What do you think?
Rate this book
The People of Sand and Slag
In “The People of Sand and Slag,” a Hugo and Nebula Award-nominated short story, Paolo Bacigalupi weaves a tale about the lives of three technologically modified guards, their barren, heavily mined landscape, and a chance encounter with a creature rare for their time period – a dog. What starts off as a hunt for an enemy ends up as a story of empathy, and what it means to be human.
“The People of Sand and Slag” was nominated for the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and the 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. It was featured in Gardner Dozois’s “Year’s Best SF” Twenty-Second Edition, Jonathan Strahan’s “Best SF of the Year” 2004 Edition, and in John Joseph Adams’ “Wastelands” Anthology in 2008.
Reviews:
“A difficult and touching story, which steps pretty far outside the box to examine our relationship to pets, and to nature. At every stage, Bacigalupi gets it right.” --- Internet Review of Science Fiction
“Bacigalupi posits a future where humanity has adapted itself to living in a hostile environment. ... There is plenty of techie stuff entwined with the premise itself to satisfy the hardest of hard sf readers, but the main attraction of this story is the faint hope that those parts of us that can accept the "other" might still exist in a world where self-preservation and survival come first.” --- Tangent Online
“The People of Sand and Slag” was nominated for the 2005 Hugo Award for Best Novelette, and the 2006 Nebula Award for Best Novelette. It was featured in Gardner Dozois’s “Year’s Best SF” Twenty-Second Edition, Jonathan Strahan’s “Best SF of the Year” 2004 Edition, and in John Joseph Adams’ “Wastelands” Anthology in 2008.
Reviews:
“A difficult and touching story, which steps pretty far outside the box to examine our relationship to pets, and to nature. At every stage, Bacigalupi gets it right.” --- Internet Review of Science Fiction
“Bacigalupi posits a future where humanity has adapted itself to living in a hostile environment. ... There is plenty of techie stuff entwined with the premise itself to satisfy the hardest of hard sf readers, but the main attraction of this story is the faint hope that those parts of us that can accept the "other" might still exist in a world where self-preservation and survival come first.” --- Tangent Online
49 pages, Kindle Edition
First published February 1, 2004
46 people are currently reading
417 people want to read
About the author
Paolo Bacigalupi
133 books4,939 followersPaolo Bacigalupi is an award-winning author of novels for adults and young people.
His debut novel THE WINDUP GIRL was named by TIME Magazine as one of the ten best novels of 2009, and also won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook, and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards. Internationally, it has won the Seiun Award (Japan), The Ignotus Award (Spain), The Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis (Germany), and the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire (France).
His debut young adult novel, SHIP BREAKER, was a Micheal L. Printz Award Winner, and a National Book Award Finalist, and its sequel, THE DROWNED CITIES, was a 2012 Kirkus Reviews Best of YA Book, A 2012 VOYA Perfect Ten Book, and 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist. The final book in the series, TOOL OF WAR, will release in October of 2017.
His latest novel for adults is The New York Times Bestseller THE WATER KNIFE, a near-future thriller about climate change and drought in the southwestern United States.
His debut novel THE WINDUP GIRL was named by TIME Magazine as one of the ten best novels of 2009, and also won the Hugo, Nebula, Locus, Compton Crook, and John W. Campbell Memorial Awards. Internationally, it has won the Seiun Award (Japan), The Ignotus Award (Spain), The Kurd-Laßwitz-Preis (Germany), and the Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire (France).
His debut young adult novel, SHIP BREAKER, was a Micheal L. Printz Award Winner, and a National Book Award Finalist, and its sequel, THE DROWNED CITIES, was a 2012 Kirkus Reviews Best of YA Book, A 2012 VOYA Perfect Ten Book, and 2012 Los Angeles Times Book Prize Finalist. The final book in the series, TOOL OF WAR, will release in October of 2017.
His latest novel for adults is The New York Times Bestseller THE WATER KNIFE, a near-future thriller about climate change and drought in the southwestern United States.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews
March 13, 2018
This is a memorable, but *horrible* story. I've read little of Bacigalupi's stuff, and this is why. Not for me!
Michele was more eloquent:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Michele was more eloquent:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Read
July 25, 2015 'Nuff said.
Edit, 7/25/15: I feel the need to clarify my rating of this story. Although I gave it no stars, it has stayed vividly with me since the day I read it (much like Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"), so clearly both the story and writing are powerful. In terms of the power and craft of its storytelling, I would have to give it five stars.
But did I like the story? Oh hell no. It's dark and disturbing and gut-wrenching -- so horrific, in fact, that I didn't have the nerve to try anything else by Bacigalupi for eight years.
Just thought I'd get that out there.
