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76th out of 746 books
—
3,789 voters
The Water Wars
by
Cameron Stracher (Goodreads Author)
Welcome to a future where water is more precious than gold or oil—and worth killing for
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to f...more
Vera and her brother, Will, live in the shadow of the Great Panic, in a country that has collapsed from environmental catastrophe. Water is hoarded by governments, rivers are dammed, and clouds are sucked from the sky. But then Vera befriends Kai, who seems to have limitless access to f...more
Hardcover, 240 pages
Published
January 1st 2011
by Sourcebooks Fire
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i feel like this is a book that mistook its audience.it is like the not-as-good version of Ship Breaker. if it is supposed to be a cautionary tale for adults told in a briskly-paced "fantastic" atmosphere, it is just too raggedy. characters move forward from one illustrative peril to another, in some "parade of characters" set piece, each more unrealistic than the one before; there is no breathing room between episodes in the race to the top of mount crazy. and the whole goody-good good guys vs....more
The best thing about this book is its cover (just LOOK at it; it's stunning!). Granted, the plot seemed promising, but everything else was a flop. The characters were paper-thin (either on the good side or the bad side), and all their relationships were predictable. The only interesting characters were either absent for the majority of the book or introduced in the last few chapters. When characters died, they just dropped off the pages. I didn't feel any sadness or triumph when they disappeared...more
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This is quite the adventure story, but there are definitely pretty open criticisms of the government & the way we waste resources.
Some colorful supporting characters enliven a plot that bounces the teens from one dangerous situation to the next with little breathing room.
Some colorful supporting characters enliven a plot that bounces the teens from one dangerous situation to the next with little breathing room.
This book really didn't grab my attention as much as I wanted it too. While the story was good, the plot failed to grab me. It reminded me very much of Drought, just a different scenario. The plot fighting over water seemed not as action packed. There was fighting and running around. There were also some extra elements in the book that I didn't see coming. Like how some people can smell fresh water? It seems like you are living in a normal world, but there are some people who can do extraordinar...more
This was my 1st read of the new year and also for the Debit Author Challenge. Overall the book was good. It kept a normal pace for me. It did have a few moments that were nerve racking but other than that it was easy to follow along. I think that if this would have been made into a series then I would have been able to LOVE this book. I think that by making it a stand alone book, a lot was thrown in and it seems a bit rushed to fit everything in 200+ pages. The ending came off a bit weak to me....more
The Water Wars has a frighteningly realistic premise that will speak to ecologically aware readers. This dystopian novel takes three teens on an adventure set in a world that has run out of water. The world barely survives but for a host of inventions and water gathering/treatment processes.
The world created in The Water Wars is clearly envisioned. You can feel the dryness and the thirst while reading this novel. The prospect of death by dehydration is clear and ever-present, creating a constant...more
The world created in The Water Wars is clearly envisioned. You can feel the dryness and the thirst while reading this novel. The prospect of death by dehydration is clear and ever-present, creating a constant...more
I thought this was pretty good. Not the best thing I have ever read, but it was still something that kept me reading cause I wanted to know what happend. I liked how everything was resolved. It was not a huge elaborate ending that told you their whole future life story, but it still gave you a resolve. I would recommend this book to others.
A book about a world with almost no water left. And there's these things call Diviners that can find water. After her "boyfriend" Kai (who is a diviner) gets kidnap, she goes after him. Doesn't that seem like an amazing book?!
This book was the most disappointing I have ever read. The first chapter was so promising and wonderful. The author seemed not to even try the rest of the book. Kai and Vera's relationship was really awkward. After they kissed Vera went on for a page about how confused she...more
This book was the most disappointing I have ever read. The first chapter was so promising and wonderful. The author seemed not to even try the rest of the book. Kai and Vera's relationship was really awkward. After they kissed Vera went on for a page about how confused she...more
In a world where water is more precious that gold, a strange boy stands in the middle of the room and takes a sip of a cup of water without a care in the world, pouring the rest onto the brittle ground below his feet. Vera leaps to investigate, soon becoming close friends with the stranger-Kai. Kai knows an important secret, something that their water-hogging government is keeping from them. When Kai and his father go missing, Vera knows that her knowledge is the only think that will save him.
I...more
I...more
I was excited to read this. I heard it was reminiscent of the Hunger Games. Exciting, right?
