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3.97 AVERAGE
3.97 AVERAGE
In lieu of an actual review (short version: it was good but a little challenging and took at least 2 reads to "get it"), a couple of observations:
(1) On the appeal of steampunk: I remain convinced (and in large part because of this book) that the big appeal of "steampunk" as a genre has to do with the archetypal Inventor/Tinkerer. Here we get this in Miéville's Isaac. In many ways he's an unlikely protagonist: a little hefty[†:], nerdy, self-aggrandizing, cowardly, and a bit of a pervert[††:]; but incredibly brilliant. He occupies a mental space with our real-world Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla and (perhaps more so?) Benjamin Franklin. Our modern (20th/21st century) concepts of science are so laden with litigation and patent applications and funding cuts and notions of proprietary information... It makes sense to cast Isaac as a radical; it's as if he can see through the veil of the page into our own world, can see how science is encumbered by business and process, can see how disconnected the individual is from his work. There is no more Lone Tinkerer puttering about his basement workshop assembling the next great innovation. And something in our cultural consciousness years for that.
(2) On protagonists: Though I've (above) alluded to Isaac as the protagonist, Miéville's Yagharek serves as our narrator and by extension of convention this grants him a kind of protagonist emeritus status[†††:]. But in Yagharek we're given an interesting bridge between the novel and the reader. Yagharek is, in so many ways, the opposite experience of what I imagine a "typical" fantasy reader is after in his narrators: Yagharek is not heroic either; he is a rapist and a cripple and he is in many ways frustrated and impotent. Our vehicle into the story is hardly a vehicle for escape, hardly a means of escaping our own "real world" anxieties and limitations. What's more, Yagharek's ultimate fate (i.e., to desplumarate himself and "go as a man" into New Crobuzon) is a way of turning to the reader and saying: "Now get back to your life just as Yagharek has done."
---
[†:] = The references to "his bulk" being a little bit mixed in that regard; but for the sake of argument, he could (in the parlance of our time) stand to lose a few pounds, for sure.
[††:] = Though let us not judge him here since his "perversion" is really just analogous to an interracial relationship (though that comparison is on par with calling the space shuttle an airplane).
[†††:] = To be honest though, Yagharek is enough of a protagonist to not need the "emeritus".
---
See also:
• http://io9.com/5481558/20-great-infodumps-from-science-fiction-novels
(1) On the appeal of steampunk: I remain convinced (and in large part because of this book) that the big appeal of "steampunk" as a genre has to do with the archetypal Inventor/Tinkerer. Here we get this in Miéville's Isaac. In many ways he's an unlikely protagonist: a little hefty[†:], nerdy, self-aggrandizing, cowardly, and a bit of a pervert[††:]; but incredibly brilliant. He occupies a mental space with our real-world Thomas Edison and Nikola Tesla and (perhaps more so?) Benjamin Franklin. Our modern (20th/21st century) concepts of science are so laden with litigation and patent applications and funding cuts and notions of proprietary information... It makes sense to cast Isaac as a radical; it's as if he can see through the veil of the page into our own world, can see how science is encumbered by business and process, can see how disconnected the individual is from his work. There is no more Lone Tinkerer puttering about his basement workshop assembling the next great innovation. And something in our cultural consciousness years for that.
(2) On protagonists: Though I've (above) alluded to Isaac as the protagonist, Miéville's Yagharek serves as our narrator and by extension of convention this grants him a kind of protagonist emeritus status[†††:]. But in Yagharek we're given an interesting bridge between the novel and the reader. Yagharek is, in so many ways, the opposite experience of what I imagine a "typical" fantasy reader is after in his narrators: Yagharek is not heroic either; he is a rapist and a cripple and he is in many ways frustrated and impotent. Our vehicle into the story is hardly a vehicle for escape, hardly a means of escaping our own "real world" anxieties and limitations. What's more, Yagharek's ultimate fate (i.e., to desplumarate himself and "go as a man" into New Crobuzon) is a way of turning to the reader and saying: "Now get back to your life just as Yagharek has done."
---
[†:] = The references to "his bulk" being a little bit mixed in that regard; but for the sake of argument, he could (in the parlance of our time) stand to lose a few pounds, for sure.
[††:] = Though let us not judge him here since his "perversion" is really just analogous to an interracial relationship (though that comparison is on par with calling the space shuttle an airplane).
