To
the Last Drop follows five characters through the course of a war
between Texas and New Mexico. The novel begins with the accidental discovery
of water in the arid southeast corner of New Mexico. Texas and New Mexico
become tangled in a bitter legal dispute over the rights to that water.
A series of increasingly aggressive border skirmishes leads to an invasion
by the Texas State Guard.
The Texas militia sweeps aside the paltry resistance and occupies New
Mexico. The conquered territory is renamed New Texas. The Military Governor
exploits New Texas for its water while forcing it to pay for the cost
of its own occupation.
Resistance to the Texas occupation begins in isolated pockets strung
together by a pirate radio station. Censorship and brutality by Texas
leads to violent reprisals by a growing insurgency. The rebellion burns
in the city streets, on the internet and throughout the remote desert
mountains.
The Texas State Guard overextends itself trying to guard against both
the insurgency and the troublesome Mexican border. The Mexican Army
invades, toppling the New Texas government. In the aftermath, the many
sectarian factions gather to claim their water rights, exposing an uncertain
and troubled future.
Main
Characters
Eddie Brown, amateur biologist and slacker, transforms into Dr. X, the
leader of the New Mexican resistance.
Hormigo, head of the Diablos motorcycle gang, is a vigilante partisan
who fights for his own interests.
Billy Ortiz, indigent and disenfranchised, becomes the sort of hero
who is never remembered by history.
U.S. Armstrong, Military Governor of New Texas, is a successful businessman
whose aspirations condemn his family’s dignity.
Taylor Jon Bridges, a vulgar young speedfreak, is a violent shock trooper
for the Texas State Guard.
A Story of Insatiable Thirst and a Western
Water War.
US forces in Afghanistan are having a hard time doing
just about anything they set out to do. This isn’t necessarily
a testament to the competency of the soldiers or their leaders—it
is simply because they are Americans in Afghanistan. The terrain is
harsh and unforgiving. Americans searching for rebels in the Sanglakh
mountains could be a lot like…say…Texans hunting for rebels
in the Cerrillos Hills.
Author Andrew Wice relaxes in the barren desert
of Madrid, NM. Photo credit: Charlotte Jusinski
The aesthetic similarities between the Afghan borderlands
and the New Mexican badlands is not lost on novelist Andrew Wice.
Charlotte Jusinksi - Santa Fe Reporter.
Read the entire review
here.
Wice paints a picture that's easy to believe: Texas
invades New Mexico under the direction of a GW Bush-like bully, complete
with a staff that's similar to the administration currently occupying
the White House. The new war is all about water rights, and there's
no help from D.C., as U.S. armed forces are bogged down in the middle
east. Believable characters, good dialog, plenty of humor, and an
accurate description of the people and places that make up modern
day New Mexico make this a great read. Kirk E. Righter
As the story is about war and oppression, I didn't
expect to laugh my way through this book. Ponder, reflect, giggle.
Ponder, reflect, giggle, snort. My favorite scene takes place in a
small town filled with dogs that are lovingly cared for by ordinary
folks who understand resistance. Before I got to this scene, I had
a dozen other favorite moments. K.L. Kox
Good to read something written recently that is so
enjoyable. I liked it so much I read it twice, which when there are
infinite books to be conquered in a lifetime, is a true complement.
Wice takes you down into the heart of an occupation, through the upturned
lives of folks fighting on each side. Lucille S. Grey
Last Updated January, 2009
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