Edit, 7/25/15: I feel the need to clarify my rating of this story. Although I gave it no stars, it has stayed vividly with me since the day I read it (much like Joyce Carol Oates' "Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?"), so clearly both the story and writing are powerful. In terms of the power and craft of its storytelling, I would have to give it five stars.
But did I like the story? Oh hell no. It's dark and disturbing and gut-wrenching -- so horrific, in fact, that I didn't have the nerve to try anything else by Bacigalupi for eight years.
Just thought I'd get that out there.
October 31, 2014
Most of us are aware of how plastic the human body is. It quickly adjusts to whatever environment it lives in, whatever the circumstances, within limits. However, the 'average' person, who rarely travels too far outside of his or her own experience and understanding, believes those limits are very rigid. Doctors and anthropologists have a bigger picture of how people adjust to various temperatures, foods, deformities, injuries, beliefs, customs, mores, etc., especially if born into a particular environment. When immigrants change countries with a completely different habitat, aesthetics and foodstuffs, some adults may never be able to adjust, while children quickly adjust so fast, they may completely lose all ability to return to their country of birth after they grow up. But most people do adapt to some degree. The scientists say the body basically grows new tissues and brain cells to deal with the new functions it needs to survive, while literally absorbing and getting rid of the old, unused cells. Literally, if you don't use it, you lose it.
What would happen if a number of predicted future possibilities come to pass at the same time? Specifically, body modifications which permit people to live on radioactive sludge, metal leavings, rocks and sand; bodies which feel no pain when injured; bodies which heal so fast even death is no longer a possibility - and this is the human experience for centuries? Why would you care any longer about hurting yourself? Video games would no longer be important because everyone could easily have the excitement of war, destruction, deathless murder and change of physical attributes without penalty, all in actual fact. Whatever you could imagine for yourself is absolutely possible. Rambo would be a pussy in this future environment.
So, what we think of as 'humanity' and as being 'humane' today, would it still be true of people with these kind of bodies, impervious to all the agonies of pain, environment and death? Where no one would have to care for anyone else ever again in their lifetime? Where people have forgotten that people used to have each other's backs beyond any personal gain except the emotional reward of being humane?
Where would animals fit in this radioactive world? Where would farm animals fit, if people ate rocks to live? Especially pets? Would military or business entities care to support creatures who do not add to the bottom line? If people worked in environments of toxic sludge, or war with toxic weaponry with complete safety, would they bring pets? After centuries of living for only one's security, advancement and sensual desires, would people lose 'humanity'?
Three people live and work at a mining operation for SesCo, Jaak, Lisa and Chen. They are happy enough protecting the Montana property, watching over the bio-robots, mechanical equipment and computers. They spend their off-hours having sex and playing immersive war-game video games. Nuking unexpected visitors to the property is their hope. Without violence, life is boring. So when their monitors show something moving within the perimeter of the company's territory, they gleefully set out to destroy or kill whatever has wandered in or invaded; they don't care which. Shockingly, they discover a dog, a REAL dog. Jaak wants to keep it. They take a vote after Jaak agrees to pay for it's food out of his pay, because it needs specialized pellets of food which are only available for scientific experimental animals. Something about the dog's aspect is vaguely appealing, but soon the trio discovers it is a fragile being, its natural abilities being of limited entertainment value.
Is the dog worth protecting and keeping alive? The trio will soon need to decide as the expenses of its food continue and it becomes obvious the friendly creature needs constant care.
What would happen if a number of predicted future possibilities come to pass at the same time? Specifically, body modifications which permit people to live on radioactive sludge, metal leavings, rocks and sand; bodies which feel no pain when injured; bodies which heal so fast even death is no longer a possibility - and this is the human experience for centuries? Why would you care any longer about hurting yourself? Video games would no longer be important because everyone could easily have the excitement of war, destruction, deathless murder and change of physical attributes without penalty, all in actual fact. Whatever you could imagine for yourself is absolutely possible. Rambo would be a pussy in this future environment.
So, what we think of as 'humanity' and as being 'humane' today, would it still be true of people with these kind of bodies, impervious to all the agonies of pain, environment and death? Where no one would have to care for anyone else ever again in their lifetime? Where people have forgotten that people used to have each other's backs beyond any personal gain except the emotional reward of being humane?
Where would animals fit in this radioactive world? Where would farm animals fit, if people ate rocks to live? Especially pets? Would military or business entities care to support creatures who do not add to the bottom line? If people worked in environments of toxic sludge, or war with toxic weaponry with complete safety, would they bring pets? After centuries of living for only one's security, advancement and sensual desires, would people lose 'humanity'?
