), so I'm hopeful for more emotionally complex stuff from him in the future.2. I'm not sure what Pop Squad is trying to do, as a story. It's too over the top to be really chilling, too humorless to be satire. I like this author a lot. I just can't binge on his work without succumbing to deep and gnawing despair. Which means I've gotta wait at least 3 months until I can read Ship Breaker. Show Less
LibraryThing member g33kgrrl
Once again wonderful world-building and possible futures from Bacigalupi, including a visit to the world of The Windup Girl. One story was nearly too unutterably depressing for me to handle ("The People of Sand and Slag") and I recommend anyone who is sensitive to animals read that one with some
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comfort at hand. Besides that, I personally loved "The Fluted Girl" and "Pump Six" itself, but quite frankly all of the stories are good, even if they are depressing. I definitely recommend this collection. Show Less
LibraryThing member reading_fox
The last couple of stories were a bit too dark for me, and all the others are fairly dark. Visions of a future world besiged by over population, greedy corporations, burdened systems and declining weather. A couple fo the stroies are pbviously set in the same world, but mostly they are different
They are well written without beating you over the head of the policitical consequences of today's choices. But it isn't a pretty world that Paolo has imagined.
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futures of the way it could all go wrong.They are well written without beating you over the head of the policitical consequences of today's choices. But it isn't a pretty world that Paolo has imagined.
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LibraryThing member PghDragonMan
You know that office mate that tells these incredibly complicated stories that just seem to go on forever and just doesn’t know when to stop talking? That’s Paolo Bacigalupi with this collection of stories. The stories are great; they just go on too interminably long.
While these short stories
In the end, this future is too dark for me. The stories are excellently crafted, so I have no problem giving high marks for the author’s writing. The way they left me feeling, however, forces me to drag the overall score down. Sadly, I’m putting this collection at just above middle of the road: three and a half stars.
While these short stories
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were good, the overall effect was a major disappointment considering how much I enjoyed Windup Girl. Perhaps the problem is one of scale: Bacigalupi needs a big canvas to be appreciated. As a short stories, I found myself getting bored with the details in the stories Yellow Card Man and Calorie Man, stories that could have served as sketches for the canvas that became Windup Girl, yet I found the concept fascinating and, indeed, a glimpse of a possible, foreseeable, future.In the end, this future is too dark for me. The stories are excellently crafted, so I have no problem giving high marks for the author’s writing. The way they left me feeling, however, forces me to drag the overall score down. Sadly, I’m putting this collection at just above middle of the road: three and a half stars.
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LibraryThing member rivkat
Short stories about the horrible bioengineered future, many of them set in Southeast Asia. The ones where chemical contamination has made most children damaged mentally and physically and necessitated high-tech means of reproduction for those who can afford it seem to be set in the US, along with a
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story about water theft from the West for the benefit of wealthy California. The strong do as they will; the weak do as they must. Show Less
LibraryThing member Disquiet
A great collection of short stories that have at their core, with one peculiar exception, matters of the unintended consequences of biological experimentation. At the limited end of the spectrum, all that changes is the entire structure of society, as in "Yellow Card Man," where a formerly
The one story that doesn't have biotech as its theme is a fairly standard guilty-conscience piece about a man who kills his wife. The story would be out of place, except that the volume smartly sequences it just before a piece that opens with a more even match between dueling spouses.
On an initial read, I found the writing a bit florid for my taste, but that's more than likely just me. The main issue I have with the book, if I have any, is the fairly standardized format to the stories. With the exception of that murdered-wife one, each piece here starts by dropping the reader in the midst of an unfamiliar future, and the reader must sort out the nature of that future at the same time as the plot itself unfolds. While that's a standard approach for science fiction, it can feel a bit template-like here.
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prosperous Asian businessman is faced with just how far he has fallen; he finds himself where Wall Street meets The Road. In the middle distance, as the divide between wealth and poverty exacerbates societal tension, not only are the rich not like you or I, their servant class isn't even recognizable as human, so warped by science and whim are they, in order to become literal playthings of their owners (see "The Fluted Girl," in which the title character becomes a fragile instrument). And at the extreme, there is barely anyone present whom the reader might consider a fellow member of the species; in "Pump Six," we're so amazed and, likely, disgusted by the subhuman "trogs" who fornicate day and night in the city streets, we only slowly learn just how animal-like the narrator and his peers are. The one story that doesn't have biotech as its theme is a fairly standard guilty-conscience piece about a man who kills his wife. The story would be out of place, except that the volume smartly sequences it just before a piece that opens with a more even match between dueling spouses.
On an initial read, I found the writing a bit florid for my taste, but that's more than likely just me. The main issue I have with the book, if I have any, is the fairly standardized format to the stories. With the exception of that murdered-wife one, each piece here starts by dropping the reader in the midst of an unfamiliar future, and the reader must sort out the nature of that future at the same time as the plot itself unfolds. While that's a standard approach for science fiction, it can feel a bit template-like here.
