The object of this series, which I am running in conjunction with my wonderful friend, Elle, who blogs at Inkproductions.org (well-written, entertaining and thoughtful articles on all things writing and blogging-oriented) is to grab a long-neglected unread book off our shelves, speculate on what we think the book’s about based solely on its cover and then – ta dah! – reveal what the book is really trying to say.
Is it unfair to judge a book by its cover? We’re about to find out!
WHAT I THINK THE BOOK IS ABOUT
In the far future , where the only animals left alive are elephants, and the only activity left to an idle city bound humanity, freed from endless drudgery by ceaseless technological advancement, is walking these large animals, one lone girl, who some say simply fell from a passing airship, decides that there must be more to life than holding onto tusks and leading elephants beneath the endless skyscrapers.
Deciding to literally throw a spanner in the works, she journeys to the heart of the city, the Absolutely Ginormous Computer Thingummybob, where her expert tool-throwing skills bring the technological core of human civilisation to a grinding halt, forcing people to once again fend for themselves.
Alas, just as humanity is off re-discovering what it means to be truly alive (and just how long it takes to really make a good moist frittata) she suddenly stops, unaware she is a windup doll.
All alone with no one to wind her up again, she ends up as dead as the computer that is now her tomb.
WHAT THE BOOK IS REALLY ABOUT
“The Windup Girl” by Paolo Bacigalupi is a critically acclaimed science fiction novel about thirty-third century Thailand where food production and distribution is controlled through mega corporations. The novel focuses on the events leading up to a civil war, specifically how Emiko, a windup girl created in Japan, provides a reason by assassinating one of the most important men in the Kingdom. “The Windup Girl” is a fascinating tale of this future society. (source: BookRags.com)
I love this post and those covers are amazing!