The Water Knife.
Paolo Bacigalupi
Recommended for fans of: Cyberpunk 2077
Genre: Dystopian fiction / Science fiction / Thriller
First published: 2015
About the book.
In a future where water has become one of the most valuable resources in the American Southwest, cities and communities are fighting to survive.
Angel Velasquez works as a ruthless water operative for the powerful state of Nevada, protecting its water supply by whatever means necessary. When he is sent to investigate a potentially valuable water source in Phoenix, he discovers evidence that could change the balance of power between competing states and corporations.
His investigation brings him into contact with Lucy Monroe, a journalist trying to uncover the truth, and Maria Villarosa, a young refugee struggling to survive in a city where water is becoming increasingly scarce.
As the three become caught up in a dangerous struggle over water, power and information, the boundaries between survival, politics and corporate control begin to disappear.
What to expect.
The Water Knife explores a much darker side of the futuristic world that Cyberpunk 2077 presents. Instead of focusing on neon streets and cybernetic enhancements, it looks at what happens when essential resources become scarce and powerful organisations control access to them.
Expect environmental collapse, brutal inequality, powerful corporations and political manipulation, along with a tense thriller set in a harsh and increasingly desperate future.
If you enjoy the darker side of Cyberpunk 2077 — corporate power, inequality, survival and a future where technology has not necessarily made life better — this is a particularly good book to explore.