The Water Wars [Hardcover]

Cameron Stracher (Author)

Book Description

Release date: January 1, 2011

Would you risk everything for someone you just met?

What if he had a secret worth killing for?

Welcome to a future where water is more precious than oil or gold...

Hundreds of millions of people have already died, and millions more will soon fall-victims of disease, hunger, and dehydration. It is a time of drought and war. The rivers have dried up, the polar caps have melted, and drinkable water is now in the hands of the powerful few. There are fines for wasting it and prison sentences for exceeding the quotas.

But Kai didn't seem to care about any of this. He stood in the open road drinking water from a plastic cup, then spilled the remaining drops into the dirt. He didn't go to school, and he traveled with armed guards. Kai claimed he knew a secret-something the government is keeping from us...

And then he was gone. Vanished in the middle of the night. Was he kidnapped? Did he flee? Is he alive or dead? There are no clues, only questions. And no one can guess the lengths to which they will go to keep him silent. We have to find him-and the truth-before it is too late for all of us.

"Let us pray that the world which Cameron Stracher has invented in The Water Wars is testament solely to his pure, wild, and brilliant imagination, and not his ability to see the future. I was parched just reading it." -Laurie David, Academy Award–winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth and author of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming

"A gripping environmental thriller with a too-real message." - Howard Gordon, executive producer of 24 and author of Gideon's War

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Gr 7-10-In a futuristic world desperate for water, Vera and her older brother, Will, struggle to help their father eke out a meager living and care for their stricken mother. When Vera befriends Kai, a wealthy teen whose father is a wildcat water driller away for months at a time, he soon becomes a fixture at their home. After he fails to meet them one day, Vera and Will stumble upon evidence that he was abducted. Their search for their friend takes them far from their republic of Illinowa in what was the Midwestern United States through the republic of Minnesota and into Canada. Along the way, they are befriended by a band of pirates and taken hostage by a group of domestic terrorists. They eventually escape and track Kai and his father to Bluewater, the shadowy organization that has a monopoly on the water desalinization process and intends to exploit Kai's rare gift of divination. Stracher has created a realistic dystopian world ravaged by drought and taken from today's headlines as scientists warn of probable water shortages in the future. The fast-paced plot, nonstop action, and hopeful conclusion will appeal to teens, who likely won't mind that some of the minor characters are two-dimensional stereotypes. Others, such as the pirate leader Ulysses, are intriguing, fleshed-out characters who complement Stracher's likable sibling protagonists.-Leah J. Sparks, formerly at Bowie Public Library, MD (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Review

"THE WATER WARS is a gripping environmental thriller with a too-real message. Cameron Stracher tells a story with quick pacing, compelling characters and a vision of a frightening future." - Howard Gordon, Executive Producer, '24,' and author of Gideon's War (forthcoming 2011)

"Let us pray that the world which Cameron Stracher has invented in THE WATER WARS is testament solely to his pure, wild, and brilliant imagination, and not his ability to see the future. I was parched just reading it." - Laurie David, academy award winning producer of An Inconvenient Truth, and author of The Down to Earth Guide to Global Warming

"In the tradition of THE HUNGER GAMES, Cameron Stracher's WATER WARS is both a trenchant cautionary tale of a world drained of its most precious resource and a rousing adventure-story of the plucky young heroes who set out to save it. Perfect for young readers-but with more than enough substance for mom and dad as well." - Justin Cronin, author of THE PASSAGE

"Adult author Stracher (The Laws of Return) offers a bleak picture of the future in his first YA novel... It's clear that Stracher has put much thought into the effects of cataclysmic water shortages. His fast-paced, nonstop thriller doesn't hold back in its portrayal of a parched, desperate world. " - Publishers Weekly

""Preble artfully combines contemporary characters with classic figures from Russian mythology to create the second installment in this intriguing series... After reading Haunted, those who missed Dreaming Anastasia will likely want to go back to the first book in the series so that they can spend more time in Preble's multi-dimensional world."– Kate Girard, RT" - RT