This was such a promising idea, I was so sad at its execution. It just wasn't... anything. There wasn't enough explanation at all of what was going on, or who was at war with whom, or why there was no water, or why people were being kept in clumps and why schools were so particular on what they taught. I wanted to know everything. And there was so much room to do that! This book was not very long at all....more
This was such a promising idea, I was so sad at its execution. It just wasn't... anything. There wasn't enough explanation at all of what was going on, or who was at war with whom, or why there was no water, or why people were being kept in clumps and why schools were so particular on what they taught. I wanted to know everything. And there was so much room to do that! This book was not very long at all....more
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The Water Wars is a powerful story that has you reflecting on your usage of water and how our posterity will have to face the effects of our usage of water. I feel like it wasn't meant to be a story focused on Vera and Will's adventure to save Kai and his father, that instead an allegory to frighten the readers from overusing water. The author's idea was a wonderful one, but I just felt he could've done a better job of executing the story.
Basically, Will and Vera meet K...more
The Water Wars is a powerful story that has you reflecting on your usage of water and how our posterity will have to face the effects of our usage of water. I feel like it wasn't meant to be a story focused on Vera and Will's adventure to save Kai and his father, that instead an allegory to frighten the readers from overusing water. The author's idea was a wonderful one, but I just felt he could've done a better job of executing the story.
Basically, Will and Vera meet K...more
Vera and Will live in a world that has been changed as a result of lack of drinkable water. When they meet Kai, their world dissolves into further chaos as they are drawn into the war that is being fought by the powers of the world over who controls the remaining water. When Kai, a boy who can find water (a diviner) is kidnapped, Vera and Will go after him. They team up with a water pirate and a rogue water skimmer to rescue Will and attempt to bring water back to the people.
I picked this book u...more
I picked this book u...more
A stand-alone dystopian novel?! Is it possible that I found one? Yes! And it wasn't completely centered on romance. And it was completely gripping. And it was just really, really awesome.
Vera was a great character. She wasn't stupidly brave but she also wasn't afraid to stand up for her friends and what she believed in. Coming from almost nothing, she wants to make the world a better place. Whenever she has the opportunity to do so, she immediately takes it. I loved reading about her and Will. I...more
Vera was a great character. She wasn't stupidly brave but she also wasn't afraid to stand up for her friends and what she believed in. Coming from almost nothing, she wants to make the world a better place. Whenever she has the opportunity to do so, she immediately takes it. I loved reading about her and Will. I...more
Water Wars is an outstanding book, written by Cameron Stracher. The book is a glimpse into a disturbing future of war and suffering without one of the worlds most needed resources, water. This book shows us how a group of kids goes about trying to survive and bring hope to their families, while a hateful government tries to bring them to their end. It shows us a future that is so disjointed from the life we know that it's impossible to put it down until the end. This book shows a future where "w...more
I really wanted to like this more. The plot looked really interesting: what happens to the world when we finally run out of clean water? I just wish it had been done better.
Problem #1: I wasn't really drawn to the characters. There were no defining personality traits that made me like any of them. The good guys were good and the bad guys were bad. No depth. No development.
Problem #2: Way too much coincidence. Without giving too much away, it just felt like things happened a little to "easily" fo...more
Problem #1: I wasn't really drawn to the characters. There were no defining personality traits that made me like any of them. The good guys were good and the bad guys were bad. No depth. No development.
Problem #2: Way too much coincidence. Without giving too much away, it just felt like things happened a little to "easily" fo...more
The only review I read of this book was that if "you liked Hunger Games, then you'd like Water Wars"...although similar in that they are quick reads about teenagers in desperate situations set in the future, I'm not sure they parallel more than that (especially if you look at the Hunger Games series as a whole). That said, I enjoyed this book. It was a quick read, both due to it's length and short sentences (making it fast-paced). I was able to relate to Vera (the protagonist) significantly more...more
Cameron Stracher's "The Water Wars" follows two children in a post-apocalyptic world ruined by Water Wars. The world invented by Stracher was everything I think the world would be like if Water Wars ruined it all--which many have said is what the future looks like. However, I feel Stracher got too caught up in the description of the world and preconceived set actions that the characters weren't the ones pushing the story forward. In the end I was left disappointed.
Mayby it's just me, but charac...more
Mayby it's just me, but charac...more
Reading Level: Grade 6-8
Vera is too young to remember a time she wasn't thirsty. Since the polar ice caps melted and the rivers dried up, there is very little fresh water left. Almost all the northern hemisphere's fresh water is controlled by the Empire of Canada and the Republic of Minnesota. Vera lives in the Republic of Illinowa where she is lucky to get a drink a day.
