Water is an issue that needs to be addressed now, otherwise we may find ourselves on the other end of a water knife. The sweat of a woman bent double in an onion field, working fourteen hours under the hot sun, was different from the sweat of a man as he approached a. A las vegas water knife, angel cuts water for his boss, catherine case. Science fiction book club, the water knife scuppernong books. Three very different charactersan orphaned texan teen marooned in phoenix. All the water in the world book by george ella lyon.
At the start of the novel, angel had been sent to phoenix, arizona, by his boss catherine case to. I finally was prompted to pick it up becuase i joined a book club and this was their. Angel velasquez is the water knife of the title, a canny, deadly catspaw for catherine case, the queen of nevada water dealings. Warning the discussion prompts and comments below will contain spoilers for the water knife. Angel velasquez is a water knife, an enforcer of water rights for the southern. From chapter 1 of paolo bacigalupis the water knife, published by knopf, a division of random house. The description of the event, book discussionthe water knife, is available only to members. The water knife june book club discussion babbling books. D ecembers book of the month is the water knife by paolo bacigalupi the people of sand and slag was a real strange trip but well worth the ride. The water knife paperback changing hands bookstore. The water knife featuring raphael bostic, omar brownson, lisa collins, and justine dodgen this podcast features spoilers so, please listen after youve read the book unless you are okay with hearing about major plot details and the ending of this amazing novel. The water knife may turn out to be 2015s most talked about book. The geekynerdy book club is a new, bimonthly reading group hosted by geekynerdygirl on her blog geeky musings from a nerdy girl.
A las vegas water knife, angel cuts water for his boss, catherine case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert, so the rich can stay wet while the poor get nothing but dust. Apr 25, 2016 the water knife featuring raphael bostic, omar brownson, lisa collins, and justine dodgen this podcast features spoilers so, please listen after youve read the book unless you are okay with hearing about major plot details and the ending of this amazing novel. Detective, assassin and spy, angel cuts water for the southern nevada water authority and its boss, catherine case. Supreme court to enforce it, even though much of the social and political life of this future america is.
Although one is set in the past and the other in a dystopian future, both are neo. In july we launched our nearfuture science fiction reading project with the water knife. Water and drought are a central part of the conversation here is the southwest. Angel velasquez is the water knife of the novels title. Detective, assassin, and spy, angel cuts water for the southern nevada water authority and its boss, catherine case, ensuring that her lush, luxurious arcology developments can bloom in the desert and that anyone who challenges her is left in the guttedsuburban dust. The water knife is the dark, actionpacked story of a hired gun getting tangled up with a scrappy young girl and a semiidealistic journalist in the catastrophically waterstarved american. Apr 05, 2016 npr book concierge, best books of 2015 kansas city star, best fiction of 2015 paste magazine, best fiction of 2015 a fresh, genrebending thriller. Imagining a thirsty future in paolo bacigalupis the water. Reading paolo bacigalupis richly imagined novel the water knife brings to mind the movie chinatown. Mar 12, 2020 water is power paolo bacigalupi, new york times bestselling author of the windup girl and national book award finalist, delivers a nearfuture thriller that casts new light on how we live today and what may be in store for us tomorrow. He worked as an undercover agent for the state of nevada, infiltrating and sabotaging the water supplies of rival states. Npr book concierge, best books of 2015 kansas city star, best fiction of 2015 paste magazine, best fiction of 2015 a fresh, genrebending thriller. Save over 20% credits will not expire, so you can use them at any time. Mar 24, 2020 oprahs first book club pick in partnership with apple, the water dancer tells the story of plantation slave hiram walker, who has been gifted with a mysterious power that saves him during a neardeath experience when he almost drowns in a river.
In the water knife, extreme drought creates a dystopian america. Oprahs first book club pick in partnership with apple, the water dancer tells the story of plantation slave hiram walker, who has been gifted with a mysterious power that saves him during a neardeath experience when he almost drowns in a river. Aug 20, 2015 water and drought are a central part of the conversation here is the southwest. In his sixth novel, bacigalupi the doubt factory, 2014, etc.
Water is an issue that needs to be addressed now, otherwise we may find ourselves on the other. Nevada and arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the colorado river, while california watches. The water knife the water knife book group to go kit paolo bacigalupi. Next is lucy monroe, a freelance internet journalist chronicling the slow demise of phoenix, arizona. Were kicking it off with the postapocalyptic dystopian scifi novel the water knife. May 28, 2015 that realization could also serve as the water knife s alarming, mobilizing bottom line. Its not about biology or health so, in a way, it doesnt even fit as a book club for my blog, but i cant stop thinking about it and since its my blog, i can do whatever i want.