Three people live and work at a mining operation for SesCo, Jaak, Lisa and Chen. They are happy enough protecting the Montana property, watching over the bio-robots, mechanical equipment and computers. They spend their off-hours having sex and playing immersive war-game video games. Nuking unexpected visitors to the property is their hope. Without violence, life is boring. So when their monitors show something moving within the perimeter of the company's territory, they gleefully set out to destroy or kill whatever has wandered in or invaded; they don't care which. Shockingly, they discover a dog, a REAL dog. Jaak wants to keep it. They take a vote after Jaak agrees to pay for it's food out of his pay, because it needs specialized pellets of food which are only available for scientific experimental animals. Something about the dog's aspect is vaguely appealing, but soon the trio discovers it is a fragile being, its natural abilities being of limited entertainment value.
Is the dog worth protecting and keeping alive? The trio will soon need to decide as the expenses of its food continue and it becomes obvious the friendly creature needs constant care.
August 1, 2014
I've read this one at least a couple of times before, and have shoved it into people's faces and insisted that they sit down right there and read it. It's a 'Boy and His Dog' story. It's a scathing rant against what humanity's doing to the world. It's possibly an extension of the same future hinted as being to-come in 'The Wind-Up Girl.' And it will make you cry.
May 31, 2023
what even was this lmao
February 10, 2019
Minor-ish spoilers.
This was an interesting little read, and a very distinct one for its premise: technological development has placed the human cast into a post-mortality world, and the events of the plot serve to discuss the potential ramifications of such a change. The setting has elements of both utopia and dystopia, and though some aspects of its plausibility are exaggerated (I would think the desire for pets & sociability beyond just other humans would not suddenly vanish, and that the environmental treatment of the planet/s would not be so bad without a radical paradigm shift [which, to self-criticise, the book is essentially presenting; though its extent can still be critiqued]), the main debate is handled well and I think an excellent subject given its relevance to us, both past and present.
The story does throw some acronyms and terminology at you from the start without elaborating on their meaning, which I think could have been better handled with terminology more standard to the genre, though it is not a major point.
All in all, I thought this was a solid read, and enjoyed the questions it presented.
This was an interesting little read, and a very distinct one for its premise: technological development has placed the human cast into a post-mortality world, and the events of the plot serve to discuss the potential ramifications of such a change. The setting has elements of both utopia and dystopia, and though some aspects of its plausibility are exaggerated (I would think the desire for pets & sociability beyond just other humans would not suddenly vanish, and that the environmental treatment of the planet/s would not be so bad without a radical paradigm shift [which, to self-criticise, the book is essentially presenting; though its extent can still be critiqued]), the main debate is handled well and I think an excellent subject given its relevance to us, both past and present.
The story does throw some acronyms and terminology at you from the start without elaborating on their meaning, which I think could have been better handled with terminology more standard to the genre, though it is not a major point.
All in all, I thought this was a solid read, and enjoyed the questions it presented.
March 13, 2020
Interesting concept but I think the realization is a bit too convenient.
WARNING: animal cruelty
WARNING: animal cruelty
Read
December 13, 2017THAT ending just ensured that i will never rate this book. EVER. And that is not a judgement of the author or his writing style or the story itself. It's that I didn't think anybody wrote more devastating endings than Steinbeck and then this came along.
August 15, 2024
Many times throughout human history we were close to or probably should have reach a critical mass in our amount of, efficient use of, or ability to extract resources and had an apocalyptic confrontation, but instead we have continuously been spared and our horizons expanded by bursts of rapid technological advancement. If global capital remains the prevailing social order in our world and continues to dictate and regulate its own use of resources, there are two conclusions to human history. One, we finally have this apocalyptic confrontation when a critical mass is reached once again and technological advancement is unable to answer, resulting in mass or possibly total annihilation of human race. Or two, technology advances so tremendously that the horizon of the ruling class is expanded endlessly, also resulting in swaths of exploited, no longer useful to capital, expensive people being killed. The People of Sand and Slag takes place in a world where the latter of those two possibilities happened.
Much to be said about how they’ve transcended a connection to anything bodily, emotional, earthly, etc. other than capital and how they talk about the dog like a subject of capital bla bla bla but that would get long. I liked this a lot. The futuristic slang is kinda silly at first but after a few pages it feels normal. I felt myself vividly imagining these scenes. Would love to see this as a short film but would probably also be extremely nauseating so maybe not.
Edit: been sitting on this and I had an epiphany. I’m having fun imagining the world of David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future being the same world as this book but at an earlier time. Crimes of the Future would be taking place in time before humanity has one of those apocalyptic confrontations with our decaying world I talk about above. But by some strike of luck we find a way to grow new freakish organs in our body that can digest bricks of plastic meaning we can destroy as much as we want and eat the waste.