One day Vera meets Kai a boy with a wonderful, powerful secret. When Kai is suddenly, violently kidnapped, Vera and her older...more
Vera is too young to remember a time she wasn't thirsty. Since the polar ice caps melted and the rivers dried up, there is very little fresh water left. Almost all the northern hemisphere's fresh water is controlled by the Empire of Canada and the Republic of Minnesota. Vera lives in the Republic of Illinowa where she is lucky to get a drink a day.
One day Vera meets Kai a boy with a wonderful, powerful secret. When Kai is suddenly, violently kidnapped, Vera and her older...more
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Water. Vital ingredient of life. So vial that when we've used or poisoned the earth's water to the point of near depletion, countries are ready to fight tooth and nail to get their share. Vera's led a dry and dusty life, never enough to drink in a land that sucks the moisture right out of you. Then she meets Kai, who acts like water is as common as anything and as their friendship grows, Vera soon realizes that Kai knows more than he's telling her. Then one day, Kai's late to the bus stop and Ve...more
The good news: I finished it! It's over!
The bad news: everything else.
Vera lives in a world without water: it rains very little, and humankind has wasted (and/or drunk up) all the fresh water. State boundaries have changed; the US is no longer 50 states but 8 territories. The Republic of Illinowa is struggling to get water, battling with the Republic of Minnesota, who in turn is warring with the Empire of Canada for the fresh water that remains.
Vera meets a new boy, Kai, who can somehow sniff o...more
The bad news: everything else.
Vera lives in a world without water: it rains very little, and humankind has wasted (and/or drunk up) all the fresh water. State boundaries have changed; the US is no longer 50 states but 8 territories. The Republic of Illinowa is struggling to get water, battling with the Republic of Minnesota, who in turn is warring with the Empire of Canada for the fresh water that remains.
Vera meets a new boy, Kai, who can somehow sniff o...more
I was initially drawn to Water Wars by the synopsis: a dystopian thriller, centered in a world oppressed by a corrupt government and a wicked draught. For a lover of apocalyptic stories, this book sounded like an absolute gem.
I was rather disappointed. Rather quickly.
Water Wars started off with the first encounter between the sixteen-year-old commoner Vera and mysterious Kai. While the tension between the two of them was interesting to a point, I seriously questioned the relationship betwee...more
I was rather disappointed. Rather quickly.
Water Wars started off with the first encounter between the sixteen-year-old commoner Vera and mysterious Kai. While the tension between the two of them was interesting to a point, I seriously questioned the relationship betwee...more
After 166 reviews, I haven't ever given anything one star. Until now.
And this is my favorite genre: it should have been easy to like.
Let me count the ways that this didn't work:
- Kai. Worst character ever. Not interesting. No personality. Bordering on rude and stupid. No depth. The biggest problem with this book was that the whole driving point of the plot was Kai. And I JUST DIDN'T CARE. Because he sucks.
- Will and other secondary characters. Will had a slight amount of personality that wasn't...more
And this is my favorite genre: it should have been easy to like.
Let me count the ways that this didn't work:
- Kai. Worst character ever. Not interesting. No personality. Bordering on rude and stupid. No depth. The biggest problem with this book was that the whole driving point of the plot was Kai. And I JUST DIDN'T CARE. Because he sucks.
- Will and other secondary characters. Will had a slight amount of personality that wasn't...more
The book The Water Wars, was a thrilling ball of enjoyment. Hands down ,Cameron Stracher can write an amazing book and I would hope to read many more books by him. In this book the main characters Vera and Kai are in deep trouble. Kai mysterously goes missing. Vera and her brother go an a fierce journey to find him. In this gruesome battle , one major issue is occuring :there is no water! Stealing water is a national offense that can get you locked up in prison.
Vera and her brother get caught...more
Vera and her brother get caught...more
I have this addiction to young adult dystopian fiction lately. I've been listening to them in audio format, but read Cameron Stracher's debut YA novel - The Water Wars. Kudos to the publisher - this was a great cover..
Vera and her brother Will live with their family sometime in the future. North America has had the borders redrawn. There are eight republics in what used to be the US and the evil Empire of Canada to the north. What this world lacks is clean drinking water. Indeed, the hopsital wi...more
Vera and her brother Will live with their family sometime in the future. North America has had the borders redrawn. There are eight republics in what used to be the US and the evil Empire of Canada to the north. What this world lacks is clean drinking water. Indeed, the hopsital wi...more
Feb 15, 2011
Novel Novice
added it
Dystopian fiction meets environmental cautionary tale in Cameron Stracher’s YA novel The Water Wars.
The book takes place in the not-so-distant future, in which water has become more precious than oil and the newly established countries of the world are engaged in on-going wars for control of what little drinkable water does remain.
