Imagine a world where a few corporations own most of the sources of food.  Well, that's not to hard, since you're living in it.  Okay, now imagine they genetically modify that food so it can't reproduce.  Oh, you're living in that too.  Now imagine diseases mutate to the point where non-GM crops don't have a chance.  Well, that's what's happened in "The Windup Girl" by Paolo Bacigalupi, a Hugo and Nebula award winning novel.

In this world, natural grains, fruits and vegetables are history.  Of the few remaining varieties, there are only those sold by mega corporations.  The people who work for these corporations are known as "Calorie" men.  You see, another environmental problem has befallen this world.  Fossil Fuel has been all but used up.  Calories back the world economy now, and any technology that can convert Calories into usable Joules of power is big business.

Of course, as history has taught us, any time mankind meddles with nature, there are unforeseen repercussions.  In this case, the Calorie companies have to keep updating their seeds to stay ahead of the diseases, and they're running out of plant strains to splice.  The diseases themselves have found ways to infect humans and animals.  So what do the gene rippers at the calorie companies do?  They start GMing animals and people.

And that's how we get windups.

"New People", as they like to be called are GM humans.  Immune to the diseases of the world, and like seed stock, rendered infertile.  They are designed to serve mankind, not replace it.  But in places like Thailand, which hides a healthy, untapped, seed bank, Windups are reviled.  They are seen as soulless abominations and if not protected by a wealthy patron, mulched for their raw calories.  Emiko is such a windup, abandoned by her patron inside Thailand's borders.

So now you know the setting.  Calorie men and gene rippers are interested in Thailand because they can grow healthy produce.  The Thai want nothing to do with foreign devils.  They saw how the companies turned the world to crap, and strive to keep their divine home free of such corruption.  Which is ironic, since every level of every business in Thailand is corrupt and requires constant bribery.

The plot is expertly crafted to turn insignificant Emiko, the poor windup enduring life at the whim of a brothel, into the lynchpin that could rip all of Thailand apart.  Truly, I spent most of the novel wondering why the book had been named "The Windup Girl" and not "Anderson Lake vs Hock Seng vs Environment Ministry vs Trade Ministry vs The People of Thailand vs The Windup Girl", since she's such a small part of the story.  I guess the shorter version is catchier.  

The Good: Believable characters, in an all too believable world.  Well woven plot.
The Bad: In a country focused on honour, no one seems to have any.  Perhaps that makes it too realistic
The Ugly: Although somewhat necessary for the story, Emiko is raped nightly on stage.

Overall, I'd recommend the book as a jarring look into our own future.  I instantly liked the character named Kanya, and enjoyed her story more and more as the book progressed.  I also wanted to see if Anderson Lake was successful or not.  I felt Emiko's abuse was excessive, but honestly, people are cruel and if they had someone genetically engineered not to fight back, whom they viewed as soulless abominations, of course they'd abuse them in every way possible.

I guess that's the one thing that bothers me the most with this book.  It's too possible.  If you don't want to face how ugly humanity can be, then don't read this book.  If you can look past the ugliness and see the redeemable qualities, then I think you too could enjoy this story.