This was very close to a William Gibson novel (there’s even a character named Case, which is surely a callback to Neuromancer). It’s a rough book to start – the world is fully formed and a lot is left to the reader to figure out – slang, political alignments, technology and recent history for example – and the blanks fill in as the book progresses. There’s even a character named Case, which is almost surely a callback to Neuromancer.

It is absolutely worth the effort to decipher – Bacigalupi’s dystopia is reminiscent of American War or The Road Warrior but with water rather than oil as the critical currency. As with Gibson, it follows several groups of characters whose paths converge and diverge throughout the story, in alternating chapters. It’s kind of a detective story, some bad guys aren’t actually bad, and some are much worse than you suspect. It’s incredibly violent and bleak.

Unfortunately he manages one more common element with so many Gibson books — an ending that feels rushed, unearned and disappointing.

The ending didn’t bother me that much though. I would immediately pick up another book set in this world. I hope we get one.