"Brilliant and terrifying, Stracher's water-desperate world will make readers re-think letting the water run before a shower or while brushing their teeth. As Will and Vera criss-cross this world, it becomes evident that Stracher has truly considered all of the different outcomes that a water shortage would have on a society. Stracher has created a large cast of characters with enormous skill that has each person standing out from the rest." - RT

"The thematic impact of The Water Wars was just as intense and disturbing, if not more so, than the Hunger Games novels. Readers of all ages should read this stark novel about greed and ignorance and apathy – a wonderful book to initiate discussions (in classrooms, between parents and their children, book clubs, etc.) about environmental stewardship and how the actions of one person can change the world for the better..." - Explorations: The Barnes & Noble SciFi & Fantasy Blog

"This fast-paced dystopian story paints a compelling picture of a world devoid of an adequate drinking supply, caught between warring governments and special-interest corporations. The characters are colorful and interesting, and in some respects, the scenario is frighteningly plausible... It is a recommended read that will make readers consider their own wastefulness of this precious resource." - VOYA (Voice of Youth Advocates)

"Heart Racing: If finishing The Hunger Games left a gaping hole in your life, Cameron Stracher's Water Wars aims to fill it. Set in a dystopian future where a lack of water trumps all else, this adventure tale will keep you turning pages far into the night." - Campus Circle Newspaper

"The action here will take your breath away, with chase scenes and double-crosses... Author Cameron Stracher's dark novel is a page-turner and I was up way past my bedtime reading it. It's easy to visualize the Armageddon-like landscape that Stracher describes, and it's all-too-easy to imagine the futuristic scenario that makes water so precious.

Go without food for three weeks and you'll lose a lot of weight. Go without water for three days and you'll die... Don't consider going without "The Water Wars" at all." - Detroit Lakes Tribune

"Once you start reading The Water Wars, a simple glass of water becomes something special. The author has done a wonderful job of creating a bleak world, and he describes the dry, parched environment so well that I became thirsty just reading his words... The Water Wars is filled with nonstop action and it moves along at a breathless pace... The Water Wars is the kind of book I keep thinking about long after I've finished reading because it's based on a realistic scenario. And even though it deals with environmental issues and greed, it never felt preachy. It would be a great book for parents and teens to read together and discuss." - DaemonsBooks.com

""I know a river," says Kai. His words seem impossible yet tantalizing to Vera and her brother, Will, whose
mother is slowly dying for lack of clean water. Shaped by severe drought, their civilization is caught in a
power struggle among governments, and between governments and outsiders such as pirates and
environmentalists. When Kai is kidnapped, Will and Vera begin a David-and-Goliath rescue mission that
pits them and the allies they find against formidable, well-armed enemies. Set in a dismal future society,
this dystopian novel sets up a good premise... Once the plot gets in gear, the driving force is action... Readers
who enjoy the adventure may also find some social and ecological food for thought along the way." - Booklist

""...a powerful message. I would recommend this novel for those who enjoy dystopian novels with a hint of sci-fi thrown into the mix." - Sacramento Book Review" - Sacramento Book Review

""The Water Wars is a thought-provoking dystopian thriller with a valuable message about the dangers of assuming that earth's resources are unlimited... With it's conservation message and ethical dilemmas, The Water Wars would provide interesting material for a middle school book report." - Story Snoops" - Story Snoops

""...leaves you really thinking about the world and just how valuable the little things we have are. I like that Stracher took something that we don't usually think about a lot, like water- and flipped it to make readers aware of just how valuable this natural resource is to us... a thrilling novel that shows us what could happen if an important resource becomes scarce." - Zoe's Book Reviews" - Zoe's Book Reviews

""The book moves in a fast-paced style and changes settings rapidly. It really takes you on an amazing odyssey." - Bookish Delights" - Bookish Delights

""Vera lives with her brother Will and her father in the Republic of Llinowa. This is in the future when water is more precious than silver and gold, and politics is all about water. Then one day Vera meets Kia, and he doesn't even seem to care about water at all. When Kia goes missing, her and Will go looking for him. During the journey they will encounter many obstacles and make many new friends. Will they discover Kia's secret and also a limitless supply of water?

