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moreteamorecats 's review for:
October: The Story of the Russian Revolution
by China Miéville
The wild world-building and philosophical rigor of Mieville's fiction should lend itself well to a historical thriller of ideas. In many ways, it does. I had only an American high-school introduction to the Russian revolution prior, so I learned a great deal while enjoying every minute. The read is exciting, often funny, and morally clear.
What October lacks, narratively speaking, is any sense of build. The pace is furious from page one. The tone, dialectically ironic yet incantatory, is that of Mieville's climaxes. His novels earn their climaxes the old-fashioned way, through narrative formation of the audience. October seems to me to assume at least a little bit of a pre-formed reader, one ready to thrill to revolutionary slogans and statements through familiarity. The clue is that he often refers to future fame or provocation from the events, but does not return to the theme. I was inclined to be sympathetic to these slogans and events, but not already familiar, and so felt a bit on the outside of the intended audience.
What October lacks, narratively speaking, is any sense of build. The pace is furious from page one. The tone, dialectically ironic yet incantatory, is that of Mieville's climaxes. His novels earn their climaxes the old-fashioned way, through narrative formation of the audience. October seems to me to assume at least a little bit of a pre-formed reader, one ready to thrill to revolutionary slogans and statements through familiarity. The clue is that he often refers to future fame or provocation from the events, but does not return to the theme. I was inclined to be sympathetic to these slogans and events, but not already familiar, and so felt a bit on the outside of the intended audience.