Pump Six and Other Stories [Hardcover]

Paolo Bacigalupi (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Bacigalupi's stellar first collection of 10 stories displays the astute social commentary and consciousness-altering power of the very best short form science fiction. The Hugo-nominated The Calorie Man explores a post–fossil fuel future where genetically modified crops both feed and power the world, and greedy megacorporations hold the fates of millions in their hands. The People of Sand and Slag envisions a future Earth as a contaminated wasteland inhabited by virtually indestructible post-humans who consume stone and swim in petroleum oceans. The Tamarisk Hunter deals with the effects of global warming on water rights in the Southwest, while the title story, original to this volume, follows a New York sewage treatment worker who struggles to repair his antiquated equipment as the city's inhabitants succumb to the brain-damaging effects of industrial pollutants. Deeply thought provoking, Bacigalupi's collected visions of the future are equal parts cautionary tale, social and political commentary and poignantly poetic, revelatory prose. (Apr.)
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Review

Bacigalupi s stellar first collection of 10 stories displays the astute social commentary and consciousness-altering power of the very best short form science fiction. Deeply thought provoking, Bacigalupi s collected visions of the future are equal parts cautionary tale, social and political commentary and poignantly poetic, revelatory prose. (Starred Review, named to PW s Best-of-the-Year list) --Publishers Weekly

These are not subtle stories. Bacigalupi makes no secret of his social attitudes, but he handles political commentary with grace and packs a lot of thought into quite a small space. These pieces aren t just platforms for cultural critique; they re solid, fascinating world building. ... Fortunately, Bacigalupi still allows the future some possibility for redemption. Every story is well worth rereading. --Booklist

Bacigalupi creates believable, detailed, lived-in futures that just happen to portray an ugly set of sunsets for humanity on Earth. ... Bacigalupi is what you might call the anti-Heinlein: There are no saviors or competent white men in his worlds, just occasions for survival. He s a truly dark bard, in the spirit of Ellison at his most vivid and cynical. --The Daily Camera --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 248 pages
• Publisher: Night Shade Books (March 11, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 159780133X
• ISBN-13: 978-1597801331
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #672,161 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Dark Stories from a Very Possible Future, May 10, 2008

By	David B Richman (Mesilla Park, NM USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pump Six and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I first read a short story by Paolo Bacigalupi in High Country News. It was "The Tamarisk Hunter" about a man named Lolo who removes the weed trees from a water hungry Southwest and who has a darker secret. It was well written and very plausible to those who know the tamarisk (or saltcedar, as it is also called) and the water problems of the southwestern border states. I then found this collection titled "Pump Six and Other Stories" in the local library.

These are dark stories of a Dalai Lama in a datacube, a modified human, a world of scavengers, a cultural conflict, genetically engineered life forms, population crises, life in a future Thailand, murder and a polluted world, as well as the tamarisk hunter. To a large degree these are cautionary tales - tales of what might be, if we take no action or take the wrong action. The biggest fear is that they will happen despite anything we can do and the author does not relieve us of this fear. Finally, these are finely crafted stories of the very near and far futures of human existence and they will leave you very uneasy. For all that, they are well worth the reading.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ecology of Fear, February 14, 2009

By	doomsdayer520 (Pennsylvania) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Pump Six and Other Stories (Hardcover)

Once in a while you stumble across a writer who isn't a big name, but you're convinced that he must have many existing books that are ripe for discovery, because in the first one you find so much experience and maturity. Well this is actually Paolo Bacigalupi's first book and I'm already salivating for more, as he has unleashed what has to be the most bodacious speculative fiction debut in recent memory. The short stories here are from Bacigalupi's periodic and consistently award-winning submissions to various magazines and anthologies. (Watch for his debut novel in late 2009). Bacigalupi's stories are mostly near-future dystopias, but he has a unique specialization - dystopias caused by current environmental problems or challenges in international relations.

For example, "The People of Sand and Slag" and "The Tamarisk Hunter" feature near-future humans who have gone to terrifying lengths to adapt to the ruination of the world by our current pollution patterns, and "The Calorie Man" shows a disturbing worldview based on the little-known current social problem of the creeping corporate control of farming practices. "The Pasho" and "Yellow Card Man" are allegories of globalization and the slowly developing misery to come from this modern ideological craze. Another high point here (in a collection full of high points) is the beautifully disturbing "The Fluted Girl," a tale of body modification gone mad. Bacigalupi's stories are consistently haunting but often with open-ended conclusions, giving the reader a feeling of possible hope amidst ecological and social chaos. If you're into modern speculative fiction and distressingly believable dystopian visions, keep an eye on Paolo Bacigalupi. A star is born. [~doomsdayer520~]

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Against the grain, April 7, 2008

By	Ryan Foster - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Pump Six and Other Stories (Hardcover)

I am not normally a fan of short fiction but I really love this book. Mr. Bacigalupi manages, in just a few pages, to create an engaging and intriguing story with a bit of spine tingling as an added bonus. His wonderfully acute social commentary and willingness to explore the margins of human behavior gives his work a level of integrity rarely matched in the world of fiction or non-fiction. These stories have stuck with me for weeks after reading them, providing a rich insight and perspective into many aspects of life. I look forward to the next collection.