Amadan na Briona

A brilliant "biopunk" novel set in Thailand, in the post-petroleum age where genetic engineering has unleashed plagues on crops and people alike, and Thailand maintains its independence by preserving its sacred heritage seedbanks, untouched by Western "calorie companies."

The main characters are Anderson Lake, an undercover "calorie man" (which makes him a bad guy, basically, though he does have his occasional redeeming moments), and Emiko, the Windup Girl, a genetically-engineered "new person." However, there are several other POV characters in the book.

This is a pretty glum view of the future, and some of the technological changes struck me as unlikely, but for the most part, it was a convincing dystopia. The only problem was that none of the characters were entirely sympathetic (except Emiko, who was flat, personality-wise), and with the shifting POVs in each chapter, it's hard to get engaged with any of them. Only towards the end do all their separate storylines come together.

Nonetheless, I highly recommend it. This is one of the best new SF books I've read in years.