My 13-year old son and I do nightly out-loud reading and had read Shipbreaker some time previously and loved it. Drowned Cities is not a sequel or part of a clear series, but is set in the same world as Shipbreaker. Character development is excellent, nuanced and mature (with some satisfying baddies and goodies). As one of his friends said, it's intense. Violence, alcohol, sexual references, torture and high body count make this borderline appropriate for this age. I'd say not as good as Shipbreaker, but we enjoyed. My missus attended a talk given by Paolo, and he said he likes writing YA fiction since it is expected the pace will be kept up so not to bore readers! Shades of pulp sci fi of the Edgar Rice Burroughs era! I enjoyed this one a lot. It felt aimed at an older audience than Ship Breaker. The theme of child soldiers from 2014 Africa as a template for a future conflict in a dystopian USA is compelling.
What do You think about Drowned Cities (2012)?
Meh. Pretty good, but not nearly as good as The Wind-Up Girl or Ship Breaker.
—zzzy
December 12-30minDecember 14-1hourDecember 19-1hourDecember 21-1hour
—Iris
It was pretty good but it was kinda creepy.
—erikac14
