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bookelfe

(Untitled)

Feb 27, 2008 20:35

I've read all China Mieville's New Crobuzon books, and I actually like him a lot. He's totally allergic to happy endings, but he consistently wins me over with these fantastic dream/nightmare images that linger in your head - a city made of ships, a stolen train with rails being constantly laid down in front of it. King Rat is his first book, ( Read more... )

booklogging, china mieville

Comments 5

private_meek February 28 2008, 05:18:45 UTC

I read UnLunDun last summer and absolutely despised it. I couldn't even tell you why. Something about the tone was unbearable. I haven't been able to get into any of the New Crobuzon books, either-- but the strange thing is, I love the story of his that's in one of the McSweeney's anthologies, about the Viae Ferae.

Also he once said something in an interview that I loved concerning the distinction, basically, between storytellers and other people-- apparently his girlfriend and he were in their apartment and she said to him, "The fridge men are coming!" and it occurred to him that there are the people who would hear that and assume that a fridge was going to be delivered... and then there are the people who expect an army of cyborg creatures to show up. I'm paraphrasing.

bookelfe February 28 2008, 05:27:39 UTC

UnLunDun is actually the only one of his books I haven't read, I think (and I haven't read any of the short stories either, sadly) but I think I know what you mean about his tone. Sometimes his actual writing style throws me out of a lot (and moreso in this book than in some of his others), often when it seems that he is trying very self-consciously to be Literary, but for me, the images do the work of pulling me back, so I end up more in the world he's building than out.

. . . that's kind of awesome.

genarti February 28 2008, 20:24:35 UTC

Hee. That comment about fridge men is an excellent one.

...and I'm totally in the refrigerator cyborg camp, I fear.

the_croupier February 29 2008, 00:19:00 UTC

Beccaaaaa. D=

Every time I finish a canon, you remind me of another great one I haven't read yet. XD

bookelfe February 29 2008, 03:36:08 UTC

So your reading list will never run dry! :D

. . . that is a terrible mixed metaphor, but you take my meaning.