Series: No
Pages: 371
Copyright: 2015
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Buy: Amazon
Summary: from Good Reads
In the American Southwest, Nevada, Arizona, and California skirmish for dwindling shares of the Colorado River. Into the fray steps Angel Velasquez, detective, leg-breaker, assassin and spy. A Las Vegas water knife, Angel "cuts" water for his boss, Catherine Case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet, while the poor get nothing but dust. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in drought-ravaged Phoenix, Angel is sent to investigate. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with no love for Vegas and every reason to hate Angel, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas refugee who survives by her wits and street smarts in a city that despises everything that she represents. With bodies piling up, bullets flying, and Phoenix teetering on collapse, it seems like California is making a power play to monopolize the life-giving flow of a river. For Angel, Lucy, and Maria time is running out and their only hope for survival rests in each other’s hands. But when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only thing for certain is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink.
Feelings:
Are you thirsty? Get a glass of water or maybe a gallon or two, and take a glimpse into a possible future.
This was an amazing book. I think it will probably be the best book I read all year. I finished reading this in January 2016, so I've got 11 months before I find another book I love as much. At times, The Water Knife was a bit scary because the world created was close to the reality of our possible future. Water is more valuable than gold in the American Southwest and the large cities are fighting to control the Colorado River. Does this sound familiar? Maybe just a little bit. Other books I've read by Paolo Bacigalupi had a similar dystopian environmental catastrophe feel to them. This one felt like a reality that could easily be created and had less of the fantasy elements than his previous novels.
I did not have expectations for this book when I picked it out. I was browsing the library's new books and realized I had just a few minutes before I needed to be somewhere, so I grabbed the first book that had a science fiction sticker on the spine. Not really your typical way of picking a book but a success in this case. I may be implementing this technique again in the future based on the results this time. That being said, I knew nothing about the book when I picked it up. When I read the inside flap, I wasn't sure because it sounded a little like a thriller and I don't normally read them. However, the topic of water shortages in the future intrigued me enough that I decided to give it a try. I'm very glad I did.
Reading the first chapter I wasn't sure if I was going to enjoy the book or not. Angel is not an easy character to connect with. Self-righteous and dangerous seem like apt descriptions of him. The story switches points of view between three characters and through Lucy and Maria I was able to engage with the story at the beginning. By the end of the novel my opinions of the characters had changed and Angel, while not an Angel, had become a character I felt much more connected with. Much of the story follows Angel and Lucy. Lucy, a journalist documenting the fall of Phoenix, has realized she is tired of hiding what she sees happening in the city and risks her life to report on what is really happening. They end up together when they realize they may need each other to survive in the city. I tend to like books with strong characters and this book had strong characters.
After the first three chapters I did not want to put the book down. While I am glad I do not live in the world created in this novel, I loved reading about it. The book included violence (dystopian society that is falling apart) but I did not feel like it became the story. That being said, while I absolutely think this book is amazing, I know that for those that do not want to read about violence this will not be the book for them.
I highly recommend this book. Did I say that I think it will be the best book I read all year? I think I did. I did not want The Water Knife to end, and while the ending was satisfying, I would be happy to spend a little more time with these characters. I know I'm not going to think about a glass of water as just a glass of water for a while. You should read it!
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