[†††:] = To be honest though, Yagharek is enough of a protagonist to not need the "emeritus".
---
See also:
• http://io9.com/5481558/20-great-infodumps-from-science-fiction-novels
Just shy of a legitimate classic. An uncanny tragedy somewhat haphazardly built into a setting that will constantly defy your expectations.
It’s a little rushed in places. The carefully established authorial voice lapses here and there. Some aspects seem to have been heaped onto the narrative pile because they’re just undeniably cool and for no better reason.
Wgaf, really? It was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they could do with being astonished by something.
It’s a little rushed in places. The carefully established authorial voice lapses here and there. Some aspects seem to have been heaped onto the narrative pile because they’re just undeniably cool and for no better reason.
Wgaf, really? It was amazing and I recommend it to anyone who feels like they could do with being astonished by something.
Okay, I loved a lot of things about this book. The world building was incredible. There were some great new life forms, beautiful language, and some excellent character building. That said, there wasn't an intriguing enough plot for me to finish, because the only character I cared about fell out early on. I'm sorry, but for Bacigalupi, that worked. I still cared about what happened because it was a strong plot despite the characters I hated. In this book, there were too many I didn't care about one way or another, and the "plot" was pretty haphazard.
That said, there's a lot to learn from his style in particular places - just not when it comes to plot.
That said, there's a lot to learn from his style in particular places - just not when it comes to plot.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fantastic world building, not really like anything I've read before. I thought the story took a little bit to get going (especially considering the plot is a bit odd overall), really hit its stride in the middle pages, lagged a little again towards the end, and finished quite strong. Emotional read, extremely well written. The prose is top notch for the genre.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Miéville is a frustrating writer to me. He's an extraordinarily gifted world-builder with a particular knack for archaic but flowing language and he renders such interesting characters but it's all in the service of paper-thin stories. Once Perdido Street finds its footing, about a third of the way in, it falls into a rhythm it doesn't manage to shake until the last few chapters:
1) Introduce a new group/faction/character in New Crobuzon. Build up their uniqueness and explore their culture.
2) Explain how these distinctive elements will help them to fight the monster loose in the city.
3) They all get immediately eaten by the monster.
Repeat ad nauseam,include a slightly nauseating twist at the end about one of the minor protagonists that feels like it comes out of nowhere, and end.
Still, it's a testament to the strength of the worldbuilding that, ten years out from reading, I still remember New Crobuzon with the detail of a place I've visited--I could run a tabletop game in this setting tomorrow with minimal research. It carries the weight of many of the book's other shortcomings.
And the characters are (with the aforementioned exception) all kind of compelling and endearing, with cantankerous mad scientist Isaac and radical lesbian publisher Derkhan at the center of their number.
Which I can't say for the second book in the series...
2) Explain how these distinctive elements will help them to fight the monster loose in the city.
3) They all get immediately eaten by the monster.
Repeat ad nauseam,
Still, it's a testament to the strength of the worldbuilding that, ten years out from reading, I still remember New Crobuzon with the detail of a place I've visited--I could run a tabletop game in this setting tomorrow with minimal research. It carries the weight of many of the book's other shortcomings.
And the characters are (with the aforementioned exception) all kind of compelling and endearing, with cantankerous mad scientist Isaac and radical lesbian publisher Derkhan at the center of their number.
Which I can't say for the second book in the series...
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Sexual content, Vomit, Trafficking
Minor: Sexual violence
(I haven't read this in years so my memory is very, very vague.)
adventurous
challenging
dark
medium-paced
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
"I have danced with the spider. I have cut a caper with the dancing mad god."
This was an intense, fascinating, verbose, horrifying, fantastical story that stands out among the fantasy I’ve read! There’s a reason this won the Arthur C. Clarke award. As an avid fan of worldbuilding, the treats never stop coming. You’re constantly being introduced to new races, concepts, and technologies all throughout and it kept me wondering what would be revealed next.
This was a long and at times difficult read, not because of subject matter (some might find that to be the case though) but because of the plethora of thesaurus usage that must have occurred while Miéville was writing (some examples of words he uses include: imbroglio, pusillanimous, chiaroscuro, and obstreperously). He also knows and loves New Crobuzon more than I ever will, and as a result he gets very into the weeds of describing in great detail the setting and geography. I tried to engage with that by using the helpful map, but eventually gave up because following along didn’t significantly enrich the story for me and slowed me down, and I got a little weary of some of the descriptions (one example that stood out to me was when he spent seven pages describing random people connecting a bunch of long cables when he could have done it in one or two). There were times where I had to force myself to keep reading and push through what felt like tedium.
