“Pain held no terror for him. Pain was, if not friend, then family, something he had grown up with in his crèche, learning to respect but never yield to. Pain was simply a message, telling him which limbs he could still use to slaughter his enemies, how far he could still run, and what his chances were in the next battle.”

American science fiction and fantasy writer

Paolo Bacigalupi is an American science fiction and fantasy writer. He is known for fiction and essays that have appeared in major genre magazines, environmental journalism, and newspapers. His work has earned the Hugo, Nebula, John W. Campbell Memorial, Compton Crook, Theodore Sturgeon, and Michael L. Printz awards, and he has also been nominated for the National Book Award. His fiction has appeared in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Asimov's Science Fiction, and High Country News. His nonfiction has appeared in Salon.com and High Country News, and has been syndicated in papers including the Idaho Statesman, the Albuquerque Journal, and The Salt Lake Tribune. His writing often moves between speculative fiction and environmental concerns.