| Author | Message | ||
     Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.179.203.34 |
Hi all, I am reading this incredibly fascinating novel by China Miéville. It seems it got the Arthur C. Clarke award (I must say I don't know how high that award is ranked!) recently and I can see why: it has been a long time since I experienced that feeling of discovering a truly fresh novel. Without spoiling anything, it's a surreal murder mystery set in two Eastern-European cities that are related in very strange ways. The book actually needs to invent an interesting new verb to describe the relation. Curious if anyone here read it? I'm one third in the story and I vividly recommend it. It's a bit like reading a new kind of 1984. And very subtly, I do think that the author offers a parable about us materialistic modern people being almost blind for the needs of people around us. Ok, still two thirds of the book to go, which is a perfect use of a cold national holiday. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
I really enjoyed it when i read it last year. Do you want to know whodunnit? I've got Kraken next on my reading list | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.179.203.34 |
Kraken arrived last week and is immediately very high on the pile. But first after this, some Leo Perutz. whodunnit: I expect that the butler did it, of course. But don't tell me yet. It has been a while since I last had the feeling of reading something truly original; and luckily well executed too. | ||
| Zed (Gary_mc) Username: Gary_mc Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 195.166.117.210 |
I haven't been too impressed with Meiville's stuff in the past, but I do fancy this one. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.179.203.34 |
It's the first of his books that I read. It's true that the previous novels didn't tempt me either; I did read a few good of his short stories. It seems that his new book Kraken is remarkably entertaining. The city and the city though isn't exactly entertaining, you have to keep your mind to it, and it's endlessly fascinating - until now. | ||
| Jonathan (Jonathan) Username: Jonathan Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.143.178.131 |
I love a bit of Mieville me. Perdido Street Station is jaw-droppingly good. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 91.179.212.89 |
Meanwhile I finished the novel. To be fair, the resolution of the murder mystery wasn't that interesting for me, it was rather the whole setting that was endlessly fascinating. In a way, I had the same feeling with the excellent thriller Child 44 where the setting of Stalinist Russia is more interesting than the murder mystery. "The City and The City" is well written with convincing dialogue, and it gives that rare pleasure of discovering something totally new. I think you should try it. The hardback was available below 6 pounds from an Amazon reseller, and that's a great price for the enjoyment. | ||
| Karim Ghahwagi (Karim) Username: Karim Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 80.63.26.125 |
I thought that The City and The City was an excellent novel. I was somewhat dissapointed however, with the ending of Child 44, but it was impossible to stop turning the pages- and it was so very grim. I just started Kraken which I am enjoying. | ||
| Matthew Fryer (Matthew_fryer) Username: Matthew_fryer Registered: 08-2009 Posted From: 90.202.180.152 |
Looking forward to reading this. I love Mieville. I've read his sprawling Bas-Lag trilogy twice, and probably will do again. Could never really get into his short stories though. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
Child 44 was a real let down with the reveal at the end - it has to be the worst and most unbelievably unlikely and stupid coincidence ever in fiction. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.185 |
Child 44 was a real let down with the reveal at the end - it has to be the worst and most unbelievably unlikely and stupid coincidence ever in fiction. Agree, but in my opinion is the picture of Stalinist Russia that keeps it very interesting throughout. The whole novel is soaked in the repressive atmosphere. Similarly, but still more convincing than in Child 44, the police procedural in The city and the city is not as interesting as the incredible world building. | ||
| Weber (Weber_gregston) Username: Weber_gregston Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.176.105.55 |
I really enjoyed child 44 - up until that reveal. Then I completely lost interest in it. I do agree that the atmosphere was very well done and the nightmare of living in Stalinist Russia was well portrayed. It was a real page turner for the most part. having said that - the village that helped them escape was completely at odds with the rest of the narrative. They would have been handed over before they could finish a sneeze. And that reveal... God that was a huge fucking pile of steaming shite. That's putting it politely. And the ending was so Hollywood-happy and paving the way for the sequel. It wrecked the book completely and destroyed all that effort that had gone before. I don't know if I'll bother with The Secret Speech - the follow up novel. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.185 |
I've not read the follow-up novel, I know it deals with the problems the protagonist (forgot his name) has with his adopted children; if you remember that in stalinist russia children were pushed to denounce their parents it can be very grim indeed. | ||
| Tom_alaerts (Tom_alaerts) Username: Tom_alaerts Registered: 03-2008 Posted From: 194.78.35.185 |
Meanwhile I made a concise, half-improvised video review of "The City and The City". I think it's spoiler-free. If you're interested, have a look at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yE83aEzsDYY |