Much to be said about how they’ve transcended a connection to anything bodily, emotional, earthly, etc. other than capital and how they talk about the dog like a subject of capital bla bla bla but that would get long. I liked this a lot. The futuristic slang is kinda silly at first but after a few pages it feels normal. I felt myself vividly imagining these scenes. Would love to see this as a short film but would probably also be extremely nauseating so maybe not.
Edit: been sitting on this and I had an epiphany. I’m having fun imagining the world of David Cronenberg’s Crimes of the Future being the same world as this book but at an earlier time. Crimes of the Future would be taking place in time before humanity has one of those apocalyptic confrontations with our decaying world I talk about above. But by some strike of luck we find a way to grow new freakish organs in our body that can digest bricks of plastic meaning we can destroy as much as we want and eat the waste.
February 25, 2018
Bacigalupi writes in this short story about a militarised and corporatised trans-human world where we have been engineered to feed off anything and so do not really care very much for nature. Into this world, a rare thing - a real animal, a dog - appears unaccountably to a small squad.
The story is about the responses of this squad to the animal. It is perhaps the best story I have come across about what transhumanism might come to mean in terms of the loss of what makes us human now. The squad are trans-human but also post-human.
The author writes well and imaginatively. The irony of their near post-human status is that he manages to present them so that they are recognisably still human in most of their attributes and yet, by the end, we know that humanity crossed some line although we are not sure where.
There seems to be an intuitive truth in this. The trans-human process is more likely to be evolutionary and not revolutionary. The passing from our human state to the next non-human state is likely to be slow and Bacigalupi manages to chronicle this process as it happens.
Read
December 7, 2019I have read Bacigalupi's Windup Girl and so the ending of this story did not surprise me. It is a very real possibility is the future of the world of the Windup Girl. The world building (as in the Windup Girl) is totally smashing though. I really appreciate that sense of otherworldly-ness.
Source: https://www.baen.com/Chapters/1597801...
First read: 7.12.19
Source: https://www.baen.com/Chapters/1597801...
First read: 7.12.19
February 27, 2025
Absolute dull stupid ridiculous garbage, save me ray bradbury!
February 24, 2016
First of all, let me be clear that I checked "graphic violence" only because of the nature of the ending of this story. It is otherwise non-violent, and some may not even find the ending to be graphically violent.
This is a story of the far future, when humans and animals don't really exist as we know them today. Through evolution and genetic engineering, what is considered food or edible does not resemble anything in today's world. As few can, Paulo Bacigalupi imagines a future that would be unimaginable to most of us. However, little suspension of disbelief is required in this work of speculative/science fiction. "People" are more mechanical than flesh and bone. Life is extremely different and morality and ethics are very much altered from what is acceptable today. Also, injuries, such as loss of a limb, can be regrown or replaced mechanically.
There is a very dark humor buried in this intriguing tale. It is not quite "weird" fiction, but it certainly is unusual. The plot involves several young friends coming upon a real live dog. They are baffled by its existence, its possible purpose and have no idea what to do with it. If you are a fan of PB, then you know the genius of his writing. If not, this is a good place to start, but if you like it, realize that this is just a sample of PB's repertoire. I hope it encourages you to explore further.
I have one minor gripe, and it is not about the story but about a trend in publishing that seems to be motivated by greed. This story, as well as another single by PB, were both published in his book of short works entitled, "Pump Six." I have it, but had not yet read it. To find that I already owned these stories was a bit troubling, but, on the other hand, if it gets new readers interested in new (to them) authors, then I guess this practice has a purpose. PB is not the only author whose works appear this way. Caveat Emptor...
This is a story of the far future, when humans and animals don't really exist as we know them today. Through evolution and genetic engineering, what is considered food or edible does not resemble anything in today's world. As few can, Paulo Bacigalupi imagines a future that would be unimaginable to most of us. However, little suspension of disbelief is required in this work of speculative/science fiction. "People" are more mechanical than flesh and bone. Life is extremely different and morality and ethics are very much altered from what is acceptable today. Also, injuries, such as loss of a limb, can be regrown or replaced mechanically.
There is a very dark humor buried in this intriguing tale. It is not quite "weird" fiction, but it certainly is unusual. The plot involves several young friends coming upon a real live dog. They are baffled by its existence, its possible purpose and have no idea what to do with it. If you are a fan of PB, then you know the genius of his writing. If not, this is a good place to start, but if you like it, realize that this is just a sample of PB's repertoire. I hope it encourages you to explore further.
