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is the shit. One of the best SF/fantasy writers working today.
I'm currently embarking on The Scar, the second of the Bas Lag books.
Perdido Street Station is a classic: bewitching, Lovecraftian, PKDickian steampunk fantasy horror.
Mieville is a literary peacock and loves to strut his stuff. The man can write.
I've also read:
Embassytown: awesome Le Guin-esque sci fi.
The City and the City: great world-building, disappointing plot.
King Rat: mediocre first novel.
Kraken: couldn't hack it.
Perdido Street Station is maybe my favorite book ever, and China Mieville is one of my favorite authors ever ever ever.
Re: The Scar - I used to have a DnD character named Bellis. Love her, love that book. Love that world so much. Iron Council is good, sad, but didn't stand up to the first two for me.
Embassytown is beautiful and sad and awesome.
The City and The City was probably my introduction to him, but in hindsight is probably my least favorite out of what I've read of his.
Kraken is probably his weakest work that I've read, but it's just so fucking FUN.
Perdido is the only book I've read by him and although I enjoyed it (He constructs his worlds very well) I wasn't enthralled with it as some people are. I expect tI'll check out more of his work at some point.
Absolutely engrossed in China's writing. I'm working my way through his bibliography in order of publication, finished Iron Council a month ago and currently reading his short story collection Looking For Jake. So far, it's fantastic. Has anyone read the story "Reports of Certain Events in London" from that collection? That particular story might be the coolest idea I've come across in fiction, ever.
At first I found his style quite difficult to grapple with, especially in Iron Council. But recently I've really come round to it. It really helps to have actually heard the way he talks; there's some great interviews on youtube...that man can talk!Quote:
Originally Posted by aggroculture
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Originally Posted by playwithfire
I think it might have been my personal favorite of the three. I think the plot was the most intricate of the trilogy, and the characters were by far the most developed. Without spoiling The Scar for aggro, it's pretty fair to say that the plots of Perdido and Scar did kind of meander. But then again, that's partially why I loved them so much; their 'world' was so flawed, as was their stories. It might just be that I got a real Year Zero vibe from the New Crobuzon sub-plot, but I thought Council was fantastic. Difficult, heavy-going and obtuse yes, but still pretty darn good.
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Originally Posted by Digital Twilight
His first book, King Rat, is worth checking out.
Just finished The Scar. Could not put it down from about halfway in onwards.
Awesome, just as good as PSS.
Uther Doul, The Brucolac, The Grindylow, Silas Fennec and that statue, The Lovers (very Cenobite-esque), the Anophelii, the Avanc…so many incredible characters, so much to gawp at.
My one reservation is that he often does this thing where he'll say something, and then the next paragraph will repeat it in slightly different form. I don't quite see the point for the repetitions, especially when there's so much left unsaid. But maybe that's part of his style, slowing things down to keep the tension high. In places the book drags a little, but then you turn a corner and there's yet more intrigue driving the plot forward. I kind of like that you don't get answers at the end: I like that he doesn't fall into the trap of giving you some nice and comfortable explanations for everything.