The Water Knife Summary
Paolo Bacigalupi

The Water Knife Overview

The Water Knife is a science fiction thriller by award-winning American author Paolo Bacigalupi. Set in the near-future United States, as Nevada, California, and Arizona bitterly fight for rights to water, the novel tells the story of Angel, a mercenary working for the state of Nevada; Lucy, a journalist living in Arizona; and Maria, a refugee from the evacuated state of Texas. The lives of these characters intertwine as they are embroiled in a search for legal documents that could irrevocably change the balance of power in the southwest. The Water Knife explores themes of choice, power, privilege, and morality.