I have one minor gripe, and it is not about the story but about a trend in publishing that seems to be motivated by greed. This story, as well as another single by PB, were both published in his book of short works entitled, "Pump Six." I have it, but had not yet read it. To find that I already owned these stories was a bit troubling, but, on the other hand, if it gets new readers interested in new (to them) authors, then I guess this practice has a purpose. PB is not the only author whose works appear this way. Caveat Emptor...
January 2, 2013
As far as craft goes, this story is on-point. However, I found it to be too sad and too hopeless. I read it in the collection Wastelands, and most of those stories, like all great post-apocalyptic fiction, offer just enough of a chance for something better. This story did not. Bacigalupi is a talented writer, and his other works that I've read have been very nicely done, but this one just left me feeling really sad and terrible.
March 2, 2016
This is amazing and almost life changing :)
Read
December 23, 2015ugh fuck
October 19, 2015
My favorite science fiction story ever!!!!
May 4, 2018
Very good but nasty for your heart.
May 18, 2023
The weirdest thing. I don't even want to talk about it.
April 29, 2025
Bacigalupi’s ‘The People of Sand and Slag’ critiques transhumanism and the dehumanisation of progress. Within the science fiction short story, humanity has evolved into something post-human; no longer requiring clear air, fresh water or organic food. Their physical bodies have transcended to where ‘a cut or gunshot wound’ is not life-threatening, and even losing limbs is not seen as an issue, as they ‘just grew it all back’. While their regenerative abilities make them physically superior, they also strip away their sense of vulnerability and empathy. The physical dehumanisation signifies how the genetic engineering strips them of basic human empathy. These technological advances may aid them to survive in a wasteland, but it comes at the cost of their emotional depth and ‘global eco-stewardship as foundational consciousness’. As a result, it conveys modern concerns about the ethical implications of transhumanism. If humans become biologically invincible, will they still value life? Consequently, this reflects real-world debates in artificial intelligence and genetic engineering. As humans develop technologies that alter cognition and biology, there is a growing concern that such changes may strip away the vital components ‘lose[ing] the humanistic aspect’ of our species.
One of the most powerful moments within the story is the characters’ reaction to the dog. Symbolic of the more natural past, the dog represents vulnerability, dependence and emotional connection; qualities the modern human no longer possesses. Seeing it as ‘just a dog’, something that is ‘weak, soft, stupid’, further illustrates the character’s complete lack of emotional connection. They have no regard for ‘personal activity’ that has no ‘material requirements’ to them. This can be linked to concerns about modern alienation, where rapid technological development and digitalisation have created societies where human connection is often secondary to efficiency and productivity. The more human identity integrates with technology, the more they risk being emotionally detached, just as Bacigalupi’s characters demonstrate. Ultimately, their decision to eat the dog illustrates how they have become incapable of valuing life beyond utility. Their moral and emotional dehumanisation conveys how desensitised the characters have become as they are deeply disconnected from their moral values, with the dog.
One of the most powerful moments within the story is the characters’ reaction to the dog. Symbolic of the more natural past, the dog represents vulnerability, dependence and emotional connection; qualities the modern human no longer possesses. Seeing it as ‘just a dog’, something that is ‘weak, soft, stupid’, further illustrates the character’s complete lack of emotional connection. They have no regard for ‘personal activity’ that has no ‘material requirements’ to them. This can be linked to concerns about modern alienation, where rapid technological development and digitalisation have created societies where human connection is often secondary to efficiency and productivity. The more human identity integrates with technology, the more they risk being emotionally detached, just as Bacigalupi’s characters demonstrate. Ultimately, their decision to eat the dog illustrates how they have become incapable of valuing life beyond utility. Their moral and emotional dehumanisation conveys how desensitised the characters have become as they are deeply disconnected from their moral values, with the dog.
May 27, 2018
This short story is available on the author's blog
It envisages a future when mankind is no longer vulnerable to disease and injury thanks to having been augmented and adjusted by "weeviltech" implants. Living in a wasteland, eating sand and slag. Gone is much of what today makes us human. The first part of this story could be any sci-fi military operation, hunting down the "hostile". but then the crew find a dog, a real live unaugmented dog. They are not even sure what it is, how could it survive in such a habitat? As they wait for the scientist to come to establish it is a dog, they begin to understand how vulnerable an unaugmented animal is. ****SPOILER ALERT ****The scientist confirms "it's quite certainly a real dog. But wat on Earth would I do with it?" He held up a vial of blood. "We have the DNA. A live one is hardly worth keeping around" and when the crewe ask what they are supposed to do with it, he replies "Turn it back to your pits. Or you could eat it....I understand it was a real delicacy. There are recipes for cooking animals." . They decide to keep it, It intrigues them. The discover it can learn tricks, obey commands, and display affection. But it is not a happy ending for the dog, it is too fragile, required too much attention, and was too expensive to keep. Ultimately however it is the humans one feels for left with the memory of "when the dog licked my face and hauled its shaggy bulk onto my bed, and I remember its warm breathing beside me, and sometimes, I miss it."
ashramblings review 3* I'm not a great lover of war stories full of references to military tech and manoeuvres whether in the sci-fi arena or not. So the first part of this story is a difficult read for me heavy as it is on the soldiering aspects, but when the twist comes it transforms into a story about what consitutes being human juxtaposing the flimsiness of flesh and blood with regenerative augmented imortality.
