I don't know why, but Bacigalupi's books always have a "gritty, dirty" feel to them. Not sure how to describe them. This is a good book, well written as always. I enjoyed that we get to learn a bit more about Tool and his pack members. ( )

YA, nuff said. ( )

Ce roman de Paolo Bacigalupi est le dernier d'une trilogie, faisant suite à Ferrailleurs des mers et Les Cités englouties. Autour de Tool, mi-homme mi-bête et personnage central de la série, l'auteur réunit certains des personnages apparus dans le premier ou dans le second opus. Après que Tool les ait aidés, c'est cette fois lui qui va avoir besoin de ses amis dans la lutte qui l'oppose à l'entreprise Mercier, qui abrite en son sein son créateur, le général Caroa. Ce dernier, après l'avoir entraîné pendants des années, cherche maintenant à le tuer depuis que Tool a pris son indépendance vis-à-vis de lui et de Mercier.
Paolo Bacigalupi fait montre dans ce roman des mêmes qualités de conteur et de créateur qua dans ses œuvres précédentes. L'univers dépeint dans cette série est cohérent, bien construit et il parle indéniablement au lecteur car les évènements qui s'y déroulent semblent être un futur possible pour la Terre dans quelques dizaines d'années. Nous questionnant à la fois sur les évolutions climatiques de notre monde mais également sur la toute puissance des grandes entreprises, l'auteur a produit ici un roman puissant et prenant, concluant de belle manière l'intrigue lancée dans le premier tome de cette trilogie. ( )

When I read the first two books in this series, I thought Bacigalupi's world was the most convincing near-future climate change scenario I'd ever read in fiction, with the exception of the dramatic collapse of the US into civil war, to be rescued by Chinese peacekeepers. ("Rescued.")

That part seems a lot more convincing now.

At any rate, it was well written, compelling, with great characters, and as always a little bit too real and believable to be entirely comfortable. Recommended. ( )

Tool of War by Paolo Bacigalupi is the third book in his Shipbreaker trilogy. Set far into the future, Bacigalupi envisions a world shaped by climate change and run by multi-national companies. In this novel, we finally have as a main character, Tool, the genetically engineered, DNA-spliced augment, who was bred as a killing machine. Blood-lust, survival and loyalty are part of his genetic make-up, but after breaking free of his servitude, he now represents the ultimate threat to those who used to control him for Tool also was designed to turn other augments away from their masters and to think for themselves.

All the previous characters from the first two books appear in this one, and the point of view shifts between them and some new characters as well. Tool has appeared in all three books, but it is in this one that he finally takes center stage and we learn more about his intricate relationships with other humans and augments.

I have really enjoyed this YA science fiction trilogy. Bacigalupi is a master at world-building; and the on-going story has proved to be just as intriguing. The tension builds throughout the book until the final confrontation between Tool and the man who created him. There is a fair amount of violence and bloodshed so it is more suitable for the older YA spectrum. Tool of War is a strong, entertaining addition to the author’s post-apocalyptic series. ( )