Set against this backdrop, The Water Wars follows 15-year-old Vera and her older brother Will — as they set of to find their new and mysterious friend Kai, who disappe...more
The book takes place in the not-so-distant future, in which water has become more precious than oil and the newly established countries of the world are engaged in on-going wars for control of what little drinkable water does remain.
Set against this backdrop, The Water Wars follows 15-year-old Vera and her older brother Will — as they set of to find their new and mysterious friend Kai, who disappe...more
The Beginning: The lead into the story was gripping, a dystopian society where the people who controlled the water were the ones who ruled. We were introduced to three characters, The narrator, Vera, Will, her brother and Kia.
The Middle: Things got a bit muddled for me along the way. Quite a few new characters were introduced in quick succession and it seemed as though everything that could go wrong did go wrong. There was little time to breath and get acquainted with the new characters and lit...more
The Middle: Things got a bit muddled for me along the way. Quite a few new characters were introduced in quick succession and it seemed as though everything that could go wrong did go wrong. There was little time to breath and get acquainted with the new characters and lit...more
Water Wars by Cameron Stracher
Global warming leads to a world without fresh water. The conflict between those who have water and those who don’t is featured in this dismal future world.
This book paints a very depressing picture of the future. I found myself refilling my ubiquitous glass of water far more frequently as I read it. Vera and Will’s sibling relationship was endearing. Kia was the mysterious stranger. I enjoyed the fact that the author was able to portray such a dusty, parched future...more
Global warming leads to a world without fresh water. The conflict between those who have water and those who don’t is featured in this dismal future world.
This book paints a very depressing picture of the future. I found myself refilling my ubiquitous glass of water far more frequently as I read it. Vera and Will’s sibling relationship was endearing. Kia was the mysterious stranger. I enjoyed the fact that the author was able to portray such a dusty, parched future...more
Vera, 15, her older brother Will, and their parents live in the Republic of Illinowa when water is more precious than gold. Vera meets a boy named Kai who tells her of a great river that is still in existence somewhere. When Kai is mysteriously kidnapped, Vera decides to mount a rescue. When Will agrees to come along, the adventures and mishaps start. The teens are captured by pirates, almost drowned when PELA blows up a dam in the Republic of Minnesota, sold to slavers in the Niagara Canyon, re...more
I'm glad I didn't go with someone's review on this site because this is one of the best books I've read this winter. My family (60 + parents, younger teen brother) went to my uncle's house for Xmas and all of us read (and fought over) The Water Wars which was my advanced copy. It's funny because my Mom loved Stephane Meyers' books (ugh) and my brother loves those Philip Pullman (Sp?) books and my Dad reads James Patterson, but we all liked this book.
I'm always a little wary when a male author wr...more
I'm always a little wary when a male author wr...more
| topics | posts | views | last activity | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DYSTOPIA OBSESSED: thoughts so far | 1 | 9 | Apr 07, 2013 06:07pm | |
| The Regular Reader: The Water Wars | 1 | 4 | Sep 08, 2012 07:58am | |
| Nook Book Lending...: Does Anyone Have "The Water Wars"? | 1 | 8 | Jan 08, 2012 01:17pm |
Cameron Stracher practices and teaches law. His writing has appeared in the New York Times, the New York Times Magazine, and the Wall Street Journal, among other publications. He lives in Westport, CT, with his wife, two children, and two dogs, not necessarily in that order.
More about Cameron Stracher...
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“What happend to her? To Miranda?'
Ulysses shrugged. 'What happens to most children. She got sick, and never got better.'
'And your wife?'
'The same.'
'But you said you were married,' said Will, glancing down at Ulysses's ring, smooth and lustrous in the half-light.
'I'll always be married. But it'll be the next world when I see her again.”
—
5 people liked it
Ulysses shrugged. 'What happens to most children. She got sick, and never got better.'
'And your wife?'
'The same.'
'But you said you were married,' said Will, glancing down at Ulysses's ring, smooth and lustrous in the half-light.
'I'll always be married. But it'll be the next world when I see her again.”
“You can't just fly into the Great Coat, shoot your way into Bluewater, and take Kai and his father,' I told him.
'Why not?'
'Cause you can't. They'll killl you, for one thing.'
Ulysses scratched his beard. 'Hmm. Need a better plan.”
—
5 people liked it
More quotes…
'Why not?'
'Cause you can't. They'll killl you, for one thing.'
Ulysses scratched his beard. 'Hmm. Need a better plan.”
Nov 05, 2011 09:32am
Mar 18, 2012 02:41pm