It envisages a future when mankind is no longer vulnerable to disease and injury thanks to having been augmented and adjusted by "weeviltech" implants. Living in a wasteland, eating sand and slag. Gone is much of what today makes us human. The first part of this story could be any sci-fi military operation, hunting down the "hostile". but then the crew find a dog, a real live unaugmented dog. They are not even sure what it is, how could it survive in such a habitat? As they wait for the scientist to come to establish it is a dog, they begin to understand how vulnerable an unaugmented animal is. ****SPOILER ALERT ****The scientist confirms "it's quite certainly a real dog. But wat on Earth would I do with it?" He held up a vial of blood. "We have the DNA. A live one is hardly worth keeping around" and when the crewe ask what they are supposed to do with it, he replies "Turn it back to your pits. Or you could eat it....I understand it was a real delicacy. There are recipes for cooking animals." . They decide to keep it, It intrigues them. The discover it can learn tricks, obey commands, and display affection. But it is not a happy ending for the dog, it is too fragile, required too much attention, and was too expensive to keep. Ultimately however it is the humans one feels for left with the memory of "when the dog licked my face and hauled its shaggy bulk onto my bed, and I remember its warm breathing beside me, and sometimes, I miss it."
ashramblings review 3* I'm not a great lover of war stories full of references to military tech and manoeuvres whether in the sci-fi arena or not. So the first part of this story is a difficult read for me heavy as it is on the soldiering aspects, but when the twist comes it transforms into a story about what consitutes being human juxtaposing the flimsiness of flesh and blood with regenerative augmented imortality.
January 7, 2019
Human enhancement is one of the recurring themes in the work of Paolo Bacigalupi. Today's prosthetic limbs, Lasik surgery, and in-vitro fertilization merely point the way toward the wild possibilities Bacigalupi posits in his fiction. He goes far beyond the human genetic engineering now in development to make humans stronger, smarter, and healthier. Like Margaret Atwood in her Maddaddam Trilogy, he envisions highly intelligent animals that combine the best traits of several species. And he portrays far-future humans adapted to the harsh conditions of Earth once climate change has rendered the planet unlivable for today's frail human species.
The People of Sand and Slag are engineered security guards who are impervious to the harsh conditions in the vast mining complex where they work. They thrive in the poisonous atmosphere and pools of toxic chemicals that surround them. They eat mud and sand, which genetically engineered worms inside them somehow convert into nourishment for their bodies. And they laughingly amputate limbs for sport, prepared to wait for the appendages to grow back overnight. This novelette is a gripping story, told with great skill and a sure command of suspense.
About the author
Paolo Bacigalupi has won the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and was nominated for the National Book Award. In addition to his five sci-fi novels, a collection of short stories, and these three novelettes, he has collaborated on a novella and a novel, both of them works of fantasy.
The People of Sand and Slag are engineered security guards who are impervious to the harsh conditions in the vast mining complex where they work. They thrive in the poisonous atmosphere and pools of toxic chemicals that surround them. They eat mud and sand, which genetically engineered worms inside them somehow convert into nourishment for their bodies. And they laughingly amputate limbs for sport, prepared to wait for the appendages to grow back overnight. This novelette is a gripping story, told with great skill and a sure command of suspense.
About the author
Paolo Bacigalupi has won the Hugo, Nebula, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and was nominated for the National Book Award. In addition to his five sci-fi novels, a collection of short stories, and these three novelettes, he has collaborated on a novella and a novel, both of them works of fantasy.
September 16, 2025
In this story, we are somewhere in the future, but nothing tells us exactly how far into the future we might. However, Jaak, Lisa and Chen are a team that are in Montana enforcing the operations (not sure what kind exactly) in the dessert and the land which is principally of oil and slag and sand.
They are check out the area and find something that they don't really know what it is. They end up getting a visit from a biologist who checks out the being they found and are told that it is a dog. Dogs apparently died out a long time again except a few that have placed in zoos to sort of remember what used to be. The biologist doesn't think they should keep it, because it is too much trouble but Jaak wants to keep it and willing to use his money to keep it going until one night it gets tangled in some wire and cuts its body up, and he loses interest, deciding it is simply too much.
