The Drowned Cities

By: Paolo Bacigalupi

Narrated by: Joshua Swanson

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Publisher's summary

Soldier boys emerged from the darkness. Guns gleamed dully. Bullet bandoliers and scars draped their bare chests. Ugly brands scored their faces. She knew why these soldier boys had come. She knew what they sought, and she knew, too, that if they found it, her best friend would surely die.

In a dark future America where violence, terror, and grief touch everyone, young refugees Mahlia and Mouse have managed to leave behind the war-torn lands of the Drowned Cities by escaping into the jungle outskirts. But when they discover a wounded half-man - a bioengineered war beast named Tool - who is being hunted by a vengeful band of soldiers, their fragile existence quickly collapses. One is taken prisoner by merciless soldier boys, and the other is faced with an impossible decision: Risk everything to save a friend, or flee to a place where freedom might finally be possible.

This thrilling companion to Paolo Bacigalupi's highly acclaimed Ship Breaker is a haunting and powerful story of loyalty, survival, and heart-pounding adventure.

Apocalypse now: also listen to Ship Breaker.

©2012 Paolo Bacigalupi (P)2012 Audible, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Suzanne Collins may have put dystopian literature on the YA map with The Hunger Games... but Bacigalupi is one of the genre's masters, employing inventively terrifying details in equally imaginative story lines." ( Los Angeles Times)

"Beautifully written, filled with high-octane action, and featuring badly damaged but fascinating and endearing characters, this fine novel tops its predecessor and can only increase the author's already strong reputation." ( Publishers Weekly, starred review)

"The novel's greatest success lies in the creation of a world that is so real, the grit and decay of war and ruin will lay thick on the minds of readers long after the final page. The narrative, however, is equally well crafted.... Breathtaking." ( Kirkus Reviews, starred review)

Nail Biter

This is not for the faint of heart. Excellently written story. Resonates with many current issues. Excellent for full alertness and speedy knitting on a long car trip. Not a dull moment.

loving this author!

Read The Water Knife first and wanted more of this authors works, not disappointed with this one!

Horrible

What disappointed you about The Drowned Cities?

The story was ridiculous, not even close to description.

What could Paolo Bacigalupi have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

No clue...never have written this book?

What didn’t you like about Joshua Swanson’s performance?

Bad narration

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Anger and disappointment. I have spent far too much $ to continue to accumulate crap work.

Interesting characters and concepts

If you could sum up The Drowned Cities in three words, what would they be?

Post-Apocalypse future America

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Drowned Cities?

I enjoyed the fighting scenes especially with the genetically altered war animal. Creates a very believable future America with it's roots in today's intolerance (both left and right).

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

Does a good job of separating the characters, given them there own voice

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

No, but I was constantly thinking about it when I wasn't listening to it.

Dark, very dark

I think this is a very original story with an interesting setting and characters. Maybe it is just the time of year or maybe just my mood, but I just found this too depressing to finish. For me that is saying a lot because I rarely abandon a book. Maybe it would get better, something good (or at least not so terrible) could possibly happen to one of the principle characters, but I had to quit while I could still move out from the black cloud of depression.

Okay, that's probably a bit of an exaggeration but I'm on to lighter fare. I might like this much better in the spring or summer when there is lots of sunlight and fresh air.

Well written, but hard to read

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

The performance and story are both stellar.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Tool is the most interesting character, of course, because he is both foreign and relatable, being human AND animal.

What about Joshua Swanson’s performance did you like?

I particularly like actors who attribute clear vocal distinctions to different characters.

Any additional comments?

I confess, I haven't finished this yet, because it is VERY violent, and I go through phases where I have a hard time swallowing a lot of violence. but it's very well-written and performed so I'm saving it to pick up again. Worth the squeamishness, ha!

Brutal and hard to engage with characters...

This is the sequel to Ship Breaker, it’s set in the same world as Ship Breaker but with different main characters. I didn’t like this book quite as much as Ship Breaker...it was just too bleak and I had trouble engaging with the characters.

Mahlia and Mouse have fled the war torn Drowned Cities and live in a small town in the outskirts of a jungle. Mahlia works in the town helping the doctor there and does well, despite her lack of a hand. Mahlia dreams of a day when she will be able to escape these outskirts of the Drowned Cities and head North. When a dog man draws soldiers near their small town their lives change forever.

This book is set in an extremely bleak post-apocalyptic setting on the East Coast of the US. There are little hints throughout that eventually let the reader figure out what portion of the US this book is set in.

The is an incredibly violent and incredibly depressing read. So if you are offended by graphic torture and violence I recommend steering clear. It is even more violent and depressing than Ship Beaker was.

That being said it does a pretty darn good job of portraying the suffering of people living within a long and constant war. As to whether or not this is appropriate for young adults...I think it is okay but beware that the graphic violence in this book makes The Hunger Games look like a Disney Fairy Tale.

I had trouble relating to any of the characters. None of them are good and all of them make a large series of poor decisions. They are very human, but I mostly despised them. All of them kind of left a bad taste in my mouth. Mahlia comes off as incredibly selfish throughout. Mouse and others are incredibly naive despite their violent upbringing.

The most intriguing of the bunch is Tool, the dog-faced man. Tool is complex and simple at the same time; he is a tool of war yet he follows simple philosophies that make a surprising amount of sense. He was pretty much the only part of this book I found intriguing and enjoyable.

The world-building is absolutely fantastic. If you have read The Windup Girl or Ship Breaker, you know that this world is absolutely incredibly creative. The number one strength of this book is this fantastic, dreary world that Bacigalupi has created. The book is fast-paced and fairly engaging.

Overall this is a decent story. I just had trouble maintaining a lot of interest in these brutalized characters and I found the level of violence and bleak outlook depressing. Bacigalupi always has to take things just a bit too far for me, and it takes away a lot of the enjoyment of reading the story for me. I guess I would tentatively recommend to those who are interested in absolutely brutal post-apocalyptic reads of war torn lands.

Exciting and well written

This is book 2, you might want to read Shipbreaker first. But, it's not really necessary I guess. Be prepared for lots of blood, but it's all so fitting in this series. You get so used to it because that is the way it is in those drowned cities. Very cool and possible world Paolo makes. I am so glad I have read these, they completely take you away.

More than I expected!

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

This is an excellent read for lovers of both science fiction and straight fiction alike. The action, characters, dialog and story are all wonderfully crisp.

What was one of the most memorable moments of The Drowned Cities?

The emotional components of the characters and the unfolding nature of their struggles and motivations made this book a cut above.

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

Joshua Swanson's voice characterizations lent a depth to each of the players in this novel. His character work really helped me get immersed in the world of the drowned cities.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I can't recall if I actually cried, but there are some very powerful human moments in this book. I think the realism of the dialog helped make these moments ring true and kept them from slipping into the realm of cheesy melodrama.

Not as good as Ship Breakers

I REALLY enjoyed the 'sister novel' Ship Breaker that's set in the same universe. I listened to the two books back to back and had high hopes when starting The Drowned Cities but it never took of. The characters weren't as well developed as in Ship Breakers and although the storyline is scary realistic and the dystopia knife sharp The Drowned Cities didn't manage to draw me in the way Ship Breakers did. That being said it is still a well above average novel, not only in the genre but overall. The narration is GREAT and it's well worth a credit - It might very well be just that I enjoyed Ship Breakers so much that my expectations were a bit high.