holes in my brain

full review can be found on my blog, holes In My brainFirst and foremost, the world created Bacigalupi is incredible, there’s no other way to say it. It’s far from a utopia, it’s a dangerous and exposed society with harsh social classes and even harsher conditions. Nothing comes easy for people in Nailer’s world, and the savagery displayed is a by-product of the world… or is it the other way around?Whereas the world-building was phenomenal, the characters were rather weak. Nailer lacked a depth to him that I was expecting, but that’s not saying he isn’t a well rounded character— he is. He has his problems and dreams but it’s just that nothing he did really surprised me, he was just Nailer. And don’t worry, I was behind him one hundred percent.The swanky (rich) girl he finds, Nita, never drew me in either. I was expecting much more from her, much more scheming and wits, but I just got a girl who went with the flow and talked big. But Pima was awesome, just saying.What made this novel work, however, was the writing. It’s breathtaking in a gripping kind of way because we’re not floating above clouds in a pile of poetry, readers are right in the mix of things, scavenging a ship, being chased by half-men, fighting or running for their lives. Bacigalupi manages to transport a reader right into the story with fantastic prose and dialogue. The imagery is another element that blew me away; such detailed descriptions formed a perfect picture in my mind, even when that picture was just pure darkness with some faint LED paint.SHIP BREAKER is an atmospheric, intense adventure set in a gritty and unpleasant future.