Apr 05, 2016 the american southwest has been decimated by drought. This is why, when reading the water knife by paolo bacigalupi, i was struck how this story could be our future reality. The american southwest has been decimated by drought. The novel is set in a united states where water is scarce and senior water rights are viciously fought over. The compact is still on the books in the water knife, and theres still a u. It is bacigalupis sixth novel, and is based on his short story, the tamarisk hunters, first published in the environmental journal high country news.
In the nottoodistant future, climate change has turned the colorado river basin into a dust bowl. It is bacigalupis sixth novel, and is based on his short story, the tamarisk hunters, first published in the. Into the fray steps las vegas water knife angel velasquez. This book was the july read for my book club, and in our discussion. The water knife oscillates between nightmarish fantasy and. They met at the kansas city water services department and. No book will ever make you thirstier than the water knife, paolo bacigalupis the windup girl actionpacked return to hard science fiction, in which the american southwest is ravaged by drought. That realization could also serve as the water knifes alarming, mobilizing bottom line. May 21, 2015 reading paolo bacigalupis richly imagined novel the water knife brings to mind the movie chinatown. Readers went right to the source for a discussion of the latest fyi book club selection, the water knife by paolo bacigalupi. About this book water is scarce in the american southwest. Nevada and arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the colorado river, while california.
In an american southwest devastated by severe drought, angel velasquez is a water knife for one of the most powerful people in the region. Last, we come upon maria villarosa, one of the proles struggling to make it from day to day. That was a lot of geeking and nerding in one sentence. When rumors of a gamechanging water source surface in droughtravaged phoenix, angel is. When rumors of a gamechanging water source surface in droughtravaged phoenix, angel is sent to investigate. The water knife plunges you into action and doesnt let up until the very. Nevada and arizona skirmish over dwindling shares of the colorado river, while california watches, deciding if it should just take the whole river all for itself. The water knife is a 2015 science fiction novel by paolo bacigalupi. The introduction, author biography, discussion questions, and suggested reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion of the water knife, an arresting new novel by paolo bacigalupi. Read through my discussion prompts below, then add your thoughts on those or anything else you felt was important to you.
From blue end papers and thrashing water on the title page, were taken to a view of the tiny blue planet earth from space. In his equally powerful sophomore novel, the water knife, he takes a. May 26, 2015 in his sixth novel, bacigalupi the doubt factory, 2014, etc. Water is power paolo bacigalupi, new york times bestselling author of the windup girl and national book award finalist, delivers a nearfuture thriller that casts new light on how we live today and what may be in store for us tomorrow. This book totally immerses the reader in the water cycle. The incident sparks an urgency for him to escape, and takes him on a journey through the deep south. A thrilling debut novel about how far well go to protect.
Water wars in the southwest us from a number of different perspectives. The novel is set in a united states where water is scarce and senior water rights are. By all accounts, bacigalupi has reigned it in a bit for the water knife and presents us with a world within reach. Jun 26, 2015 from chapter 1 of paolo bacigalupis the water knife, published by knopf, a division of random house. The water knife paolo bacigalupi 2015 babbling books. This book moves like a highoctane thriller but includes a wealth of warnings about where america and the world at large may be headed. This month we are reading the water knife by paolo bacigalupi in the near future, the colorado river has dwindled to a trickle. Angel velasquez is a water knife, a sort of mercenary factotum, whose job is to secure as. The water knife is a pretty torrential but enjoyable take on the apocalypse, theres no virus, no nuclear fallout, its much easier to imagine than that. The draining of the aquifers, combined with the lack of snowmelt from the rockies, leaves california, nevada, arizona, and displaced texans all struggling in a world where. The introduction, author biography, discussion questions, and suggested reading that follow are designed to enhance your groups discussion. The water knife by paolo bacigalupi reading guidebook club.
In a future where water is scarce, the water knife portrays the struggles of people trying to cope in a world without water. Book club kit the water knife paolo bacigalupi the water knife compact disc paolo bacigalupi the water knife compact disc. Science fiction book club, the water knife tuesday, november 27, 7pm. The water knife by the reliable paolo bacigalupi is a story of a nearfuture america suffering through the destruction of the american southwest due to water shortages. May 26, 2015 angel velasquez is the water knife of the title, a canny, deadly catspaw for catherine case, the queen of nevada water dealings.
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