"The Water Wars" is a futuristic book where the world has mostly dried out and water is the most expensive and precious thing of all. This is an outstanding novel by Cameron Stracher, unlike anything else I've read. It's quite unique and engrossing. I am eagerly awaiting Cameron Stracher's next novel." - Night Owl Reviews

""Fast-paced, suspenseful and nicely developed...I would definitely read more by Stracher and perhaps more books from the dystopian genre too." - Books and Literature for Teens" - Books and Literature for Teens

"The characters will reach readers, but it's the plot and action that will hold their attention as well as the descriptive writing that brings this bleak future world into the minds of those that pick up this book. Another good addition to those who love dystopian novels." - YA Books and More

"Cameron Stracher provides a strong cautionary tale based on the premise that in the near future the liquid wars will focus on water and not oil." - Midwest Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Sourcebooks Fire; First Edition edition (January 1, 2011)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1402243693
• ISBN-13: 978-1402243691
• Product Dimensions: 8.5 x 5.9 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #138,603 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Cameron Stracher was born and raised in Roslyn, Long Island. At a young age, he wanted to be a writer, and had his first play produced while an undergraduate at Amherst College. After college, he retreated to Woods Hole, Massachusetts, where he tried to write the Great American Novel. Failing miserably, he enrolled at Harvard Law School, where he still managed to take a writing workshop from Mary Robison at Harvard College. He returned to Woods Hole after earning his J.D. degree, and was the only waiter at the Coonamessett Inn who was also admitted to the New York State bar. Finally, succumbing to parental and financial pressure, he got a real job at Covington & Burling in Washington, D.C., where he lasted for one year before fleeing for the Writers' Workshop at the University of Iowa.

He spent four years in Iowa City, studying under Frank Conroy, James Salter, Marilynne Robinson, Meg Wolitzer, and Deborah Eisenberg. More important, he met his wife, Christine Pakkala, a poet, while she was serving cheese samples at the food co-op. After Christine graduated, the couple moved to New York City where Cameron practiced law at Friedman & Kaplan, and then became in-house counsel at CBS, handling libel, privacy, copyright and other claims for the network. One of the highlights of his career during those years was getting Dan Rather out of jury duty.

Cameron won a fiction fellowship from the New York Foundation for the Arts in 1994, and his first novel, The Laws of Return, was published by William Morrow in 1996. His non-fiction account of his life as a law firm associate, Double Billing: A Young Lawyer's Tale of Greed, Sex, Lies, and a Swivel Chair, was also published by Morrow in 1998. He left CBS in 1999 and joined the media law firm Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, where he became partner and helped open the New York office. In 2001, he began teaching at New York Law School, and eventually became the Publisher of the Law Review and the Co-Director of the school's new Program in Law & Journalism. His second book of non-fiction, Dinner with Dad: How I Found My Way Back to the Family Table, was published by Random House in 2007. It has recently been optioned for television by 3Arts Entertainment. In 2010 Cameron left New York Law School to spend more time writing and with his family. In 2011, Sourcebooks published his first YA novel, the dystopian thriller The Water Wars.

At present, he is Of Counsel to Levine Sullivan Koch & Schulz, and has his own media law practice where he counsels clients like Hybrid Films, producer of the hit TV series Dog the Bounty Hunter, and provides litigation and transactional advice to other independent film, TV, and entertainment companies. He also handles all pre-publication review for Star and OK! magazines and all litigation for American Media publications, including the National Enquirer.

In addition to his books, Cameron has written for The New York Times, The New York Times Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and many other publications. He is an avid runner and his non-fiction book about the running boom, The Kings of the Road, will be published by Houghton Mifflin in April 2013. He lives in Westport, Connecticut, with his wife, two children, and two dogs.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A compelling adventure story in a thirsty world January 2, 2011

By PAUL BRADSHAW

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Until I read this book one consequence of global warming that I had never really thought about was its impact on our fresh water supply. In "The Water Wars" Cameron Stracher has created a fascinating, scary vision of a future where the world has run out of drinkable water. The ice caps have melted; the rivers and lakes have dried up; wars and riots have broken out in what has become known as the "Great Panic". The United States has splintered into six republics that are at war with each other and with Canada (which has dammed its rivers) over the limited supplies of fresh water.