The only real, non-humans they have are Centaurs who are some sort of being that has been manufactored to use as guards and things of that nature. Meanwhile, humans have long since evolved soo they naturally eat sand and dirt. And dogs are just too olf fashion to be feasible as pets altough they can still appeal to the sentiments of some humans.
I would recommend this short story as a look into a unknown future when humanity has evolved, and are a lot different that we are now, and a lot of things we take for granted now no longer exist or even seem worthwhile.
They are check out the area and find something that they don't really know what it is. They end up getting a visit from a biologist who checks out the being they found and are told that it is a dog. Dogs apparently died out a long time again except a few that have placed in zoos to sort of remember what used to be. The biologist doesn't think they should keep it, because it is too much trouble but Jaak wants to keep it and willing to use his money to keep it going until one night it gets tangled in some wire and cuts its body up, and he loses interest, deciding it is simply too much.
The only real, non-humans they have are Centaurs who are some sort of being that has been manufactored to use as guards and things of that nature. Meanwhile, humans have long since evolved soo they naturally eat sand and dirt. And dogs are just too olf fashion to be feasible as pets altough they can still appeal to the sentiments of some humans.
I would recommend this short story as a look into a unknown future when humanity has evolved, and are a lot different that we are now, and a lot of things we take for granted now no longer exist or even seem worthwhile.
October 22, 2017
I half wish I'd never read this. The visceral reason is because I love dogs, and hate to see them in peril. The intellectual reason is that in Bacigalupi's dystopian vision, the future is bleak because human beings are, by nature, monsters.
I might be forgiven for guessing, at first, that I was reading about artificial people. Their seeming indifference to pain, their ability to regrow amputated limbs, their diet of sand and rock, and their immortality all suggested that the characters in this story couldn't possibly be human. And then I realized that they were a step in human evolution, people living in a symbiotic relationship with creatures called "weevils" that give them the ability to recover from any injury, and to live, presumably, forever.
And in the end, though they've become like gods, they still have all the faults of humans but magnified now that there are no consequences. As a result they're casually cruel and thoughtless. They seem to have lost the ability to care about anything, to value traits like love and loyalty. They wonder, at one point, why the last mortal poet (nice play on the idea of an "immortal" poet) refused immortality. They love his work, but don't get what it is he's telling them.
I wish I'd never met them, and yet the power of this story is undeniable.
I might be forgiven for guessing, at first, that I was reading about artificial people. Their seeming indifference to pain, their ability to regrow amputated limbs, their diet of sand and rock, and their immortality all suggested that the characters in this story couldn't possibly be human. And then I realized that they were a step in human evolution, people living in a symbiotic relationship with creatures called "weevils" that give them the ability to recover from any injury, and to live, presumably, forever.
And in the end, though they've become like gods, they still have all the faults of humans but magnified now that there are no consequences. As a result they're casually cruel and thoughtless. They seem to have lost the ability to care about anything, to value traits like love and loyalty. They wonder, at one point, why the last mortal poet (nice play on the idea of an "immortal" poet) refused immortality. They love his work, but don't get what it is he's telling them.
I wish I'd never met them, and yet the power of this story is undeniable.
November 15, 2023
Imagine a future where humans have been modified to the point where calling them "transhuman" would too mild. Indeed, the humans of this world are more like mythical beings: virtually immortal, powerful beyond our imagination - and bored to the point of senseless cruelty.
To be sure, this story is dark, it is depressing, and it will fill you with existential despair. But also, the worldbuilding was done surprisingly well, epitomizing the idea of "show, don't tell" - which is all the more impressive considering the shorter length of this story. The characters are terrible but interesting and the plot is horrific but somehow still quite riveting. Discordant with the general cheerfulness of the main characters, the ending leaves you with deeply unhappy thoughts - but it definitely keeps you thinking, that's for sure. It was a strange internal struggle for me, giving this a 5; it was written too well, and is just too thought-provoking to do otherwise.
If you're a fan of media like Cyberpunk 2077, this will be an intriguing tale, and I recommend it. But I've also warned you - especially if you're sensitive to wanton cruelty.
To be sure, this story is dark, it is depressing, and it will fill you with existential despair. But also, the worldbuilding was done surprisingly well, epitomizing the idea of "show, don't tell" - which is all the more impressive considering the shorter length of this story. The characters are terrible but interesting and the plot is horrific but somehow still quite riveting. Discordant with the general cheerfulness of the main characters, the ending leaves you with deeply unhappy thoughts - but it definitely keeps you thinking, that's for sure. It was a strange internal struggle for me, giving this a 5; it was written too well, and is just too thought-provoking to do otherwise.
