Fifteen books set in sci-fi & fantasy versions of fascinating places on Earth

At io9, Madeleine Monson-Rosen tagged 15 books that take place in science fiction and fantasy versions of the most fascinating places on Earth, including:

Paolo Bacigalupi's Bangkok, The Windup Girl

Bacigalupi's Thailand manages to be geopolitically unique in a future that's both distant and familiar. And his Bangkok, a "drowning city" stands out in his dystopic Asia, where almost every other country is starving. This Bangkok is drowning in its own abundance, awash in gray and black marketeers.

Read about the other entries on the list.

The Windup Girl is among Annalee Newitz's lists of books to prepare you for the economic apocalypse and the 35 essential posthuman novels.

Writers Read: Paolo Bacigalupi.

--Marshal Zeringue