The Windup Girl

By: Paolo Bacigalupi

Narrated by: Jonathan Davis

Length: 19 hrs and 34 mins

Publisher's summary

Earphones Award Winner (AudioFile Magazine)

Anderson Lake is a company man, AgriGen's Calorie Man in Thailand. Under cover as a factory manager, Anderson combs Bangkok's street markets in search of foodstuffs thought to be extinct, hoping to reap the bounty of history's lost calories.

There, he encounters Emiko...Emiko is the Windup Girl, a strange and beautiful creature. One of the New People, Emiko is not human; instead, she is an engineered being, creche-grown and programmed to satisfy the decadent whims of a Kyoto businessman, but now abandoned to the streets of Bangkok. Regarded as soulless beings by some, devils by others, New People are slaves, soldiers, and toys of the rich in a chilling near future in which calorie companies rule the world, the oil age has passed, and the side effects of bio-engineered plagues run rampant across the globe.

What happens when calories become currency? What happens when bio-terrorism becomes a tool for corporate profits, when said bio-terrorism's genetic drift forces mankind to the cusp of post-human evolution? In The Windup Girl, award-winning author Paolo Bacigalupi returns to the world of The Calorie Man (Theodore Sturgeon Memorial Award-winner, Hugo Award nominee, 2006) and Yellow Card Man (Hugo Award nominee, 2007) in order to address these poignant questions.

BONUS AUDIO: In an exclusive introduction, author Paolo Bacigalupi explains how a horrible trip to Thailand led to the idea for The Windup Girl.

©2009 Paolo Bacigalupi (P)2009 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award, Best Novel, 2010
• Nebula Award, Best Novel, 2009
• Best Books of 2009, Publishers Weekly
• 10 Best Fiction Books of 2009, Time magazine
• Best Sci-Fi and Fantasy 2009, Library Journal

"Paolo Bacigalupi's debut sci-fi novel is a stunner, especially as interpreted under the careful ministrations of narrator Jonathan Davis. The novel postulates a corrupt near-future society in Southeast Asia, where powerful corporations vie for control over rice yields by wielding bioengineered viruses as tools for profit." ( AudioFile)

" The Windup Girl will almost certainly be the most important SF novel of the year for its willingness to confront the most cherished notions of the genre, namely that our future is bright and we will overcome our selfish, cruel nature." ( Book Page)

"A classic dystopian novel likely to be short listed for the Nebula and Hugo Awards" ( SF Signal)

Creative Plot, Successful Narrarator

Would you listen to The Windup Girl again? Why?

I already have! This was my second listen and I enjoyed it more this time. The plot is so thick that it took me a few times to really understand all the concepts that were presented. I will let it sit for a year or two and give it a third round. One of the few books that I have re-visited.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Windup Girl?

Memorable? The disturbing sexual scenes were memorable in a rather traumatic way.

Have you listened to any of Jonathan Davis’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

Yes, he is one of my favorite narrators. He is not overly dramatic (read Scott Brick here... booo) yet knows where to place emphasis on what could be difficult to follow passages.

Interesting story but confusing

Perhaps it's me, but I couldn't stay with this story. I still am not sure what the war was about or who the good guys are. The part with the hitchy gitchy girl was good but still left me scratching my head. I finished it but was not really satified. Maybe I will get it the second time around when I re-listen a year from now.

a best scifi read

I was somewhat overwhelmed in the first portion due to the lingo and descriptors of a future eco/world. I was hooked on the 2nd third and couldn't stop towards the end. This is a big world of unique people in a future world with many relevant eco/environmental issues at play. The windup girl? amazing read.

Cyber-Punk meets The Flintstones

Even though there were times I felt I was listening to a cyber-punk version of the Flintstones, I still loved it. The author has a gift for weaving his characters into life. I find that rare these days. You'll find yourself screaming "what happened to solar, nuclear, hydro and geo-thermal generators?" over and over again. You'll be bewildered at Bacigalupi's use of gas lights to light the streets instead of the much more efficient gas generated electricity. But honestly, you want care after about an hour. Highly recommended.

Excellent read, Recommended

The world Bacigalupi writes is rich and detailed. His characters are whole people and the plots inside this work are compelling to say the least.

Brilliant view of the future

Where does The Windup Girl rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Top 25%

What did you like best about this story?

The originality. The world and time was a creative and thoughtful extenstion of the modern timeline.

Any additional comments?

Firs class science fiction!

How many of us are a Windup Girl?

Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why or why not?

I would selectively recommend The Windup Girl. To those with strong stomachs, this is an escape from our reality. Paolo Bacigalupi's discriptions of a dystopian world is well conceived, with global plagues of man, flora, and fauna. He created new weaponry, energy sources, cartels, and social organizations. I found the the character development as interesting as his world as a whole.I would caution those who are sensitive to explicit sexual cruelty to feel free to jump over sections of this book, knowing that you didn't miss anything that would diminish the substance of the book. I would have preferred the graphic sexual scenes to "fade to black" and resume with the already well written anguish of Emiko, who couldn't help herself due to her genetic engineering.

Who was your favorite character and why?

I I felt for Emiko's tender feelings which were well developed throughout the book. Her inability at first to stand up for herself when her engineered buttons were pushed was anguishing. She desired to have self-determination. And her shame overpowered her programming to please others. She grew stronger throughout the story and became an integral part of the storyline. I didn't understand the title of this book until I was three fourths of the way through the story.

What does Jonathan Davis bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Jonathan Davis did a inspiring job through the myriads of characters, and especially as he presented Emiko's feeling to us. Kudos to Jonathan!

If this book were a movie would you go see it?

I definitely would like to see it on the big screen, as long as they cut the graphic sexual debauchery from the movie as I mentioned earlier. It was uncomfortable to listen to and I can't imagine seeing even 1% of it on screen.

Any additional comments?

I have to admit as others have, that the first half of the book was a bit confusing, even with the excellent character development. I had to backtrack multiple times to figure out what just happened to whom and try to figure out what it had to do with the story. Even so, everything did fall into place. And I don't have an alternative option for Paolo' choices. I liked the book. I was intrigued throughout the book. I listen to books in spurts each day, and then on the weekend I listened for eight to 10 hours while I work at home. During the long stretches of listening, I didn't mind needing to break for dinner or take other time-outs due to the intensity of the book. I enjoyed the book, story, and especially the Jonathan's reading.With my children, all grown up now, I kept reflecting on how the Windup Girl was engineered to be respectful and obedient to a fault. Just as we all attempt to train our own children to be. I saw in Emiko, what we would be like if we were never allowed to stand on our own two feet. She had disabilities, that at times were taken care of with caring concern, and times with impatience for the work they required, just like the real world. I empathized with Emiko's needs, and dreams. I applaud her endurance.Good Book!

one of the best

I've really enjoyed this book. I honestly couldn't care less if the science in the book is less than perfect. I was hooked immediately and stayed that way till the end. Worth every cent.

An unexpected end

The basic story behind the Novel is what attracted me in the first place and eventualy it did not disapoint. At first I found it a little hard to follow all the names of carectors and creatures, but once I got my head around them, this book fast became one of the most adictive and thought provoking I have ever come acress. I hope the will be another instalment.

Gripping

Kept me absorbed right the way through. Fascinating ideas about the consequences of a post-oil world, and genetic engineering. Best credit spent so far.