The Water Knife - Paolo Bacigalupi

The Water Knife

By Paolo Bacigalupi

  • Release Date: 2015-05-26
  • Genre: Mysteries & Thrillers
Score: 4.5
4.5
From 245 Ratings

Description

NATIONAL BESTSELLER • A "fresh, genre-bending thriller” (Los Angeles Times) set in the near future when water is scarce and a spy, a hardened journalist and a young Texas migrant find themselves pawns in a corrupt game.

"Think Chinatown meets Mad Max." NPR, All Things Considered

In the near future, the Colorado River has dwindled to a trickle. Detective, assassin, and spy, Angel Velasquez “cuts” water for the Southern Nevada Water Authority, ensuring that its lush arcology developments can bloom in Las Vegas. When rumors of a game-changing water source surface in Phoenix, Angel is sent south, hunting for answers that seem to evaporate as the heat index soars and the landscape becomes more and more oppressive. There, he encounters Lucy Monroe, a hardened journalist with her own agenda, and Maria Villarosa, a young Texas migrant, who dreams of escaping north. As bodies begin to pile up, the three find themselves pawns in a game far bigger and more corrupt than they could have imagined, and when water is more valuable than gold, alliances shift like sand, and the only truth in the desert is that someone will have to bleed if anyone hopes to drink.

Reviews

  • Most excellent!!!

    5
    By jwellingtonb
    This story started out in a very disturbing way. He paints the future of what could happen to the south west, and frankly our whole country… if we don’t pay attention to the data that we have now. In and from this dismal backdrop, a tremendous mystery is woven. It was a most excellent story and I highly recommend it.
  • Thrilling Read

    4
    By Barrera23
    In his near-future novel, Bacigalupi writes about the changes society takes in a society full of high rises, Arcologies, contrasted with collapsed buildings. The novel is suspenseful and full of action as characters embark on a mission to find out who has the key to survival. Enjoyed this book from beginning to end; it exposes the reader to new ways of approaching ideas of religion, politics, and human interaction.