After the dense and somewhat disappointing The Quiet War (review) and the light, fun The Lost Symbol (review), I'm plunging back into the Sci-Fi deep end with paolo Bacigalupi's debut novel The Wind-Up Girl.
I already gave my feedback on the cover in a Covering Covers post (quick summary: absolutely fantastic cover except for the top left and bottom right text) but I have to say I'm excited to finally get my hands on a Bacigalupi novel. His Pump Six and Other Stories simply blew me away. It was bleak, depressing, and I couldn't get enough. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that this is my most anticipated book of 2009 and I guarantee it's in the Top 5.
I'm a bit late in posting this as I'm already a hundred or so pages in but so far The Windup Girl has not disappointed. Bacigalupi paints a future landscape with such deft brushstrokes that you don't even notice as he gives you the tour of the place. It's world-building but it's top-notch and expertly subtle. I would go on further but I want to save some of my thoughts for the review.
My only complaint so far are the frequent use of Thai words. While they're probably accurate, I've only picked up only some of them so far and it bugs me not to know the exact context of the words. Much like Ian McDonald's Brasyl, The Windup Girl could definitely benefit from a glossary at the end of the book. And unlike Brasyl, I looked for a glossary first so I didn't struggle through the cultural elements for the majority of the book before finding it.
Expect a review up sooner rather than later because I am loving what I've read so far.
I'm looking forward to your review -- I thought this looked really good, so I ordered a copy for our library -- but I'm still waiting to read it (and will probably let other people get first crack at it).
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