Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pocketful of Dharma | 1999 | Paolo Bacigalupi | N/A |
| 2 | The Fluted Girl | 2003 | Paolo Bacigalupi | Buy |
| 3 | The People of Sand and Slag | 2004 | Paolo Bacigalupi | Buy |
| 4 | The Calorie Man | 2005 | Paolo Bacigalupi | N/A |
| 5 | The Tamarisk Hunter | 2006 | Paolo Bacigalupi | N/A |
| 6 | Yellow Card Man | 2006 | Paolo Bacigalupi | Buy |
| 7 | The Gambler | 2008 | Paolo Bacigalupi | Buy |
Paolo Bacigalupi’s short fiction is where many of his most celebrated ideas first appeared. Pocketful of Dharma, published in 1999, was his debut, and stories like The Calorie Man and Yellow Card Man laid the groundwork for the world that would become The Windup Girl. Several of these stories share settings and themes with his novels, making them useful companions to his longer work.
Published across various magazines and collections between 1999 and 2008, these seven stories cover topics from post-human bodies to water scarcity to refugee survival. The People of Sand and Slag and The Fluted Girl are among his most anthologized works. Readers new to Bacigalupi might find these shorter pieces a good way to get a feel for his writing before committing to a novel.