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LibraryThing member bongo_x
Are you looking for visions of a dark gritty future with a glimmer of hope that the better parts of mankind will shine through? Then keep looking. Here there is no glimmering. While we seem to share a similar world view, I’m a giddy optimist compared to the author. Which is not to say there
Mr. B does a fantastic job within the confines of these short stories of building worlds that you can almost taste. Not that you’d want to. It’s an interesting blend of styles; partly old school sci-fi, but definitely modern at the same time, lots of techie bits (which I’m not often a fan of) but building characters that really made me feel for them, even if that felling was sometimes not particularly pleasant. He uses a hammer to get his point across, yet there’s subtlety in there as well.
Most of the stories are visions of Dystopia, which could describe many of my favorite books and movies. Like ‘Jennifer Government’ many of them seem ridiculously exaggerated and completely plausible (maybe even likely) at the same time, not the sort of far off, disconnected vision of “maybe that could happen” but “oh crap, that’s going to happen”.
That’s the only resemblance to the fun thrill ride of ‘Jennifer Government’. These stories range from melancholy and slightly depressing to crushing. Strangely, the two stories that seemed to me to have the most “light hearted” tone, ‘The People of Sand and Slag’ and ‘Pump Six’, where the ones that really got to me. I was actually a little upset after reading TPOSAS and can’t stop thinking about it. I mostly read these stories one at a time because I needed to process them afterwards.
Not that it was all great. ‘Softer’ was a pretty average, non sci-fi story of a sociopath in the suburbs. ‘The Tamarisk Hunter’ was nothing to get particularly excited about either. And you could make the criticism that there was too much of a commonality to the stories.
I didn’t know who this was when I started reading it but I can’t wait to read ‘The Wind Up Girl’ now. I have not been this intrigued by a Sci-Fi writer since Gibson and Stephenson came out.
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isn’t humor involved. It’s just dark. So dark you’re not sure if it’s actually there.Mr. B does a fantastic job within the confines of these short stories of building worlds that you can almost taste. Not that you’d want to. It’s an interesting blend of styles; partly old school sci-fi, but definitely modern at the same time, lots of techie bits (which I’m not often a fan of) but building characters that really made me feel for them, even if that felling was sometimes not particularly pleasant. He uses a hammer to get his point across, yet there’s subtlety in there as well.
Most of the stories are visions of Dystopia, which could describe many of my favorite books and movies. Like ‘Jennifer Government’ many of them seem ridiculously exaggerated and completely plausible (maybe even likely) at the same time, not the sort of far off, disconnected vision of “maybe that could happen” but “oh crap, that’s going to happen”.
That’s the only resemblance to the fun thrill ride of ‘Jennifer Government’. These stories range from melancholy and slightly depressing to crushing. Strangely, the two stories that seemed to me to have the most “light hearted” tone, ‘The People of Sand and Slag’ and ‘Pump Six’, where the ones that really got to me. I was actually a little upset after reading TPOSAS and can’t stop thinking about it. I mostly read these stories one at a time because I needed to process them afterwards.
Not that it was all great. ‘Softer’ was a pretty average, non sci-fi story of a sociopath in the suburbs. ‘The Tamarisk Hunter’ was nothing to get particularly excited about either. And you could make the criticism that there was too much of a commonality to the stories.
I didn’t know who this was when I started reading it but I can’t wait to read ‘The Wind Up Girl’ now. I have not been this intrigued by a Sci-Fi writer since Gibson and Stephenson came out.
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LibraryThing member AltheaAnn
I read 'The Windup Girl' and enjoyed it very much - but this collection of short stories confirms Bacigalupi as one of my very favorite authors. The stories themselves are cautionary, often heartbreaking - but the fact that they exist is something that truly makes me happy. I guess I've felt that
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many of my favorite current authors have passed away fairly recently, and others are inevitably reaching the end of their careers... it's good to see someone this competent taking on the mantle of thoughtful but utterly humanist sf. Show Less
LibraryThing member kvrfan
Hail, Paulo Bacigalupi! He knows how to write convincing dystopian worlds. In this short story collection, a few seem to posit the same dystopian world (which also matches that in his novel, The Windup Girl), simply sharing the stories of different people coping within it. In other stories, the
Rare would be the short-story collection I would give 5 stars, because it's hard to bat 1.000 when building a compilation. One of the stories here fell flat for me, as when the ending came, it seemed to have gone nowhere. Grading it with 4 stars therefore (for me) ranks it among the best.