The story is told by 15-year old Vera who lives in what used to be the US Midwest. Lack of fresh water dominates her life. Like the vast majority of people, Vera and her family depend upon meager Government rations of desalinated water (processed sea water). Vera's descriptions of a parched world, where the landscape is dry, dusty, and free of vegetation, are so effective that they actually made me thirsty. I liked that there is no heavy-handed preachy environmentalism here along the lines of "If only they had listened to Al Gore"; young adults reading "The Water Wars" might well have some thoughts about how to prevent this frightening scenario from coming true, but this book is primarily an adventure story.

Vera's adventure begins when she meets a strange boy named Kai. She is intrigued by Kai from the start, when she sees him drinking water from a plastic cup, then nonchalantly (and illegally) spilling the last few drops into the ground. Kai is mysterious and different and quickly becomes friends with Vera and her 17-year old brother Will. A romantic connection also develops between Kai and Vera. When Kai and his father disappear, Vera and Will set out to rescue them, and they are thrown into an epic chase involving water pirates, terrorists, and an evil corporation. The action is exciting and non-stop, with many chapters ending on cliffhangers, and the youngsters show plenty of bravery and ingenuity throughout their adventure.

"The Water Wars" is an enjoyable adventure story with a compelling (but non-preachy) environmental message. Highly recommended.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Intelligent and thought-provoking January 19, 2012

By Evie Seo (Bookish blog)

Format:Paperback

In his most recent novel, Cameron Stracher paints a vivid picture of what the world could become if the water shortage were to occur. It's a realistic and terrifyingly plausible scenario that will definitely make you reflect on many political and economical issues of modern times. The Water Wars is a dark and disturbing environmental thriller. It carries a profound message that will resonate with readers.

Cameron Stracher created a breathtakingly grim and horrifying reality. A world almost completely deprived of water. Or with not enough water left for people to live normally. Just the idea of that makes me instantly thirsty and, frankly, I can't imagine anything more horrible than dying from thirst. In fact, that's exactly what happened in the world created by Stracher. Hundreds of millions of people have died due to dehydration. There is no free access to drinking water anymore. Lakes, rivers, ponds.. everything have dried up and now the only source of drinking water is controlled by the government. The government gets to decide how much water you get per week. They can also send you to jail for wasting it, even if its just a few spilled drops.

Vera and Will get by just fine on the Government assigned rations. Sure, they sometimes have to survive a day or two without drinking anything, and even the water they get to drink, the one provided by The Water Authority, isn't anything like the fresh water in old days - it's a desalinated ocean water that tastes of chemicals and something burned. That is all they have, though, they can either drink it or die. Many people, including their mother, get sick and no one can tell whether it's the water, the air, or something else. Will, however, is convinced that it's something in the water that is making people ill. When they meet Kai, a mysterious boy who seems to have access to fresh water, they're intrigued and hopeful. Before they can learn his secret, though, Kai disappears. Moreover, evidence point to him being kidnapped! Vera and Will decide to find him. That, however, proves to be 100 times more difficult and more dangerous than they expected!