If you're a fan of media like Cyberpunk 2077, this will be an intriguing tale, and I recommend it. But I've also warned you - especially if you're sensitive to wanton cruelty.
Read
March 21, 2024Plastic imotion
at side of sea many tast and dark feeling
hunt the power over star
feed in soil
hunt y and make y mine
that what i am be
and that what y be
i didnt take yr forgiven
maybe i take yr life or sharg over it
chang the places and live at the edg of sky
i know the pain to what thee teal and the didnt
but whay must to slag
that not me
and must not y
when i cant hold the moon
then live him free to his sky
that wind of hunt call me
to share the moment at ghost world
and ceyppunk shadow
open my eyes and grow with that tasn
tast of pleasur of hunt
without that i cant breath
some birth hunt me wildy
to make y mine
to be what y cant be
to hold my key
to live the care at yr eyes
even in black magic words
y r mine
and mine y will be
hunt y betwen seven star
swiming in sea of yr love
without smile of flesh
my sky without cloud
my hund was my water and air
crazy miss to that adv
to light all the road of wileow
and for y love and i will buck
hunt best word betwen my lips
at side of sea many tast and dark feeling
hunt the power over star
feed in soil
hunt y and make y mine
that what i am be
and that what y be
i didnt take yr forgiven
maybe i take yr life or sharg over it
chang the places and live at the edg of sky
i know the pain to what thee teal and the didnt
but whay must to slag
that not me
and must not y
when i cant hold the moon
then live him free to his sky
that wind of hunt call me
to share the moment at ghost world
and ceyppunk shadow
open my eyes and grow with that tasn
tast of pleasur of hunt
without that i cant breath
some birth hunt me wildy
to make y mine
to be what y cant be
to hold my key
to live the care at yr eyes
even in black magic words
y r mine
and mine y will be
hunt y betwen seven star
swiming in sea of yr love
without smile of flesh
my sky without cloud
my hund was my water and air
crazy miss to that adv
to light all the road of wileow
and for y love and i will buck
hunt best word betwen my lips
January 15, 2020
Never have I hated a 5 star story more. I realized that I have actually read this before, as part of Wastelands: Stories of the Apocalypse. I must have excised the memory of the story from my brain, because I do not remember it at all.
It's a very well written, ugly story that should come with a trigger warning. I had a hard time sleeping after reading it. I just hated it, despite the excellent writing.
It's a very well written, ugly story that should come with a trigger warning. I had a hard time sleeping after reading it. I just hated it, despite the excellent writing.
March 24, 2022
A Re-read...
A Fantastically haunting view of where humanity may be heading..
Humans have all modified themselves unrecognisable, the planet has been ravaged beyond repair and any living thing that has not been modified with Weevil tech cannot survive in such a hostile and poisonous world.
One day a group of workers at the Sescos Mining facility find something running around in the acid pits... and they realise... is that a dog?
A heartbreaking tkae on the future, the anthropocene and the strive for longevity of human life. My heart breaks for Chen and the rest of the characters, especially the dog.
A Fantastically haunting view of where humanity may be heading..
Humans have all modified themselves unrecognisable, the planet has been ravaged beyond repair and any living thing that has not been modified with Weevil tech cannot survive in such a hostile and poisonous world.
One day a group of workers at the Sescos Mining facility find something running around in the acid pits... and they realise... is that a dog?
A heartbreaking tkae on the future, the anthropocene and the strive for longevity of human life. My heart breaks for Chen and the rest of the characters, especially the dog.
April 19, 2021
The story follows three genetically modified humans who work as guards for a large mining conglomeration in a far future. It begins with the three of them being called out to track down an intruder on their employer's property. When they finally corner it they realize it is nothing more than a dog. Fascinated by the fact that it could still survive in their day and age they decide to keep it as a pet, and then constantly struggle to keep it fed, clean, healthy and alive. Its dark gruesome and thought provoking
August 28, 2021
It's a crime that this story is getting bad reviews because people say it's too dark. Hell yes it's dark, but it's also all too realistic.
This is probably the best piece of short fiction I have ever read, hands down. It will haunt you and stay with you. It is unforgettable. It will show you the kind of person you *don't* want to be, and the kind of person that it's all too easy to be.
That's kind of Bacigalupi's thing, if you've read Windup Girl you'll know. But this does it in so few words, it's astounding. It's a fantastic story.
This is probably the best piece of short fiction I have ever read, hands down. It will haunt you and stay with you. It is unforgettable. It will show you the kind of person you *don't* want to be, and the kind of person that it's all too easy to be.
That's kind of Bacigalupi's thing, if you've read Windup Girl you'll know. But this does it in so few words, it's astounding. It's a fantastic story.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 64 reviews