Bravo Paolo and I hope there is more to come.

A few things could have been better, I thought. I expected the megadont union to play some part, since it was mentioned rather often early on, but didn’t. Seemed like a loose thread. If there were fewer characters, condensing some of their roles and function to progress the plot, I would have followed it better. In particular, the calorie company woman introduced toward the end seemed extraneous and bloating an already big cast. And the ending– The core of the novel to me was the love story between Emiko and Anderson, and I wanted the finale to somehow more satisfactorily resolve their relationship. Instead we are left with Gibbons, who was mostly an off-stage legend for most of the book.

There were a number of places where my believability was challenged, which made it harder to accept the rest as realistic. First, when Anderson is flung around by a megadont in the beginning, we never hear again about his injuries. Again when Akkarat is injured by Jaimee (would he even allow himself so near a wounded Tiger?), we never hear again about his injuries. And would Akkarat personally torture and beat Anderson? As a high-ranking mininster, wouldn’t he have a thug do that? Also, Jaimee’s entry into the Trade ministry seemed far too easy.

And the numerous typos eventually had me thinking that some combination of the author, editor, publisher and typesetter just didn’t care about producing a professional, competent text. But that’s all too common in the modern hurry-up world of publishing. Still, Paulo’s first novel deserved better.

So much was so vivid, tense, sensual, beautiful and enthralling. I would have liked these few flaws to have been improved before publication. Paulo’s short stories I’ve always thought of as tight, succinct, tying all threads and leaving me feeling complete and resolved. I didn’t have the same feeling from the novel.

But I’ve been spoiled by some real masterpieces, and perhaps unfair to compare. Still, The Windup Girl was an excellent expansion on the Calorie Man and Yellow Card Man, and I’m glad I got to see so much more of that disturbing and exotic world.

I just finished the last pages of The Windup Girl only moments ago. I am on fire. My pores are not up to the task of cooling my fevered brow. I gulp water; I pant explosively.

Well, that was the most fun I’ve had since Rhianna’s GQ cover.

My compliments for a very fine book. I already miss Emiko and Kanya, and look forward to many more characters as interesting and surprising.

Please continue the great work, and may your calorie count remain strong, your algae baths untainted.

Tim Moorman

BTW, the Hock Seng character in “The Windup Girl” was Tranh in “Yellow Card Man”? I’m glad it got changed in “The Windup Girl” but am curious as to why it was Tranh in the first place.

For this to have been your first novel, Mr. Bacigapuli, is utterly astounding. One hopes that you have not passed, with your first novel, a point of sustainability and can no longer keep up such exemplary work. You have set the bar high for yourself, high indeed, and I for one look forward to your upcoming releases.

Also, I enjoyed many of the themes in the book. Although not as directly philosophical as Brave New World, many of the points raised I believe are much more relevant to modern society. This book, I believe, could become another dystopian classic.