Anyone else here read/reading China Mieville's "Perdido Street Station?"

[BreweryYardRat]

It's really good so far. One of the best fantasy novels I've read in a while (I read the "sequel", The Scar first, and that was good, but this one blows it away). Steampunk, science, sorcery, all sorts of weird non-humans (no cliche elves and dwarves here; think cactus-men, humanoids with scarabs for heads, and other truly out-there folk), and some of the most disturbing monsters I've seen in a while.

The protagonist, Isaac, is a scientist/sorcerer working to help a bird-man who's lost his wings. As part of the process, he does research on various flying creatures, some of which were illegally acquired. He eventually discards that train of thought for another line of research, but the one specimen he kept from the flight studies is something incredibly dangerous that he should have never gotten hold of, and he had no idea about its capabilities.

At the point I am now, it's all blowing up in his face, and it looks like it's going to get a lot worse.

I'd highly advise picking it up. Best $6-$8 you'll spend in a while.

[Pithlet]

1. I have. It's very good.

I reread it recently. I think it's the best of all his books. I don't want to accidentally spoil it for you so I won't say anymore. I couldn't put it down on the first read.

[mzteris]

3. Wow.

Red Wing's fans can read?



:rofl:

[Pithlet]

4. You are so banned.

:mad: ;)

[mzteris]

5. now now -

I thought you weren't supposed to let your personal opinion interfere in your job duties!


nyah nyah nyah :P


BTW - I forgot THIS in my last post:

[mzteris]

2. YES!!!!!!!

Only I read PSS first and then The Scar - and I thought the Scar was better.

Maybe it's getting used to "that world"? :shrug:

I loved the way he talks about how Isaac's mind "works" though. I mean even though - oops - never mind - don't want to do any spoilers on ya.

Funny thing, when I started The Scar, I didn't even realize it was by the same author, etc - but I knew it was familiar - New Crobuzon, etc....

Miéville does the best job of interspecies interaction of anyone since Samual R. Delaney's Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand Maybe even better as Miéville's is much more richly populated.


I'm in the middle of KING RAT right now. Very weird book so far.

I've got Iron Council to read. And I want to pick up his Un Lun Dun - can't wait to see his treatment of a children's book. Should be veeeeeerrrrry interesting.


Confess - did you have any idea that China Mieville was a guy. Especially a guy that looked like that?!?

I nearly fainted when I turned the last page of PSS and saw the author pic & bio on the last page.

I'm so glad you posted. I'd posted in the Fantasy section about him and got no response. Though Fantasy isn't really right. And SF isn't really right, either.

[BreweryYardRat]

6. It's a very weird/androgynous name, isn't it?

Although he doesn't fall into the small percentage of guys I find attractive.

I want to pick up Iron Council too. Interested to see if he throws in any more critters from real prehistory, like the dinicthys in The Scar.

And you're dead on about his handling interspecies interaction. He makes them seem real and vivid, but still alien. Especially the anophelii females in Scar, who make the Slake Moths (although I'm not sure yet if they qualify as fully sentient) look pleasant by comparison.

[mzteris]

7. anophelii females -

yeah - they rank right up there with the very scariest of creatures. Didn't you love that little twist though about their just trying to communicate?

I found the fact that the anophelii written language had no verbal meaning for them incredible.

For clarification - when I said I 'bout fainted - it wasn't that I found him attractive - not that I found him UNattractive - just that I was totally surpised by the fact that it was a HE and not a SHE! I think I would have been even MORE surprised had I read The Scar first. He did a great job of writing from the female POV. Only Stephen King has done as good a job writing in first person as a woman, I think.

I also like the fact that he doesn't like "tidy endings". I mean, it's a bit disconcerting and unsettling, but - you don't get complacent reading his stuff 'cause it's rarely predictable.

[BreweryYardRat]

8. Re: Anophelli communication: Ooh yeah, that was a nice touch.

So pathetic, it makes it hard to hate them, no matter how repulsive and savage they are.