Those gripes aside, this was a delightful mix of urban fantasy and steampunk with some underlying scifi and eldritch horror vibes, and I don’t read enough steampunk/gaslamp fantasy! This felt gritty and sepia-toned, with very diverse and unique characters. The main antagonists in this book are so horrifically fascinating and reminded me very much of xenomorphs from the Alien franchise in certain ways. I loved all of the cool races and the mix of magic and technology. I love the Weaver so much!! Some elements of this world are elaborated on, some are not, but I’m definitely interested in reading more books that take place in the world of Bas-Lag. There are some graphic descriptions of horrifying things, so beware if you’re a squeamish reader.
There are a lot of themes rolling around in this book (shame, community, transformation, corrupt government, to name some), and rarely was this a happy read, but I found it brilliant in many ways. Can’t wait to discuss this in book club!
Dawno jeśli w ogóle nie byłem pod takim wrażeniem Wyobraźni i Kreatywności autora, w dodatku co za historia pełna zakrętów wiraży dróżek i dróg szybkiego ruchu które się gdzieś tam spotykają i tworzą wielkie skrzyżowanie stamtąd już głównie walimy prosto ale po drodze kilka dróg podporządkowanych które się znów spotykają z główną na rondzie i koniec tej kulawej metafory.
ten gościu zdaje się pisze książki o Miastach. w których dzieją się rzeczy jeżące włos na głowie!!! wszystkie te rzeczy dokładnie umiejscowione w topografii geografii miejsc opisanych bardzo szczegółowo (aż zanadto bo ja nie wizualizuję gen AI na ratunek).
i mnóstwo postaci które mają różne osobowości (albo przynajmniej ich niecodzienny wygląd jest szczegółowo opisany i się zachowują w sposób zapamiętywalny); główni bohaterowie do których tak się przywiązałem (poza nijaką Derkhan) że co się tam stało po drodze z nimi to ostatnie strony czytałem ze łzami w oczach i musiałem pooddychać głęboko jak zamknąłem.
do tego mnóstwo zabiegów co ich nie kojarzę z innych "fantasy" czy "weird fiction" książek np. człekokształtnych różnych istot jak ptaszory kaktusy czy takich z głowami skarabeuszy! i one skądś wszystkie pochodzą i mają historię i typowe dla siebie zwyczaje kultury itd.
i polityka i warstwy społeczne i lekka medytacja nad zbrodnią i karą i sztuka i "nauka" i jakby "magia"; kurde jak mnie to wszystko kupiło.
idę czytać The Scar tzn. już zacząłem.
ten gościu zdaje się pisze książki o Miastach. w których dzieją się rzeczy jeżące włos na głowie!!! wszystkie te rzeczy dokładnie umiejscowione w topografii geografii miejsc opisanych bardzo szczegółowo (aż zanadto bo ja nie wizualizuję gen AI na ratunek).
i mnóstwo postaci które mają różne osobowości (albo przynajmniej ich niecodzienny wygląd jest szczegółowo opisany i się zachowują w sposób zapamiętywalny); główni bohaterowie do których tak się przywiązałem (poza nijaką Derkhan) że co się tam stało po drodze z nimi to ostatnie strony czytałem ze łzami w oczach i musiałem pooddychać głęboko jak zamknąłem.
do tego mnóstwo zabiegów co ich nie kojarzę z innych "fantasy" czy "weird fiction" książek np. człekokształtnych różnych istot jak ptaszory kaktusy czy takich z głowami skarabeuszy! i one skądś wszystkie pochodzą i mają historię i typowe dla siebie zwyczaje kultury itd.
i polityka i warstwy społeczne i lekka medytacja nad zbrodnią i karą i sztuka i "nauka" i jakby "magia"; kurde jak mnie to wszystko kupiło.
idę czytać The Scar tzn. już zacząłem.
Absolutely epic and beautifully written. The only problem with this genre-busting steampunk, cyberpunk, sci-fi fantasy is that it tails off a bit towards the end. The last fifth of the book was much slower paced and a bit of a slog. Still well worth a read though.