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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
definitely a good mieville intro. much more toned-down language and some of the stories read almost like a normal person with a wild imagination could have written them. that said - a lot of them were quite slight, and i preferred the ones that reminded me more of his other work. warning to kindle readers - there is a cartoon/graphic installation, which does not come out well in the kindle version, and you can't expand the size of the panels.
fast-paced
this guy has not heard of interiority or characterisation in his entire life and just loves saying his ideas at me
This collection of stories varies widely in subject from an abandoned witch's familiar, to the ghost of an Ikea ball pit, to a secret organization that maps out streets of cities around the world that seemingly travel with a will of their own, to world where Christmas itself has been copywritten. They cover the weird and the fantastic all with a tone of suspense and intensity, vibrating with unexpected weirdness.
I enjoyed many of them. More than I usually do in a collection of stories.
I enjoyed many of them. More than I usually do in a collection of stories.
Matters shuffle along, pressed and steamed by the incessant heat. Each piece in this collection appears more climate controlled, as if penned upon a sofa while listening to The Fall and waiting for delivery Korean barbecue. You can recognize my resentment. I wanted to read Thomas Ligotti last night to no avail. Then early this morning when it was already jungle muggy outside. I read a story Reports of Certain Events in London, and this I was pleased by found documents, amateur societies and phantom streets. That high bar was to prove elusive. Nothing else left me as uneasy. Though there was a wonky tale, one which smelled of The Destructors, it’s a paen to aging felt contrived, though idea of a haunted stained glass was worth pondering. End to Hunger is an interesting gloss on the early days of the Internet and yet the pose of the (anarchist) activist artist is ultimately sad not tragic.
China Mieville is a master storyteller and a poet. There are some truly chilling and delicious stories in this collection. While not all stories in the book are perfect, they are all above average examples of Mieville's gift.
Short stories are tricky. While the restriction on word count is a good exercise for writers, the reader is often the one being tossed into stories in medias res. That is not to mention the fact that you never quite have enough time to acquaint yourself with the characters on the page before the story draws to a close. So short stories have the tough job of drawing the readers in quickly and making them enjoy the short stay — kind of like a theme park ride.
And just like theme park rides, not all of them are going to be runaway hits. Even in the hands of someone like China Mieville, one of my favourite authors of all time, some stories will ultimately turn out to be duds. However, since they are mostly so short, they never overstay their welcome.
Going into this book, I knew that I was going to like certain stories and disregard the rest — that's just the way short story collections are. Here are some highlights from the read:
1. Looking for Jake: I actually quite like this one, even though Goodreads users seem to disagree. I like how it feels like an analogy or critic on our obsession with the digital age. I'm not sure if the fact that the story is set on the fifth of November has any political significance but, since it is Mieville, I wouldn't put it pass the guy.
2. Foundation: One of the standouts in this collection. It's the idea that every empire is built on the corpses of others, and how that analogy translates literally to this short horror story. Even more disconcerting is the fact that it is somewhat based on a true story.
3. The Ball Room: Who knew that Mieville can write a Stephen King-esque horror story? A lot of IT vibes in this one.
4. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia: An especially potent story in our current socio-political climate. If I had the chance to ask Mieville some questions, I would ask him what the "second word" is.
5. Go Between: Again, who knew that Mieville can write a Philip K Dick-esque horror story?
6. Different Skies: One of my favourites in this one, with Mieville channeling a lot of Lovecraft but without the Eldritch horror.
7. 'Tis the Season: I really like the core concept of Christmas being corporatised. Also, a surprisingly sweet/tender ending to the short story too.
8. Tain: While the execution isn't great in my opinion, the core concept is pure Mieville. In fact, just last night, it made be look at my reflection in the mirror differently. You know a story has gotten to you when it spills over into real life.
And just like theme park rides, not all of them are going to be runaway hits. Even in the hands of someone like China Mieville, one of my favourite authors of all time, some stories will ultimately turn out to be duds. However, since they are mostly so short, they never overstay their welcome.
Going into this book, I knew that I was going to like certain stories and disregard the rest — that's just the way short story collections are. Here are some highlights from the read:
1. Looking for Jake: I actually quite like this one, even though Goodreads users seem to disagree. I like how it feels like an analogy or critic on our obsession with the digital age. I'm not sure if the fact that the story is set on the fifth of November has any political significance but, since it is Mieville, I wouldn't put it pass the guy.
2. Foundation: One of the standouts in this collection. It's the idea that every empire is built on the corpses of others, and how that analogy translates literally to this short horror story. Even more disconcerting is the fact that it is somewhat based on a true story.
3. The Ball Room: Who knew that Mieville can write a Stephen King-esque horror story? A lot of IT vibes in this one.
4. Entry Taken from a Medical Encyclopaedia: An especially potent story in our current socio-political climate. If I had the chance to ask Mieville some questions, I would ask him what the "second word" is.
5. Go Between: Again, who knew that Mieville can write a Philip K Dick-esque horror story?
6. Different Skies: One of my favourites in this one, with Mieville channeling a lot of Lovecraft but without the Eldritch horror.
7. 'Tis the Season: I really like the core concept of Christmas being corporatised. Also, a surprisingly sweet/tender ending to the short story too.
8. Tain: While the execution isn't great in my opinion, the core concept is pure Mieville. In fact, just last night, it made be look at my reflection in the mirror differently. You know a story has gotten to you when it spills over into real life.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Abandonado al 40%.
He leído los dos primeros relatos, el cómic y la novela corta que cierra el volumen. Las ideas son buenas, pero su desarrollo no me convence. No es que no me hayan gustado, más bien han pasado sin pena ni gloria. Se supone que una antología debe empezar y terminar con los platos más fuerte, pero el efecto que me han causado es como el de relatos de relleno, que están bien, pero no te dejan huella, y no me han dejado con ganas de leer el resto.
He leído los dos primeros relatos, el cómic y la novela corta que cierra el volumen. Las ideas son buenas, pero su desarrollo no me convence. No es que no me hayan gustado, más bien han pasado sin pena ni gloria. Se supone que una antología debe empezar y terminar con los platos más fuerte, pero el efecto que me han causado es como el de relatos de relleno, que están bien, pero no te dejan huella, y no me han dejado con ganas de leer el resto.
A weird lil' collection of short stories (sci-fi/fantasy/horror/speculative fiction) that was fun to read. Nothing rocked my world but a couple were quite...unsettling (in a good way) and eerie. I enjoyed it overall, enough that I will actually try one of his novels now.