The Windup Girl

My kind of story. Sort of a futuristic 'steampunk' style although machinery and weapons are powered mostly by super-tightly coiled springs instead of steam, (SpringPunk?).

There are some deep characters here. The story sprawls out at first and it is therefore a bit of a chore to keep track of everyone. As the narrative develops though, several things are revealed about the protagonists that are not readily apparent at the beginning. For instance, it's difficult to tell who the good guys and the bad guys are. I would go so far as to say that there are very few such caricatures in this book. While there are some peripheral characters that may as well be cardboard cutouts, by contrast, the main characters are portrayed as individuals with their own motivations and dreams. You know, kind of like real life. I liked the way the ending wrapped up and I hope that Mr. Bacigalupi manages a sequel. There was definitiely an opening for one at the end of the epilogue.