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world is skewed a little differently. However, in all cases Bacigalupi's dystopias are premised not on any cataclysmic war or political revolt, but simply on the world choking on the waste of our technological "progress"--the end of fossil fuels, the flooding of the environment with chemical by-products, the long-term effect on the human organism of the pharmaceutical revolution. Bacigalupi's imaginative renderings of the worlds that result are vivid. They take turns that are unlike those I've read in many other writers in the genre. For one thing, his characters are often not Western; how many other authors have I read that think of how the "end of the world" affects any other than middle-class Americans? Furthermore, class itself is often an important element in his Bacigalupi's stories. However much the world goes to hell, the "haves"will always figure a way to exploit the circumstances over the "have-nots." That in fact seems to be at the core of many of the stories.Rare would be the short-story collection I would give 5 stars, because it's hard to bat 1.000 when building a compilation. One of the stories here fell flat for me, as when the ending came, it seemed to have gone nowhere. Grading it with 4 stars therefore (for me) ranks it among the best.
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LibraryThing member MLBowers
Wow, this is a really compelling and disturbing collection of stories. Though the stories are not that long, some of these will never leave me. As with any good science fiction, they are based in some plausible future reality. Even though some of the scenes are very disturbing, one is still left
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feeling as though we are on some version of that path now. Show Less
LibraryThing member santhony
About five years ago I read the author’s The Windup Girl and was blown away by his depiction of a near future dystopian society. I recently followed up with The Water Knife and Ship Breaker and was somewhat disappointed. I was about to come to the conclusion that the author was a one-trick pony,
There are ten short stories in this collection, and they are almost all outstanding. Some are set in the same near future dystopia featured in The Windup Girl. I wasn’t a huge fan of a couple (The Tamarisk Hunter and Softer), but especially enjoyed The Pasho, The Fluted Girl, The People of Sand and Slag (which I had encountered before) and Pump Six (think Idiocracy).
All in all, this was a fantastic collection of short stories, almost all of which ran 20-30 pages long. Highly recommended. If you haven’t read The Windup Girl, read The Calorie Man and the Yellow Card Man. If you enjoy these two short stories, you’ll love The Windup Girl.
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but I had already purchased this collection of short stories so I gave him one more shot. There are ten short stories in this collection, and they are almost all outstanding. Some are set in the same near future dystopia featured in The Windup Girl. I wasn’t a huge fan of a couple (The Tamarisk Hunter and Softer), but especially enjoyed The Pasho, The Fluted Girl, The People of Sand and Slag (which I had encountered before) and Pump Six (think Idiocracy).
All in all, this was a fantastic collection of short stories, almost all of which ran 20-30 pages long. Highly recommended. If you haven’t read The Windup Girl, read The Calorie Man and the Yellow Card Man. If you enjoy these two short stories, you’ll love The Windup Girl.
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LibraryThing member brakketh
Wonderfully varied cultural settings though consistently bleak short stories about how the world could change as a result of climate change.
LibraryThing member jonfaith
After pawing through the first story in Pump Six, I imagined it would constitute serial penalty kicks for the grim master. Having just completed the final, titular story, I found Bacigalupi less-than-Lampard but still able to fill the net. Maybe I'm a poor keeper.
Shoving aside my aversions to both
Shoving aside my aversions to both
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stories and matters that involve outer space, I was certainly moved by the philosophy of the collection as a whole. We perceive these threats in our trends our habits, our waste. We don't dare ponder an intensification of such, thankfully, Mr. Bacigalupi does. Show Less
LibraryThing member macha
note: some of these stories are set in the same world as the sf novel The Windup Girl.
LibraryThing member tronella
I bought this as part of the Humble eBook Bundle about a year ago. It's a collection of short stories, mostly scifi. All the stories were well-written, but almost all of them were so bleak that I can't say it was a very enjoyable read. I didn't enjoy the two or three biopunk stories, but I think
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that's because of my own body horror issues - fans of the genre would probably like them better. Not sure how I feel about this one. Show Less
LibraryThing member MorganDax
Lots of really interesting and creepy ideas in these short stories of possible futures. "Softer" was amazing. Exceptionally talented writing there. Some stories I wished were full length novels. Particularly "The People of Sand and Slag" and "Pop Squad."
LibraryThing member dreamweaversunited
Amazing science fiction with an eco-focus. Bacigalupi understands the challenges our planet faces, and he understands power. I'm sure I will read this book again many times. "The Fluted Girl" is my favorite story.
LibraryThing member ScoLgo
Dark & disturbing stories of possible near (and far)-futures. The one recurring theme is scarcity of resources and how these different, very plausible, societies deal with it. Two of the stories are pre-cursors to 'The Windup Girl' and fill in more details on how the world depicted there came to
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exist. Show Less
Awards
Locus Award (Finalist — Collection — 2009)
SF Site Reader's Choice (2008)
Grand Prix de l'Imaginaire (Winner — 2015)
Locus Recommended Reading (Collection — 2008)
Language
Original publication date
2008
Physical description
339 p.; 22 inches
ISBN
1597802026 / 9781597802024