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     Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 81.244.134.92 |
Sometimes you come across a new collection or novel that you instantly recognise as a modern classic. I had this feeling when reading what can well become the best collection of the year, and it will surely at least end up in the awards nominations lists. I am writing here about "Pump Six and other stories" by Paolo Bacigalupi, published by Nightshade Books. Ok, it is not a ghostly/horror collection, but one that I believe will be inline with the tastes many of the regulars here. Many of the stories were published in F&SF magazine, but not in those few that I have (meanwhile I have subscribed to the magazine), that's why I discovered this talented young writer only recently. Considering the several awards and nominations that the stories have enjoyed, and several rave reviews about the book, I indeed come late in the game, and I would like to share some observations about the book. Most of the stories in this collection are intelligent dark SF tales. There's no alien in sight, the author rather focuses on different ways our civilisation could evolve or rather de-volve, as he doesn't paint pretty pictures. But what makes these stories really stand out, next to a mature and intense writing style, is that his future projections are so well thought out and crafted that the stories tend to stick with you, sometimes for days. Bacigalupi focuses on today's emerging issues (global warming, genetically modified plants that are protected by intellectual property rights, fossile fuel depletion, pollution etc) and evolves these in futuristic, nightmarish settings that are not necessarily doom-and-gloom only, but they force you to think on how we deal with the world and ourselves. And luckily for our reading pleasure, the stories are never preachy in tone. Let's have a closer look at the stories. They are collected are in order of publication: - "The Bing Jiang ran like an oil slick under the bridge, black and sluggish. Wang Jun perched on the bridge's railing, soot-stained stone engraved with dragones and phoenixes cavorting through clouds. He looked down into the river and watched styrofoam shreddings of packing containers float lazily on the thick surface of the water." "Pocketful fo Dharma" hints at a future where the divide between rich and poor is perhaps even bigger than now, and it focuses on a young Chinese beggar in an advanced town who gets hold of a mysterious "data cube" and then is caught up in a secret services covert war. The desperate situation of the young beggar is well drawn, and the futuristic society is quite believable. It struck me how accomplished this tale (his first published story) is. - "The fluted girl huddled in the darkness clutching Stephen's final gift in her small pale hands. Madame Belari would be looking for her. The servants would be sniffing through the castle like feral dogs, looking under beds, in closets, behind the wine racks, all their senses hungry for a whiff of her." "The fluted girl" is a nightmarish and shocklingly perverse view of a future world where body- & genetic tampering is part of the lifestyle, and the remarkable thing is how elegant this scary fairy tale is written. As I said, it is pretty perverse, but not in a gratuitous way and this is one of those stories which will stick with you. Even better, you can sample it online at the author's website, see: http://tinyurl.com/4ltztb - "Lisa was a good swimmer. She flashed through the ocean's metallic sheen like an eel out of history and when she surfaced, her naked body glistened with hundreds of iridescent petroleum jewels." Then there is my favourite (and awarded) story in the book: "The people of sand and slag". At first this seems like standard military SF - yawn! But soon the story becomes very, very strange indeed, and it leads us to think, what is it that makes us human? This is another one that will stay in your mind for quite a while after reading, it's that good! I prefer not to say too much about the content, not to spoil the fun. You can read it at the author's site, and if you don't know it, you really should try it: http://tinyurl.com/2422ar - "In the far distance, the bones of the old city stuck up from the basin in a tangled mess of steel and concrete ruin, silent and abandoned for more generations than even the Jai could remember." "The Pasho" takes place in a far future, long after a viral epidemy wiped out ost of civilisation. Even now, there are various ancient rituals of "Quaran" - always keep your distance. This is a more standard SF story, well done, but not as thought provoking as the best ones in the book. - "He jerked his head towards the green fields across the river, where SoyPRO and HiGro undulated to the horizon." "The calorie man" is another gem: long after fossile fuel exhaustion, civilisation survives on genetically modified plants that serve both for energy as for fuel. With the current issues in our world about bio-fuel plantations partly causing both hunger and an increase in food prices, this is an interesting topic. With companies like Monsanto today carefully managing the IP of their crops, the idea of armed IP patrols keeping an eye out for bio-pirates is not that far out. Recommended. - "A big tamarisk can suck 73,000 gallons of river water a year. For $2.88 a day, plus water bounty, Lolo rips tamarisk all winter long." "The Tamarisk hunter" deals with people and civilisation trying to survive a terrible drought, and in my opinion it's an interesting story in itself, but not on the astounding level of the best ones in the book.You can decide for yourself by reading it online at: http://tinyurl.com/69yuyy - 'I laugh. "If we weren't going to live forever, I'd get you pregnant". We look at each other. Alices laughs unsteadily and takes