Paolo Bacigalupi: The People of Sand and Slag

[joderu95]

Far future people have changed to not only survive in a radioactive and hostile world, but even thrive. Bacigalupi lived in or around a Montana mining town and this story was inspired by something he saw in that setting. Things in this distant future are very different.

 

[Libra]

This story in itself ,seemed so cold,the metal ,the amputations,and everything surrounding them.No feelings whatsoever.The way they treated the dog.The thing is,it made me feel sadness of such an existence,the way Lisa cut the dog to watch it bleed,heart wrenching.A world without pain I guess.

 

[joderu95]

It was bleak, no doubt about it. The indifference for the dog's life might have been because they were soldiers who were used to killing or, and I think this might have been what Bacigalupi was going for, humanity had changed so much that the dog to them would be similar to how we might view an insect or a rodent. Notice how they mention going on vacation in Hawaii or some place like the whole world isn't necessarily this horrible? I think the whole thing was basically a speculation on a future dominated by corporations who are ever more willing to resort to any means necessary for scarce resources. Well, that and one where people with the help of "Weeviltech" happily eat mud.

 

[Libra]

It was bleak, no doubt about it. The indifference for the dog's life might have been because they were soldiers who were used to killing or, and I think this might have been what Bacigalupi was going for, humanity had changed so much that the dog to them would be similar to how we might view an insect or a rodent.

I didn't think about this at the time,having a dog and all it's hard to imagine.

Notice how they mention going on vacation in Hawaii or some place like the whole world isn't necessarily this horrible? I think the whole thing was basically a speculation on a future dominated by corporations who are ever more willing to resort to any means necessary for scarce resources..

Don't you feel life is overall like that? Again I think it deals with subjects and worries of past and present.Every generation has had and will have something to worry about and find ways to try and deal with it.

Well, that and one where people with the help of "Weeviltech" happily eat mud.

Mud will be scarce for them too one day.

 

[Occlith]

Good story. This is the first I have read from this author and it's interesting enough to make me read more from him.

"Re-creating the web of life isn't easy. Far more simple to release oneself from it completely than to attempt to re-create it." Humans are an engineered product like the machines and centaurs; they are not really part of life at all. They have released themselves from it.