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crimsoncor's review against another edition
3.0
Some of the stories were spectacular (particularly Dreaded Outcome), but I think a lot of it went over my head. I'm only so-so at picking up on contextual clues and in the short story form, there is so much less to work with.
jhoffer's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Highlight stories: Dowager of Bees, Säcken, The Bastard Prompt
jstrahan's review against another edition
4.0
So many great stories. Particular faves were 3 moments, the dowager of bees, the rope is the world, the buzzards egg, sacken, the junket, four final orpheuses, listen the birds, the design, and the rabbet
Turns out that’s more than half of them, and half the rest probably went over my head so definitely recommend, I LOVE CHINA!!
Turns out that’s more than half of them, and half the rest probably went over my head so definitely recommend, I LOVE CHINA!!
tomstbr's review against another edition
3.0
EDIT: see my review for The Lifted Brow
http://theliftedbrow.com/post/128819425462/coming-up-short-my-literary-hero-returns-with-a
http://theliftedbrow.com/post/128819425462/coming-up-short-my-literary-hero-returns-with-a
megadeathvsbooks's review against another edition
3.0
I'm still uncertain about short stories, especially from a writer as complex as Mieville. But these stories were fascinating, especially in terms of the concepts they contained. I'd suggest reading this with someone else so you have someone to talk to about it.
duffypratt's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
These stories are interesting, but very few of them are satisfying. They either present a strange/cool idea in an experimental way and leave it at that, or they develop on it in a narrative that is somewhat engaging but ends up being a bit perplexing. There are only a couple in the bunch that I thought were truly excellent, most notably After the Festival.
The ideas, I have to say, are very cool. Mieville seems to place himself somewhere between Kafka, Borges, and J.G Ballard, with perhaps a touch of David Lynch (of Eraserhead). We get icebergs floating in the sky over London, medical students who find their cadavers have scrimshaw on their bones, oil rigs that have come to life and are invading the land. Towers built up as cities reaching to geosynchronous satellites, but now decaying. A disease that makes it so that a trench of earth spontaneously digs itself around any of the infected who remain stationary for long enough.
The imagination is extremely fertile and, as with much of Kafka, the weirdness seems to present itself as a kind of metaphor. But it's difficult to say what the metaphors are actually pointing to. And as with Kafka, I am sometimes at a loss to understand. So all that I'm left with is whether I enjoy it or not. And here, I would say it's about 50/50. Some of these stories seem very cool moment by moment. But they tend to simply peter out; the world ends not with a bang...
Still, I'm glad to have read these, and I may come back to a couple of them (After the Festival, The Keep). But I don't think Mieville is as good in the shorter formats as he is in the Bas-Lag books, or in Embassytown. Will definitely read more by him.
The ideas, I have to say, are very cool. Mieville seems to place himself somewhere between Kafka, Borges, and J.G Ballard, with perhaps a touch of David Lynch (of Eraserhead). We get icebergs floating in the sky over London, medical students who find their cadavers have scrimshaw on their bones, oil rigs that have come to life and are invading the land. Towers built up as cities reaching to geosynchronous satellites, but now decaying. A disease that makes it so that a trench of earth spontaneously digs itself around any of the infected who remain stationary for long enough.
The imagination is extremely fertile and, as with much of Kafka, the weirdness seems to present itself as a kind of metaphor. But it's difficult to say what the metaphors are actually pointing to. And as with Kafka, I am sometimes at a loss to understand. So all that I'm left with is whether I enjoy it or not. And here, I would say it's about 50/50. Some of these stories seem very cool moment by moment. But they tend to simply peter out; the world ends not with a bang...
Still, I'm glad to have read these, and I may come back to a couple of them (After the Festival, The Keep). But I don't think Mieville is as good in the shorter formats as he is in the Bas-Lag books, or in Embassytown. Will definitely read more by him.
stargazersasha's review against another edition
4.0
"the dowager of bees" is a 5 star story and the main reason i love this collection so much. there are lots of other hits but i found this collection to be pretty inconsistent. ily china <3
burruss's review against another edition
4.0
China Miéville's latest collection of short stories is a mixed bag but definitely worth the read. The selections run the gamut from quick vignettes to disturbing novelettes to transcripts from non-existent movie trailers. Miéville seems to be doing his best to channel his inner Kelly Link as most of the stories have an odd, dreamlike quality to them (yes, more so IMHO than his usual dreamlike writing). Some of the entries are just odd, not bad, but have no lasting impact. Other stories are among Miéville's best. To name just a few: "The Dowager of Bees" is a thrilling tale of playing cards with the world's most unpredictable deck. "Sӓcken" and "After the Festival" are terrifying. "Dreaded Outcome" is amusing, macabre, and could possibly have you look closer at your therapist next session. "The Rope of the World" stuns you in just a few pages with a picture of the far future long after a space elevator has been constructed and neglected. "The Design" is a masterful tale of love and a prime example of show-don't-tell. "The Junket" is...actually, I can't tell you about "The Junket" since I don't want to spoil it for you and you wouldn't believe me if I told you.
There are two persistent themes throughout the collection. One is the theme of the modern world upset by a single major significant oddity, be it frozen clouds, oil rigs that walk and give birth, corpses that point in one direction only (no matter who views them or from what vantage), and human bones that have been magically scrimshawed from birth. The other theme is that of decay, with most of the stories describing either society breaking down or taking place in some post-catastrophic future. This is most obvious in the story "The Keep" with its engrossing tale of earth literally collapsing underneath the feet of the characters but it's a theme present in ways small or large across the other stories. Miéville again and again gives us characters trying to make sense of the world around them, trying to find something or someone to cling onto while all else falls apart. In very few of the stories will you find a happy ending (though there are some) but the majority leave you feeling both contemplative, a little melancholy, and more than a little disturbed.
There are two persistent themes throughout the collection. One is the theme of the modern world upset by a single major significant oddity, be it frozen clouds, oil rigs that walk and give birth, corpses that point in one direction only (no matter who views them or from what vantage), and human bones that have been magically scrimshawed from birth. The other theme is that of decay, with most of the stories describing either society breaking down or taking place in some post-catastrophic future. This is most obvious in the story "The Keep" with its engrossing tale of earth literally collapsing underneath the feet of the characters but it's a theme present in ways small or large across the other stories. Miéville again and again gives us characters trying to make sense of the world around them, trying to find something or someone to cling onto while all else falls apart. In very few of the stories will you find a happy ending (though there are some) but the majority leave you feeling both contemplative, a little melancholy, and more than a little disturbed.
squirrelsohno's review against another edition
3.0
It's not the book, it's just me. DNFed at 220, but counting it read because I tried. I TRIED I SWEAR.
angelicide's review against another edition
5.0
I recognize that this book will not be everyone's cup of tea. Perhaps very few in fact, due to its strange and uneven texture, but it had a personal significance for me. I listened to the audiobook version, which was great -- narration and all. Immediately after, I ordered the paperback so I can revisit some of the stories and take notes. Not everything is gold, but there are some really great ideas here and I find them collectively fascinating.