For anyone who has ever worried about genetically modified organisms, incurable plagues, climate change, war, famine, or global dominance by giant corporations, this book is your worst nightmare. The eponymous heroine of the book is a genetically engineered and enhanced "New Person" who is enslaved in a decadent future Thailand, riven by internal political division but gamely attempting to fight off floods, epidemics, and the giant food consortia that now dominate the earth. Self-interest and survival are the dominant motivations of the characters, and yet the story is nevertheless engaging, fast-paced, and instructive.