THE DROWNED CITIES

In this follow-up to the Printz-winning SHIP BREAKER, Bacigalupi takes a harsh look at what climate change may do to our planet and concludes that poverty, environmental destruction, resource decimation, and war are what’s in store for humanity. Narrator Joshua Swanson’s boyish, wistful voice is sadly fitting for a plot in which constant war has killed off most adults. Soldiers are children, and officers are only in their twenties. But Swanson has complete command of the narrative. His genial tones gain sharp edges when he portrays villains, and he confidently leads listeners through the bleak story. Intense, bloody descriptions of battles and wounds make for difficult listening, but Swanson’s gentle voice somewhat softens the horrors of war. G.D. © AudioFile 2012, Portland, Maine [Published: JUNE 2012]