Babel Clash

Thanks for having me here, Morgan. I really enjoyed it.

“For those that haven’t read your work yet, what would you tell them to encourage checking out Windup Girl?”

Bottom line, The Windup Girl is a GMO thriller/political intrigue set in a future Bangkok.  And it’s pretty much guaranteed to give you a couple good shocks and surprises. But don’t believe me. Check out the reviews and see if the book seems like it fits your taste.

SF Signal describes The Windup Girl: “In a future Thailand struggling against gened plagues and rising seas, the most important elements of life are the calories needed to stay alive. But as iron-fisted food corporations, flawed rulers, and an impure army of environmental defenders fight to impose their views on this world, an unlikely girl—who could be the next step in human evolution—fights for the right to simply live as she wants.”

And some reviews, with links:

Publishers Weekly: (Starred Review) “This complex, literate and intensely felt tale, which recalls both William Gibson and Ian McDonald at their very best… is clearly one of the finest science fiction novels of the year.”

SF Signal: (Five out of Five Stars) “A disturbing novel… beautiful, fast-paced, exciting… One of the best first science fiction novels of recent years; a completely realistic and terrifying future.”

IO9: “The Windup Girl is obviously about the geopolitics of the present, where Monsanto tries to supplant local seedstocks with its own, and many governments teeter between the politics of isolationism and global capital. And yet Bacigalupi never slides into moralism or judgement. All his characters have their flaws and heroic moments. Nobody is clean, and there are no heroes who want to save the environment or bad guys who want to destroy it. Ultimately that’s what makes this debut novel so exciting. It’s rare to find a writer who can create such well-shaded characters while also building a weird new future world.”

And of course, you can always come to my website at windupstories.com where I have some of my short stories available for free download, if you’d like to try out some of my writing before you buy.

Thanks for letting me drop by.

-Paolo

Paolo, it’s been a great conversation.  Thank you for joining us on Babel Clash.  For those that haven’t read your work yet, what would you tell them to encourage checking out Windup Girl?  The book should be in most stores next week.

I watched the new film “9″ tonight.  It’s a fun movie, imaginative and tightly constructed, and I enjoyed the characters and story.  The clever construction of mechanical beasts was a highlight for me, and the animation is top notch.  I highly recommend this one.

Its apocalyptic wasteland setting is particularly interesting given our current topic.  This is no spoiler, since it is clear in the trailer and within the first few moments of the movie, that technology is mankind’s doom.

Scarcity is a looming problem.  Could we be equally vulnerable to overabundance?  In the case of “9,” you could argue it is overabundance of technology.  As science fiction addresses the dangers of “too little,” it would also be compelling to see writers continue to address threats of “too much.”  Are they really that different or just the same scarcity issue from different points of view?

Paolo, we’d all like to predict a better future.  The Grand Society or New Golden Age.  Environmental problems are fixed.  Diseases are cured.  Wars have ended.  I’m not sure if it is a realistic vision for some far future day or not.  My question is how does a predictive Science Fiction genre tackle an idealized future, even if that idealized future is logical or reasonable?

At the heart of storytelling is drama, tension and struggle.  In a world lacking scarcity issues, much of the tension is removed, and it becomes more difficult to tell a traditional story.  Unless the Utopia is an illusion or secretly corrupt, and that makes for good stories, too.  Assuming that the Utopia is real, is it still possible to infuse that story with danger and suspense without creating an outside source to threaten it?

Any comments from the Rogue’s Gallery of Babel Clash readers?  Can you recall any great Utopian Science Fiction visions where we see both a grand future and drama and suspense?

Speaking of visuals… Borders & Borders.com have a Buy 4, Get 5th Free Manga & Graphic Novel sale for Labor Day weekend.  While you’re there for your graphic novel fix, please consider reserving or ordering Paolo’s Windup Girl.  The official on-sale date is still a week or two away, but the wait is almost over!  Hang in there.  It is worth the wait!

It’s interesting to see the different styles of covers between Japan and the U.S.  Visually, the effect is significant.  Anyway, it’s cool to see David’s Honor character get the attention that she deserves.  Why don’t we see more powerhouse female characters like Honor in Sci-Fi?  I know that they’re out there, but in terms of prevalence, they’re much less common than their male counterparts.

David Weber Honor Harrington

Hey Paolo, I’m not going to throw you off the blog!  Where’s that “futurability” optimism?

I’m very curious to learn more about science fiction in Japan.  Viz Media has started to publish some translated Japanese SF for the states.   Lords of the Sands of Time, All You Need is Kill, Zoo & Yukikaze are some books already out or coming soon.  So much of the U.S. market’s exposure to Japanese literature is through manga.  It’ll be intersting to see if the SF also catches on.

Somewhat tangentially… since we’re talking about visions of the future (sustainability vs. futurability), I’ll pass along word that Borders Media just shot a cool Book Club video with Suzanne Collins, author of bestseller Hunger Games.  Here’s the link…

http://www.bordersmedia.com/bookclub/collins

Join us tomorrow for the start of our next conversation with Paolo Bacigalupi.  Our topic is:  “Sustainable societies, apocalyptic futures and Science Fiction in Japan.”

Our next featured author is Paolo Bacigalupi, author of upcoming novel The Windup Girl.  Bookpage.com says, “It will almost certainly be the most important SF novel of the year…”  Click the link for the full review.

Tune in tomorrow to find out the topic of our next debate.  As always, your comments are welcome and encouraged!

Thanks again to Lev Grossman for joining us here on Babel Clash.  It’s been a treat.