Ship Breaker

Paolo Bacigalupi

Ship Breaker #1

Summary:

In America's Gulf Coast region, where grounded oil tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota--and hopefully live to see another day. But when, by luck or chance, he discovers an exquisite clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it's worth or rescue its lone survivor, a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life...

In One Word: Original (Genuine)

Plot:

This is a very unique story with lots of action and suspense. I liked the idea of an almost futuristic world where there are half-human half-animal people and the humans are either in complete poverty or extremely wealthy. The writing was very good except for one thing that bothered me a little, which is the fact that the author kept repeating this way to describe pain (the pain always blossoms...). I really liked the setting and thought it was very original and unique, although it took me a little while to get into it, since there’s little explanation as to why circumstances are the way they are. Overall I found the story intriguing, different and action-packed.

Characters:

The characters were interesting enough. I liked the chemistry between the different characters, and I thought they complimented each other very well. The villian was not all bad, which I always find more interesting than completely evil villians, but he’s still evil enough to justify the reader hating him.

Who should read this:

13+, mainly for violence, some language and references to sexual content. If you’re looking for something different with a lot of action you might like this. It’s not a particularly light read, but quite an exciting one. It’s also quite dark and at times a little disturbing, so if that’s not your thing, don’t bother with it.

My rating:

I liked this book, even if it’s not exactly the type of thing I really enjoy. The characters were good and the story stayed interesting. So 4/5.

Quote:

“Killing isn't free. It takes something out of you every time you do it. You get their life; they get a piece of your soul. It's always a trade.”