it as a joke. "Don't be gross."' "Pop squad" is scary. Imagine, technology makes us immortal, you only need regular doses of "Rejoov". Which means it's quite acceptable to practice violin for 15 years to master one immensely difficult concerto. But the flipside of the coin, how to handle an ever growing population? Hence, with icy logic, it's illegal to have children. This Orwellian story follows an inspector who hunts down mothers and their illegal children. The story will not be to everyone's taste, it's rather graphic, but it's also another well-written thought-provoking one. - "A scavenging night. A starving night. Tranh hunts through dark alleys avoiding the vertical prison heat of the towers." "Yellow card man" is a vision of homeless fugitives (after asian civil wars) trying to improve their lifes, but how to do that if hundreds of overqualified people apply for one banal job? Several of the topics broached by the other stories in the book resurface here: biotech, calories, plague, poverty etc. A decent story even if it lacks the punch of the best ones. - "Jonathan Lilly slumped in hot water up to his neck and studied his dead wife." (the first line of the story, hence it's not a spoiler!) "Softer" is the odd story in the collection. A contemporary tale of (psychopatic?) murder, it feels out of place between those intense projections of the future. While this kind of story doesn't particularly interest me, it must be said that it is pretty well written. - "What was wrong with me? Why was I the one who always tried to fix things?" The last story "Pump Six" is another little treasure. Civilisation is slowly decaying, people are barely fertile because of all the pollution, or they give birth to malformed "trogs". We follow Travis, one of the few reasonably intelligent people who try to keep things going in the city, and he's looking after the pumps of the water treatment system, pumps whose maintenance is decades overdue... I am repeating myself: a story that you won't easily forget. In the limited edition there is an extra story, alas I have the regular edition. As an aside: don't you hate that? For me it's ok that as a differentiator, a limited edition is signed but I cannot stand missing a story! In short, if you are at least partly interested in SF, or interested in how various of today's issues could evolve, I heartily recommend this fine collection. I am looking forward to Paolo's current project: a novel. cheers, Tom ps there is a good podcast interview with the writer (it prompted me into ordering the book) at the excellent Agony Column website. See: http://tinyurl.com/64xvlz pps This review is crossposted between All Hallows and the Ramsey Campbell Messageboard. | ||
| Laird Barron (Laird) Username: Laird Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 71.212.54.93 |
I admire Paolo's work to no end. I haven't read the actual collection, but did see the stories published by F&SF and others. A fine writer. | ||
| Mick Curtis (Mick) Username: Mick Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 86.159.156.247 |
This is someone, sad to say, I've not even heard of - thanks for the recommendation, Tom; I'll look into the book. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.170 |
Mick, Just try the linked stories "The fluted girl" and "The people of sand and slag" - I think you will be impressed! | ||
| Huw (Huw) Username: Huw Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 61.216.34.162 |
I haven't read anything by this fellow either. Thanks for the recommendation, Tom! | ||
| John_l_probert (John_l_probert) Username: John_l_probert Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 90.203.130.139 |
Saw the book in London's Forbidden Planet & gave it a miss (in fact I suspect I bought Laird's collection instead, which was money well spent by the way) but I might pick it up when I'm there again | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.170 |
last year my fave collection was Laird Barron's; this year I expect it to be "Pump Six". | ||
| Laird Barron (Laird) Username: Laird Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 71.212.54.93 |
Thank you, gentlemen. Paolo is primed to become famous, I suspect. On the subject of collections -- I impatiently await Don Tumasonis's debut collection, whenever the Rodens manage to finally extract one from him. | ||
| Barbara Roden (Nebuly) Username: Nebuly Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 216.232.189.45 |
Ah, well, 'extract' is precisely le mot juste, I fear. Although I think we'll see a collection of his stories before Jack Adrian provides us with the contents of the fifth and final A. M. Burrage collection. | ||
| Laird Barron (Laird) Username: Laird Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 71.212.54.93 |
"Ah, well, 'extract' is precisely le mot juste, I fear." That's what I've heard 'round the campfire. Hell is bound to freeze over sooner or later. | ||
| Matthew_fell (Matthew_fell) Username: Matthew_fell Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 216.232.189.45 |
Judging by a letter I had from Don last week, he's occupying his time with diving (deep sea) at present. Couple that with the fact that he's had some other difficulties in recent months, and I suppose I shouldn't be surprised that he's been unable to come through with a story for the anthology we're working on. Having said that, it would seem that other people were badly let down last year, too. I guess the creative process has to take its natural course. . . . Christopher | ||
| Simon Strantzas (Nomis) Username: Nomis Registered: 05-2008 Posted From: 38.113.181.169 |
Tom's been on my case for months to try this fellow's work. I suppose I'm going to have to break down and do it! As for Mr Tumasonis: I did all I could at WHC 2007 to convince him to finish that collection, but it seems it was all for naught. |