May I be absolutely and painfully honest? (Permission granted? Alright then...) I wanted to love this book so much. It seemed like s thrilling, profoundly meaningful read with a fascinating premise and well-thought out plot line. And then there was this drool inducing quote at the cover, suggesting this book to be "a rousing adventure in the tradition of The Hunger Games" and yes, I drool at every mention of Suzanne Collins' fabulous trilogy. Maybe it was the totally missed comparison that took away the pleasure of reading this book, maybe I just expected something totally different, or maybe I just had a bad week or something. I don't know. I just can't help to feel slightly disappointed with this read. What promised to be another brilliant and ground-shaking dystopia, turned out to be more of a bitter political rant. Well written, interesting and meaningful, but a rant nevertheless. I absolutely loved the premise and found this book to be utmost brilliantly written. Intelligent, thought-provoking, disquieting and often scary. But I would never in a thousand years compare it to Hunger Games or any other YA dystopian story. Why? Because, in my opinion, it should not have been written as a Young Adult in the first place. It didn't have the typical YA feel to it. The parts where author tried to convince us that he wrote a book for teens where not convincing enough. Sadly, they felt forced and awkward. It often felt as if Cameron Stracher had to hold back to fit the story into YA frames. I felt there was so much more he wanted to say, but had to bite his tongue, make it look nicer than it was so that the kids wouldn't get scared too much. I have a feeling I would enjoy this story so much more if only it was an adult book!

I had a hard time connecting with the characters and ended up not caring about what will happen to them. Their actions seemed quite random and, well, weirdly motivated. Would I risk everything for someone I just met? Probably not. One might argue they weren't really interested in helping Kai, maybe they just wanted to save him because he held the secret to fresh water source. I guess that would make sense, considering they needed water badly for their sick mother and themselves. But at the same time I didn't feel like they needed it at all. I didn't pick up any stronger emotions coming from Vera and Will, no heartbreaking thirst, no burning desire to save Kai. They didn't seem overly concern with their mother's well-being either. Their emotions were flat, gray, non-existent. They didn't know Kai well enough to care about him. They met him how many times? Twice? There was no reason for this weird rescue mission at all.

The storyline is anything but fast-moving. I found it to be quite slow, even dragging at times. It's not necessary a bad thing, I kind of liked it that way. The narrative voice seemed quite authoritative and wise, which was one of the things that made me feel that it shouldn't have been a YA book. There is some action, though, and quite a few moments when I actually shifted uncomfortably in my chair, so yes, you could say the story was quite gripping. Once you get past the bland characters and their arbitrary choices, you get quite an interesting and compelling book. Not exactly a page-turner or a wild thrill ride, but definitely a solid, absorbing, well thought-out and intriguing read. The Water Wars' power lays in its strong scientific basis and the fact that a scenario like this one could easily be part of our own future. It's a book worth reading.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Weak and disappointing April 20, 2011

By Amanda TOP 500 REVIEWERVINE™ VOICE

Format:Hardcover

With all the YA dystopian novels being released this year and next, it's hard to stand out -especially if you're like me and you are in love with the dystopian genre. I mean, I've been in love with these types of books ever since I read Orwell's 1984 in high school (yeah, I'm a nerd). When the dystopia genre suddenly exploded in the YA genre -which, of course, led to the inevitable cascade of dystopian releases -I was ecstatic. Finally, here was a literary trend that I could get behind!

Debut author Cameron Stracher's The Water Wars has been on my 2011 "must read" list for a while. With such an intriguing concept, it was hard to ignore it. Water Wars explores a frighteningly plausible future where water is more valuable than gold -a resource that encues fines for waste harsh consequences for taking more than your share.

As readers may expect from the novel's set up, Water Wars is dripping with somewhat over-the-top environmentalism themes and clean water rantings. While this is a great message for modern readers, not to mention the idea and set up of Water Wars is great, it just isn't executed well. From the first page until the very end, I just thought the story was dull and hard to engage in. The characters felt incredibly flat and uninteresting, not to mention that the plot never really went much of anywhere beyond the initial set-up. When I finished the book I was just left with the sense that: yes, wasting water is bad, environmental and conservationism is good, yadda, yadda, but what else is there in this book?

Sadly, Water Wars has nothing much to offer for readers beyond a message and a warning. While both of these items are good, I really wish that their could have been more here -like characters or a plot, or at least something interesting to pull me through the story. I really hate to say it, but Water Wars was kind of a bust for me. I really wanted to like it, but it just didn't deliver from a story/entertainment prospective. While offering up messages, especially as importance as this, is certainly a goal of fiction, isn't entertainment also a goal?