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jasperrolls 's review for:
Looking for Jake: Stories
by China Miéville
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
i think my only massive complaint with this collection of short stories is its overwhelming focus on horror - the stories aren't bad at doing that, but i've sort of come to expect short story collections as an opportunity for an author to play around with different genres, and mieville sticks almost resolutely to New Weird Horror, which makes "'Tis the Season", a darkly comedic romp about a world where christmas has been privatised, a fun little standout.
otherwise, i was very compelled by "The Tain"'s mirror world inhabitants, and how their lives and reality functioned, and i think the best one is probably the shortest - "Entry from a Medical Encyclopedia" is a wonderfully concise and well realized concept, perfectly poised to ruin your day the moment you finish it. less effective is its comparatively similar piece, "Reports of Certain Events in London" - while the via ferae concept is compelling, and the holes in the story made by the "missing pieces" of the report compel. i think its meta presentation doesn't really work for it. nice to a see a little bit more of Bas-Lag in "Jack", and my other favorite is the pareidolia fable "Details" - feels like a scarier doctor who episode.
otherwise, i was very compelled by "The Tain"'s mirror world inhabitants, and how their lives and reality functioned, and i think the best one is probably the shortest - "Entry from a Medical Encyclopedia" is a wonderfully concise and well realized concept, perfectly poised to ruin your day the moment you finish it. less effective is its comparatively similar piece, "Reports of Certain Events in London" - while the via ferae concept is compelling, and the holes in the story made by the "missing pieces" of the report compel. i think its meta presentation doesn't really work for it. nice to a see a little bit more of Bas-Lag in "Jack", and my other favorite is the pareidolia fable "Details" - feels like a scarier doctor who episode.