Ship Breaker

Ship Breaker is a 2010 young adult novel by Paolo Bacigalupi set in a postapocalyptic future. It was a finalist for the 2010 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and won the 2011 Michael L. Printz Award^[1][2] and the Locus Award for Best Young Adult Book.^[3] It was also a nominee for the 2010 Andre Norton Award for Young Adult Science Fiction and Fantasy and was listed on American Library Association's Young Adult Library Services Association list: 2011 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults list. ^[4]

Plot summary

In a post-apocalyptic future, Nailer is a scavenger who works at stripping copper wiring from ancient shipwrecked oil tankers, giving over his findings to his crew boss simply so he can survive. When he and his friend Pima discover the wreck of a luxurious yacht after the passing of a hurricane they hope that somehow they can turn their find into a bit of luck that will make their futures safe and secure. While searching the ship for salvagable supplies, they also find a girl, Nita, on the ship, barely alive. Nailer and Pima work together to save Nita, where they learn that she is the niece of the CEO of a massive trading clan. Nailer's father Richard Lopez eventually discovers this, and captures them with the intent of selling Nita to some of her father's corporate enemies. After escaping his father, Nailer and Nita, along with the half-man Tool (a genetic creation from human, dog, and hyena DNA), head to the city of Orleans II with the hope of finding one of Nita's uncle's captains present. There, the trio find work as dock workers while awaiting the arrival of a trustworthy captain, doing tasks such as message-running, supply-finding, and other "spare" tasks. After several weeks in Orleans II, Nailer sees his father's head in the crowd, along with several half-men with him. Nailer flees, and tells Nita that his father was there, with an obvious intent of killing Nailer and selling off Nita to free himself from the poverty-ridden life he was used to. Nita informs Nailer that one of her Uuncle's ships, the Dauntless had docked recently, and that they could escape. Nailer advises against this, as the Dauntless had arrived the same day that Nailer's father had, and that it could be a trap. While fleeing from Richard, Tool becomes engaged in a fight with the two half-men that accompanied him. A brief fight ensued, where Nailer and Nita hesitantly agree to move on, and leave Tool to his fate. After a brief fight, Tool is knocked into a building, which collapses on him, and Nailer and Nita believe him to be dead.

References