The Windup Girl

The Windup Girl turned out to be simply excellent. I wouldn't change a thing in it and was completely immersed.

The story is at a distant future in Thailand (a nice coincidence since I'm planning to visit there soon inşaallah). The most valuable thing in the world is energy and calorie. Food is scarse and it is monopolised by calorie companies who sell undiseased but not growable seeds to third world countries. Many cities are underwater but Krung Thep is still standing not only against the ocean but also calorie companies and managed to remain independent (by having one of the western gene geniuses and getting undeseased crops and fruits developed). 

The characters are rich and they all were very interesting to me and I liked the way the female ones were the best ones (complex and capable). 

We have calorie man, the refugee Chinese old man, who lost everything in Malaya to fundementalists and barely was able to escape, the ex Muay Thai champion Ministry of Environment officer Jaidee who is not taking any bribes (very rare) and his side kick Kanya (who may have secret agendas of her own) and titular windup girl Emiko who is a genetically enhanced almost human (made in a lab) designed to serve Japanese sensibilities. She is a translator, secretary and companion (!) for her master. But her master was tired of her or something and discarded her in Krung Thep at the end of a trade visit. She is grabbed by a nasty sex club owner and forced to turn tricks every night there. 

I had no idea where the story was going and I didn't want it to end but I liked the ending and will seek more books of Mr.Bacihalupi.